Gotta Be Startin' Something

Hello and welcome and thank you. Time is valuable and the fact that you're spending a little of yours here brings me some warm fuzzies. Sometimes I am a sap - you will come to love this as it provides nice contrast to when I am sometimes a wretched bitch.

Down to business: I am broke. I am busy. I am fairly certain this is something I share with most of you and if not, well, good for you. My hope is to provide some tried and tested recipes so you can avoid wasting your time on those that are doomed from the beginning. Additionally, with my handy math skills, I will be providing a price-per-serving tidbit at the end of each recipe. This will be based on things I assume you've bought just for that recipe; there are some things you just need to have in your kitchen. You can spend as much or as little as you want on them so I won't list prices here, just suggestions for what you might want to keep in mind while shopping.

• Flour - Good all-purpose flour lives up to its name whether you're using a tablespoon to thicken a sauce or an entire bag for a marathon cookie-baking session. My preference is for the unbleached variety because there's absolutely no reason you need to bleach flour. Yes, it'll be whiter in the bag. But no, it won't actually yield a noticeably lighter-colored result. You may also want to invest in cake flour if cakes are your thing, but I usually buy that on an as-needed basis.
• Butter - Unsalted for baking, salted for eating (or maybe that's just me because salted butter is delicious). Obviously the unsalted variety will be more generally useful since you can always add salt to a recipe.
• Olive Oil - I cannot stress this enough: first cold press extra virgin. If ANY of those words are missing from the bottle, you don't want it. Granted, I'm a bit of an olive oil snob. My grandfather (a wonderful little Italian man who tells me things like crushing garlic with a knife blade is "too fancy" and then proceeds to smash the clove with the closest can of tomatoes) spent my entire childhood explaining olive oils to me and I assure you, it makes a difference. I don't believe it's much pricier than the other stuff but if it is and you need to save the few bucks, I understand. However, under no circumstances are you to purchase any of that "low-fat" or "light" oil. It's oil. Use it or don't use it, but don't be a pussy.
• Canola or Vegetable Oil - Either way, you're good: they taste nearly identical. So identical that I couldn't even begin to explain what the difference is because I just don't know.
• Vanilla Extract - NOT imitation vanilla extract - why would you do that to yourself? If this is another price thing, here's what you do: go to Central Market if you live in Texas (!) or another foodie-ish grocery store and find the giant bottle of Mexican vanilla extract. It is nearly a liter big and it retails for something like $8. I bought mine three years ago and still use it whenever I go home to visit my mom. You can also buy the super fancy 1 oz. bottle for $15 but then why are you here?
• Spices -  Cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper. Just do it.
• Sugar - White sugar comes into play most often, but brown sugar is also well worth having around. If you're constantly wondering whether you need light or dark brown sugar, I can tell you that I pick the dark stuff. The only real difference is subtle and flavor-related with the dark brown being richer. If you're worried about the color of your finished project, stop. The difference in color (as it was with flour) will be undetectable. 
• Eggs - I buy free-range brown eggs because I've watched Food, Inc. and read some Michael Pollan books and feel bad for the chickens. If budget is more important to you, by all means, buy the store-brand ones. (Once again, do not stress the color. Buy what makes you happier.)
• Garlic - It's easy to forget (at least for me) on trips to the store that are specific for a recipe because it seems like such an everyday ingredient. Having it on hand makes everything easier and more flavorful. Plus it's super cheap.

That's all I have for now. This will not be a cheap shopping trip, but it will be worth it. You will see how much a jar of cinnamon costs and if you're like me, you'll consider breaking out into tears in the baking aisle. But you will thank yourself later because you won't have to buy another one for another two years. As I think of more essentials I'll post them but for now I'm late for a doc appointment (as usual).

Love & Spices,
K.