Start Prepared

A well-stocked kitchen includes many things, and you can usually find a great list in the front of a cookbook, like Joy of Cooking or Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  You'll need pots and pans, all manner of utensils, bakeware, funnels, measurers, gadgets (oh, there are the gadgets!), cutting boards, a knife for veggies, a knife for meat, a knife for slicing, a knife for chopping, a knife for deboning (unless you are me and you plan NEVER to debone a thing EVER in your life EVER), a knife for...well, there is a knife for just about anything.  You want to make sure and have a roaster, a crock-pot, several saute pans, strainers and cheesecloth, and so much more!  And then there is the pantry.

Don't forget the basics like flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda (and please don't mix up the two) (don't ask me why, but I think it would cause a bad scene) (or maybe just flat bread or cake or muffins), vegetable oil, vanilla, butter, milk and eggs.

All of this is very important, you see.  Avoiding scenes like this...

could be very easy if you are like a good Boy Scout and remember to "Be Prepared"!  I think even girls can benefit from this wise motto. 

Here are two lessons for the day:

1.  Check for all ingredients before starting the steps to your recipe.  Mashed bananas are just not appetizing hanging around in your fridge while they wait for some eggs.  You will end up throwing them away, which is what you were trying to avoid doing by making the banana bread in the first place.

2.  Don't save the mashed bananas.  You know you won't use them. 

The lessons.  There will be many.  I am here to share the vast wealth of knowledge I have acquired in my thirteen years of food preparation.  And my excellent food photography skills.  You just wait!