Well Stocked Pantry & Baking Center For The Holidays

I love to bake for the holidays.  Tons of breads, cookies, and pies come out of my kitchen.  I like to give them as gifts to all the neighbors too, so baking is kind of a big deal to me.  I need a well-stocked pantry & baking center for the holidlays to make it fun and easy.

My kitchen isn’t really huge, however, I do have a wonderful walk-in pantry that makes up for the small size.  I love seeing all the fancy pantries and that would be a dream, however, mine is more of a grocery store.  A friend calls it a Mini-Mart.

Everything food-related that doesn’t need to be refrigerated or frozen is in my pantry.  Tons of flours, sugars, and baking supplies.  I also want to have a great mix of canned goods and bulk rice and beans so I can create any dish I want to without having to run to the store.  Then there are all the snacks, cereals, crackers, and fun stuff.  I also like to keep some potatoes and onions plus plenty of paper products too.

The opposite wall of the pantry is lined with shelves that hold all the basics.  Mixes, pasta and spices.  There is also an assortment of boxed rices, stove top dressing, corn bread, baking mix, pancake mix, jello, pudding, and extra condiments.  You can easily add a little meat or go meatless and create all kinds of meals out of this pantry.

Having all the baking dishes in one spot is so important too.  I can see all my dishes for casseroles, pies and cakes in one spot.  I also love that there is room for all those small appliances.  I never have to shuffle through cabinets to find the right appliance that I am looking for.

My pantry won’t win any “pretty” contest, but it is great if you want to cook anything.  No unnecessary trips to the store, it’s all right here.

Once I get all my favorites baked, I like to make sure they are wrapped pretty.  Check out my Tips For Wrapping Baked Goods As Gifts.