F is for Flavor #atozchallenge

Do you like flavors in food or are you a more bland style eater? In our house it is really split.. I have 1 very picky eater who prefers less flavor variety, 1 that likes spicy flavors, 1 that likes a little flavor but not to much, and then Mom who like variety and zest. So how do you cook but still satisfy everyone's tastes?
Here are a couple of ideas that I like to use along with a few pantry staples that I keep on hand to help with that.
Italian Seasoning: I make my own from Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Garlic, Onions, and citric acid instead of salt.
Taco or Salsa Seasoning: I buy this in bulk once a year at our annual Garlic Festival
G.O.H mix: a blend of Herbie, Garlic, and Onion which a low in sodium and a basic seasoning I use for almost everything
Coarse Ground Black Pepper: I buy my favorite twice a year at Costco
Sea Salt: I don't buy iodine salt, since I am not suppose to have a lot of salt, I tend to use Sea Salt as it has a stronger flavor and thus I use less of it..
Dried Jalapeno: I grow them and dry them in our food dehydrator... I can grind them on the cheese grater or smash them under a large knife...
Lavender: it grows like a weed in a pot on my patio... I love adding it to Spaghetti and similar sauces. It also makes a wonderful addition to ice tea or lemonade in the summer
Mint: again grows like a weed on my patio, but I love using it for greek chicken, sauces, and in tea or lemonade.

What flavors do you keep on hand?

10 Pantry Essentials: What's on your list?

I've been thinking about this for a while and since our   31 Days to Better Blog assignment is a list I thought this would be the perefect opportunity to share my Top 10 Pantry Essentials, the things that must be in the pantry.

10. Chili (my boys and my husband love chili, they will eat it plain, with noodles, over burgers or hot dogs, and even as a sandwhich like a sloppy jo)

9. Pancake mix (homemade mix or store bought it really doesn't matter, just as long as Nathan and Mike have pancake mix to make breakfast)

8. Brown Rice (the boys love chicken and rice casserole, stir fry veggies and rice, or homemade rice pilaf. Back in February I bought a 15# bag of brown rice at Costco so we will have rice for a while)

7. Tomatoes (diced, stewed, sauce, paste, etc... I try to keep at least 2 cans of each in the pantry and if the garden does well this year I will have homemade tomatoes in the pantry instead of cans.)

6. Corn (canned corn seems to be one of those things that I can always add to something to make it go a little farther)

5. Broth: (chicken, beef, vegetable, turkey, again as long as I have broth I can create just about anything.. I use broth instead of water to cook noodles, rice, potatoes, etc.. Whenever I cook meat in the crockpot I always turn it into broth after the fact and process the jars in my pressure cooker.)

4.  Whole Wheat Flour (I try it bake with whole wheat instead of white as often as I can)

3. Oatmeal (Basic oatmeal for breakfast, oatmeal patties as a chicken patty replacement, and ground oatmeal for flour.. )

2. Jelly (I make batches of jelly all summer including apple, plum, cherry, and peach so the boys have jams and jellies for their peanut butter sandwhiches)

1. Beans  (Black beans, chick peas, kidney beans, again a couple cans of each I can always throw beans into whatever I am fixing to add some fiber and protein.)

What are you pantry essentials?