The 5 Ingredients You'll Always Find in a Texas Pantry — Life in Kitchen

When I was growing up in Texas, my family spent every Sunday eating BBQ brisket sandwiches, coleslaw, and pecan pie, and my friends and I went out for chips and queso and sizzling fajitas. When I moved to New York after college, I gave up this weekly tradition — all the Tex-Mex flavors disappeared, and grilling outside just wasn't an option.

After eight years of eating my way through New York, however, I'm finally back in Austin and I'm trying to embrace my culinary roots. I've stocked my pantry with all my favorite Texas ingredients. These ingredients are always easy to find, affordable, and can turn any sad weeknight dinner into a masterpiece at any moment. Here are five of my favorite pantry essentials.

READ MORE »