I can't tell you how many times I have promised myself that I would keep inventory of all the food in my house, so that I could check at a glance whether we were out of ketchup or sugar or whatever.  I always start a system, and then I lose interest.

I also hate the panic of not knowing what to make for dinner, not knowing what's in the fridge, and I can't even explain how much I hate writing and rewriting grocery lists. Menu planning makes me cry.

I've always wanted to be the kind of person that can cook with the stuff they already have at home. A person very much like my mom.

Oh, and have I mentioned that I love cooking and refuse to eat prepackaged food? Martha Stewart and Ina Garten are my idols. I'm just not good at the prep work.

So when I was offered a copy of The Stocked Kitchen