Experimenting in the kitchen...

First steps
First of all, I would like to start with my own personal list of basics that I always have in the fridge, freezer or pantry. This is a very very limited list and includes only my must-haves:

Pantry
Diced tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Sun-dried tomatoes
Pine nuts
Canned corn
Canned tuna
Olive oil
Vegetable oil
Peanut oil
Balsamic vinegar
Apple cider vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Honey
Brown sugar
Garlic
Yellow onions
Shallots
Spanish sea salt
Any other salt
White wine
Red wine
Cognac
Marsala
Pasta (several different types)
Parboiled long grain rice
Arborio rice
Basmati rice
Dried plums
Dried apricots
Raisins
Flour
Sugar
Corn starch
Bread crumbs (unseasoned)

Herbs and Spices (I love spices!!!)
I try to have as many as possible. The Indian markets are great places to get them: big variety, small price. As you follow this blog, you will soon discover that I use a ton of different spices in my cooking... My spice cabinet contains more than 50 different spices and herbs that I have accumulated over a period of time. Some of them are bought, some of them home-made. I try to use as many fresh herbs as possible but sometimes, the dried ones just fit better. The flavor of the same herb dried and fresh is very different. The herbs and spices I use the most are:

Black pepper (always freshly ground)
Nutmeg (always freshly ground)
Cumin (always freshly ground)
Cinnamon
Saffron
Paprika (hot and sweet)
Ras el Hanout
Cajun seasoning
Curry (yellow)
Cloves
Cayenne pepper
Crushed red chili
Thyme (dried)
Oregano (dried)
Bay leaves (dried)

Fridge
Eggs
Butter
Cream (not necessarily heavy :) )
Toast bread
Mustard
Ketchup
Swiss
Peppers (red, green and/or yellow)
Parmesan

Freezer
Green peas
Sliced carrots
Pearl onions
Chili peppers

As you can see, it is not much (no fresh meat or fish), but it is ideal to force you to be creative! :)