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The best wedding gift my parents gave my husband and me eight years ago was a cupboard full of food when we returned from the honeymoon.

We got married as soon as he was released from the Marine Corps. As he was adjusting to the outside world, I was in my last semester at Texas A&M.

I worked part time in the journalism department (yes, it really did exist once). He worked at a local sporting goods store, saving money before enrolling in college the next fall.

We had a glorious wedding. My parents were fiscally creative, and we had a beautiful ceremony and reception in December in the Hill Country ... a fairy tale.

But the reality was coming back to a one-bedroom apartment off campus with little money to start out on. I had a few things in the fridge (I think ketchup and some Wheat Thins). But for the most part, I didn’t know where to begin. Until that point in my life, I ate meals at campus dining halls and ate popcorn and sandwiches at home. (OK, I always had ice cream, too.)

I had not given much thought to what we would eat, only that I would mix it up in one of the three food processors I received, we would eat it on fancy plates I registered for and serve it with the cloth napkins to match.

Off we went on the honeymoon without a care, until the final few hours before departure from Vegas. Then I began to panic. I started thinking about our first night together in our tiny apartment and how wonderful it would be to set the table and make dinner. ...

I hadn’t gone shopping. I hadn’t purchased the first thing to make dinner. I knew some kind folks had given us cookbooks as gifts, but they certainly were in storage at Mom and Dad’s.

I thought it over and over in my head, making a list on the plane home.

When we arrived at the apartment, I had no need to worry. Mom and Dad had taken care of everything.

The fridge was full of milk, eggs, butter and other supplies, as were the cabinets and spice rack above the stove. The ketchup bottle remained the king of the condiments, but instead of remaining in its prominent top-shelf spot, was moved to the door of the fridge with mustard and other dressings.

Mom had unpacked the cookbooks and lined them neatly in the pantry. The one on the kitchen table was titled “Where’s Mom Now That I Need Her,” and it provided me with the first meal I ever made for my husband — baked chicken and rice casserole.

So in that spirit, I’ve put out the call for kitchen staples and received a few great ideas to share.

From Marionetta Smith: Her “go to” appliance and the only one that stays on her kitchen counter all the time is a shrinkwrap foodsaver.

“I cook for just two and that is not easy. For instance, you can’t make a small pot of chili or chicken spaghetti. So I deliberately cook extras of almost everything and package the leftovers in serving size portions in shrinkwrap foodsaver bags for the freezer. They keep for months and when I am ready to serve them I simply drop the package in boiling water until it is thawed and heated.

Beef, chicken, and fish, when stored in the freezer in shrinkwrap bags, keep for one to two years. I take advantage of special sales of these items and always have a good supply on hand.

My next favorite appliance is my slow cooker and a vegetable steamer. They go hand in hand with my foodsaver.”

From Cyndi Starr: Baking soda, bullion cubes, eggs

“... One box in the fridge and one in the freezer to keep things smelling and tasting fresh. One box near the stove — put it on grease fire and cover the pan; one box near the sink to clean the drain, especially the garbage disposal (again the fresh smell) and rub on the stains for a nice abrasive. ... Softens your hands, too. For bee stings and ant bites, mix with water into a paste and apply to the sting or bite. Let it dry and then wash off ... takes away the pain and itch. And finally, one box in the tub for a cooling bath when you are sunburned.

“Bullion cubes — (beef) keep a small jar handy to add a cube to gravy, stew, chili, soup ... great flavor. Also, just dissolve in warm water and feed the broth to sick babies, children and husbands — stays down when nothing else will. You could live off bullion cubes and saltines for a week with the flu. (It’s like Raman noodles without the noodles.)

“Eggs — any non-chef can make scrambled eggs ... but try them for dinner with baked beans and tell the kids it’s a cowboy dinner ... they’ll love it! I could go on and on about eggs, but they are just a must-have.

“Dad’s can survive without Mom for a week or more with these three ingredients.”

From Jennifer Smith: Must haves for the kitchen fridge and pantry include: Bacon, dried pasta (elbow, spaghetti,shells), canned diced tomatoes, whipping cream, rice, ground beef, sour cream, various shredded cheeses, eggs, cream of mushroom soup, Parmesean cheese, canned beans (pinto, black), chopped frozen spinach and real butter.

“Here are two recipes utilizing several of these ingredients. Measurements are approximate. These are original recipes that have never been the same twice!”

Easy Rich Italian Cream Sauce

8 strips of bacon, diced and fried crisp

1/4 C white wine or white cooking wine (optional)

1/2 C diced tomatoes or spaghetti sauce

1 C heavy whipping cream

1/2 C or more real Parmesean cheese

Frozen chopped spinach (optional), thawed and squeezed dry

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fry bacon in large deep skillet. Remove from skillet, leaving grease. Add wine to skillet and with wooden spoon, scrape bottom of pan to remove bacon bits. Reduce heat to low and add tomatoes or spaghetti sauce, simmering for 1 minute. Add whipping cream and stir to combine. Add chopped spinach and stir to incorporate. Add Parmesean cheese and stir until melted into sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. When sauce has simmered for 5 minutes, add your cooked pasta to the sauce and stir to coat pasta. Add in bacon pieces and more Parmesean cheese.

Kitchen Pantry Mexican Casserole

1 5oz pkg Mahatma Yellow rice or equivalent amount white rice, cooked according to package directions

1 lb ground beef

1/2 can cream of mushroom soup

1/4 C sour cream

1/2 can Rotel or your favorite salsa

1/2 can chopped green chilis

1 C black beans, drained

1 C or more shredded cheese

1 teaspoon chili powder

Salt and Pepper to taste, other seasonings as desired

Cook rice according to package directions. Spread in bottom of greased 8X8 casserole dish. In a skillet, brown meat and drain. Add soup, sour cream, drained beans, Rotel or salsa, chilis and seasonings and stir well to combine, add more soup or sour cream to get the consistency you like. Pour this mixture over rice and spread to cover evenly. Top generously with cheese. Bake uncovered in 350 oven for approximately 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with extra sour cream, salsa and tortilla chips.