Many of us find our heart-racing, drool-inducing, oh-my-god-I-can't-wait-to-get-in-the-kitchen inspiration at the farmers' market. Or at the butcher shop. Or at the fish counter. We rarely turn to our pantries for inspiration, and instead save the pantry rummaging for nights when dinner feels like a burden.

But with a can of tomatoes -- or a stack of them -- the pantry can be a place of exploration: an easy way to a burden-free dinner that's just as exciting as a meal following a trip to the market.

More from Food52
• Check out a step-by-step plan for a Pantry Pasta and Salad Dinner.
• Looking for more pantry inspiration? Learn why we love anchovies.
• Got a question in the kitchen? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

Brought to you by the spirited home cooks' community at Food52.

Cool off with a refreshing glass of homemade lemonade. Brighten up traditional lemonade by adding fresh strawberries -- and steeped ginger and lemongrass -- for a unique and refreshing sparkling beverage.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (about a dozen-or-so lemons)
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large strawberries
1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger (a little larger than a walnut)
2 lemongrass stalks
2 cups water
2 cups of chilled sparkling water or club soda
4 cups of ice

Related: A refreshing pineapple surprise and 15 other cool summer drinks

Directions:
1.Peel the ginger by lightly scraping the sides sideways with a knife. Chop up the ginger as fine (stronger flavor) or as coarsely (milder) as you like.

2. Trim the dry bases of the lemongrass stalks, and again, slice cross-ways, as fine or coarsely as you like.

3. Place ginger, lemongrass, salt, and sugar into a saucepan with two cups of water.

4. On medium-high heat, warm until nearly boiling,

Dine on these dishes at your own riskBelieve it or not, there are some people on this Earth who regularly risk their lives when they go out for a meal. Call them daredevils, call them adrenaline-seekers, or call them totally nuts, there are people who seek out treasured culinary delicacies that pose significant health risks and even may be deadly.

21 More Deadly Dishes

Take for instance, escamoles, a Mexican dish that's made from the eggs of the giant black Liometopum ant, which is a highly venomous creature. Fans of escamoles describe the taste as nutty and buttery, and especially delectable in tacos. Similarly, lutefisk, a traditional Nordic dish, consists of whitefish that's been dried, soaked in lye for days (rendering it too toxic to eat), then soaked in cold water and cooked.

Andrew Zimmern's 9 Most Bizarre American Foods

There are, of course, some risky foods that become harmful if handled incorrectly, but are otherwise perfectly edible, such as tapioca and stonefish. Derived from the roots of cassava plants,

Your kids will ask for more greens after this smoothie!Nothing will make my daughter run for her room like spinach. She can sense it from a mile away - almost as if she has an anti-spinach super power. Thankfully, she has yet to figure out that her favorite green smoothie is packed with the super nutritious green vegetable. I'm thinking it has a lot to do with the way I serve it. Fresh and sweet, these monster smoothies not only look back at you, they're deliciously healthy!

Related: Blueberries, spinach and 8 other superfoods hiding in your kitchen!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen spinach
1 banana, peeled
1 tablespoon honey
Candy eyes
Small pineapple triangles

Helpful Tip: I'm using frozen pineapple and spinach for a colder smoothie but fresh pineapple and spinach can be substituted and will make the smoothie sweeter and greener. If using fresh pineapple and spinach, add a few ice cubes to make the smoothie colder.

Directions:
1.

Jell-O! Is it the firm jiggles or the dissolve in your mouth sweetness that makes finger jello such a hit with people of all ages? My family has been making finger jello since before I could say "boo." Every party, every celebration, every sunday family gathering there it was. Depending on the occasion it was usually cut into squares, but when it's party time my Auntie Rosie usually cut them into fancy shapes and placed the scraps in a big ziplock. The big ziplock was reserved for the scavenger types who would go hunting for more once all the fancy shapes were gone. Yes, that's how I got introduced to finger jello, except my family made it with real fruit juice. Here's the recipe….. Enjoy!

Related: 10 tasty mug cakes you can make in under 10 minutes

Ingredients for Real Fruit Juice Finger Jello:
6 cups real fruit juice (the choice is yours, but I use Cran-Strawberry, Pom-Blueberry, pink lemonade, grape, apple, sweetened jamaica tea, or cherry juice)
6 envelopes of Knox unflavored gelatin

Where to find a decent beer at the ball parkA few weeks ago, you may have seen a photo going around featuring the "Craft Beer Destination," a concession stand at Yankee Stadium that didn't actually serve any "craft beer." Of the four drinks sold at the stand, one wasn't even beer (it was cider) and all of them were produced by MillerCoors, a giant company whose beer cannot be considered "craft" for several reasons (detailed here.) And Yankee Stadium decided to rename the "craft beer destination" as the "beer mixology destination," which also makes us cringe - but we digress.

America's Best Sports Bars

The photo became a symbol of the sad state of beer at baseball stadiums: it's always expensive and it's typically nothing special. Although that might be what most of us think about ballpark beer, it's not always the case. Several ballparks are featuring better and better beer - you just have to know where to find it. With that in mind, we explored Major League Baseball stadiums across the country to find the 10 best spots for

Spring rolls are a fresh, fun way to get more veggies into your day. If you've never used spring roll wrappers, you can find them in the Asian section of most grocery stores. They require a simple soaking in water to soften the hard wrapper, then can be gently tucked around all sorts of incredible ingredients. Here are 7 fresh, new ways to make a spring roll. From sweet to savory, you're certain to love them all! - By Brooke McLay

MORE ON BABBLE

The 25 healthiest foods for under $1

9 ways to turn your picky eater into a little foodie

10 ways to recreate Chinese takeout at home

Credit: Jane BruceRice - with all the newfangled grains catering to the health-conscious out there, it's become the equivalent of the forgotten stepchild of the dinner plate. According to Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, co-authors of Grain Mains, 50 percent of the rice produced in the United States each year is exported. Another 16 percent is used to make booze, and another 10 percent is used for pet food. After all, who wants to eat rice when grocery store shelves are full of tasty fiber- and nutrient-packed options like quinoa, whole-wheat couscous, farro, wheat berries, and - the latest trendy grain - freekeh?

That's too bad. Because rice is really easy to make, doesn't take much time to prepare, and can simmer away in the background while you're making a main dish. But it's not just limited to side dishes - it can be the main event, as in the case of risotto, or, if you're really creative, a dessert.

So who won this week? Well, it was a tough call, but we think top marks should go to Carly