“Hey Mom, what’s for dinner?”

*Insert answer here*

“Ugh. Again?” -OR- “Didn’t we, like, just have that?” -OR- “Oh… okay.”

This is the reality, people. Amid the highly liked photos of all my cooking, the teens will never let me forget that I, too, fall into ruts. Don’t we all, though? We find some great meals, we find some easy meals, we forgot our list for groceries at home and so we wing it with the familiar thing that we know all the ingredients for and can pump out in a half an hour.

Even with my nearly fanatical meal planning, I find myself always falling back on those old standards. Meal planning for fun stuff is still hard. How many days will get thrown off because I’m tired, or I don’t feel good, or work ran over, or I forgot the list, or I forgot what we are even supposed to have! So, we… wing it. With the same meals. Over and over again.

Now that I am trying to eat healthier, this is causing more and more diet problems, too. You feel me?

Yet, as I look at the entire back end of The Farmhouse, and I see all these ingredients -spices, sauces, mixes, and more- I know that I’m looking at the solution. Sometimes just changing up a flavor profile would be enough! Using this or that spice… Surely some of these ingredients have recipes just as delicious and just as easy to pull off.

Now, I can make endless posts about this cool thing or that awesome ingredient, but that doesn’t always translate into the realities of your kitchen. Some of our Specialty Ingredients are self-explanatory. Barbecue sauce and marinade always have a use, but what about some of our more obscure ingredients? (I’m looking at you Pomegranate Molasses!)

In this blog series, I will be tackling the intricacies of our Farmhouse Pantry. Starting with our spices, we are going to begiving an in-depth look at where these ingredients are from, what they actually are, and ways to use them including handy recipes! With such a wide variety of items and flavors, there’s something for everyone here, and I hope that we can spark your curiosity and tempt your tastebuds to try something new. It’s always great to have a new, exciting answer to “What’s for dinner?”!

Being that we are surrounded by fresh Summer fruits and veggies right now, and since I’m on the salad track for the foreseeable future, I decided to start with a multipurpose dressing that’s good on anything from kebabs, to roasted veggies, to just straight salad. Named a “Happy Accident” by one of our suppliers, this dressing recipe has a small dose of heat to balance the pineapple citrus sweetness and will brighten any dish you put it on. This recipe, while it does take a little prep, is super simple and fast and can add just an extra element of different to any meal.

*NOTE- This recipe contains a prepped jalapeno, and I was very careful to remove all of the inner membrane of mine. There is a common misconception that all the heat of a chile comes from the seeds, when really it comes from the white membrane instead. If you like a little heat, you could leave some of that membrane in, otherwise carefully scrape it away! Be sure not to rub your eyes during the process, unless you want to experience the weird sensation of pouring milk into your eyeball to soothe the pain you will inevitably feel.

Ingredients:

• ¾ Cup Pineapple chunks with juice
• 1 Jalapeno, veins and seeds removed
• ¼ of a red onion
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped
• ½ Cup Arbequina Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Adobo Lime Rub

Instructions:

1. Place pineapple, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, and Adobo Lime Rub in a food processor and process until smooth. While processing, slowly drizzle olive oil in a process for another 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.