Thank you, Annie, for that tip ... my kid loves almond-cookie, so I will get the almond extract. Thank you, Cloud_Swift, for the info. on Spice House to save money. Thank you, pkramer, for that tip on Rosemary indoor. It died on me last winter. I grew up near Grand Rapids MI. Now I'm in Chicago's suburb, zone 5a, much colder than zone 5b in MI. What I grew in the summer was probably Russian Tarragon ... no smell whatsoever. The right thyme also makes a big difference ... so I make sure that pinch off a leaf to sniff before buying the herb. I'm lucky to have a sage brush that survived zone 5a winters for the past decade. I sun-dried the sage leaves in the fall ... great flavor, no sage-spice can beat. One year I used Organic Spice's Hunter Herbes de Province, that gave good flavor to all my soups. Then I bought some cheap brand recently, and it stank up my entire pot. I bought "Imitation Vanilla" last year, and it had a weird & odd chemical smell, so I threw the whole bottle away. The real vanilla is what matters. A friend gave me Organic Extra virgin Coconut oil Nutiva brand. I used 2 tablespoon of that in making granola. The fresh coconut smell perfumed the entire house, and the granola was absolutely delicious. In contrast, the coconut milk I bought from Trader's Joe, or Oriental Market has this "soapy" flavor from stale coconut, or else it's so loaded with sulfites or potassium sorbate(chemical preservatives) ... that I break out in rash. I quit using coconut milk a long time ago ... so glad to find Nutiva's extra-virgin coconut oil with the most intense, delightful fresh coconut essence. This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Fri, Jan 10, 14 at 23:33

this spice mix is very good and flavorful and we love it on pork or chicken. Fennel Spice Michael Chiarello This is my favorite spice mixture. There is almost nothing it doesn't taste good on or in. Use it to make spice-encrusted pork ribs, chops, or tenderloin; veal chops; chicken breasts; duck; beef; liver; or eggplant. Ingredients (Makes about 1-1/4 cups) 1 cup fennel seeds 3 tablespoons coriander seeds 2 tablespoons white peppercorns 3 tablespoons kosher salt Directions Put the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a heavy pan over medium heat. Watch carefully, tossing frequently so the seeds toast evenly. When light brown and fragrant, pour the seeds onto a plate to cool. They must be cool before grinding, or they will gum up the blades. Pour the seeds into a blender and add the salt. Blend to a fine powder, shaking the blender occasionally to redistribute the seeds. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze. Grilled Chicken with Grilled Mushroom Vinaigrette This makes a delicious, easy, one-dish supper. You can use whatever wild mushroom you like, or try dried mushrooms when mushroom season is over. And if you don't want to light the grill, this can be done on the stovetop or under the broiler. Ingredients (Serves 4) 4 thick slices bread, cut from a good, crusty loaf Extra virgin olive oil for brushing on bread, plus 1/2 to 3/4 cup Salt and freshly ground pepper 4 boneless chicken breast halves, skin on About 2 tablespoons Fennel Spice (see basics recipes) 1 pound mixed fresh mushrooms such as shiitake, morel, chanterelle, and domestic 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon minced shallot 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Directions Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and set aside. Coat the chicken well with the Fennel Spice and set aside until ready to cook. Prepare the grill and place the bread on the grill, away from direct heat, and grill on both sides until brown and crispy on the outside but still soft within, about 5 minutes. Leave the mushrooms whole, and toss in a bowl with 1/2 cup of the olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the thyme, the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Immediately grill the mushrooms (be careful not to allow the flames to flare up and burn the mushrooms), turning at least once, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. As the mushrooms are done, return them to the marinade in the bowl. Let cool, finely chop, and return to the marinade. Add the shallot, vinegar, parsley, the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, and salt and pepper to taste, to the mushrooms. Toss well and add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, if necessary, for balance. Toss well again. (The mushroom vinaigrette may be made a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated, and then returned to room temperature before serving.) When the coals have burned down to a medium fire, place the chicken, skin side down, on the grill and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Turn over, move to the edge of the grill away from direct heat, and continue to cook until opaque throughout, about 7 minutes. Remove to a plate. Place a grilled bread slice on each of 4 plates. Slice the chicken breasts crosswise and arrange on top of the bread. Pour any accumulated chicken juices into the mushrooms and stir. Spoon the mushrooms over and alongside the chicken. and some notes from forum friends--i just love the salad and bought fresh mushrooms and a bubl of fennel last night so we could have it this weekend: Dances I first tried it raw in a salad vinagrette. Very good, surprizingly pleasant. The licorice is more in the aroma than the flavour, and the texture is not crisp but more fibery but not unpleasant. I ate it in salad for the whole week, I couldn't get enough of it. A grating of fresh parmesan cheese, and wowee! Then I decided to try some sauteed with garlic. I sliced a garlic clove and sliced the fennel. Added it to a bit of melted margarine on low heat, grind of salt and pepper. I sauteed until the fennel was tender and the garlic browned but not burned. If you want a taste sensation so complex and wonderful it almost makes you faint, take a bit of garlic and a bit of fennel on your fork. Gracious! Not so licorice when cooked, I can't even explain the savory flavour. It's like tasting every single fall vegetable at the same time along with celery and garlic and onion. I am DEFINITELY going to add this to my next roasting pan! Well, at least the next roast I don't want DH and DD to eat ;). Dances, my first experiences eating fresh fennel was similar--I couldn't get enough! I will try your sauted fennel with garlic. I made Alice Waters' (Chez Panisse) simple recipe for Shaved Fennel, Mushroom, and Parmesan Salad (see link below). I ate almost the entire salad. Only difference is I sauteed the mushrooms as I don't like them raw. Basically, the recipe/method is: 1. Cut off the feathery tops of the fennel at the base of their stalks and remove the outer layer of the bulbs. Slice the bulbs very thin with a mandolin or a very sharp knife. 2. Assemble the salad in layers on a large platter or on individual salad plates. 3. First make a layer of the fennel slices. Squeeze lemon juice evenly over the fennel and drizzle with fruity olive oil, salt and pepper. 4. Then make a layer of the mushrooms, also slice very thin. Squeeze more lemon juice over them, drizzle evenly with olive oil, salt and pepper. 5. Grate or cut thin shavings of the Parmesan with cheese slicer or a vegetable peeler and arrange them on top of the salad. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately. * Other options are artichokes and balsamic vinegar. MQ

- Dill Bread - Add dill to sauerkraut - Sliced Cucumbers in Sourcream 2 t. salt 1/4 t. Tabasco 1 T. lemon juice 2 t. chopped fresh dill 1 T. chopped chives 1 c. sour cream 3 cucumbers, chilled Combine the salt, Tabasco, lemon juice, dill and chives with the sour cream. Pare and slice the cucumbers; add them to the sour cream mixture. Chill and serve garnished with additional dill. - Cucumbers with Dill 2 lg. cucumbers Salt 1/2 c. vinegar 2 T. water 2 T. sugar Freshly ground black pepper 1 T. fresh snipped dill Peel cucumbers or score lengthwise with fork tines. Cut into very thin slices. Sprinkle lightly with salt and let stand two hours. Wash off salt. Drain. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over cucumber slices. Marinate at least one hour in refrigerator before serving. - Sour Cream and Dill Sauce 1 c. sour cream and 1 small bunch dill with stems, broken into small pieces. Put the sour cream into the container of an electric blender. Add the dill, cover and blend on high speed 20 seconds. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate. The sauce will set in a few minutes. Serve with poached fish.

Ah, my favorite dressing that goes over pork barbacoa salad: Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing Place the following in a blender: 3 fresh tomatillos, cut into quarters juice of 1/2 lime 1/2 cup buttermilk (or make w/dry buttermilk mix) 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1 package of dry Ranch Buttermilk Dressing Mix 1 cup fresh cilantro (abt. one bunch) 2 stalks of green onions w/ends 2 cloves crushed garlic 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. crushed cayenne pepper You can play around with the buttermilk/mayo/sour cream ratio depending on your preference or what you have on hand. This is one of those things I crave every once in a while, a big salad with beans, rice, cheese, pork, guacamole etc etc.