Getting Fancy
Once your spice cabinet is established, you may want to branch out to some more off-the-beaten path flavorings. Get gourmet with a few of these adventurous additives:

Anise
Love that licorice? Anise is for you. It's sweet, almost peppery flavor gets the salivary glands going. The ground version can be a bit overwhelming; I like using whole seeds for little bursts of flavor.

Bay Leaves
From the laurel tree, this long, narrow leaf is great in stews and soups. Typically, you throw the whole leaf in, let the stew simmer, then remove the bay before serving. Otherwise, you may spend the whole meal chewing bay leaf. It's the best choice for rescuing your pea soup from blandness.

Cardamom
Subtler than cinnamon, this is another "fresh from the oven" spice. Warm and friendly, but with a surprisingly soft feel, cardamom is the dominant flavor in Middle Eastern coffee. Try substituting it where you'd usually use cinnamon. It's great in coffee cake.

Cumin
Nothing says "Mexican food" like cumin, though it's also a favorite flavor in Middle Eastern cuisine and Indian curries. It has a strong, musky flavor that goes well with chicken, beef and, for you veggies, garbanzo beans.

Dill
It's not just for pickles anymore. Dill, whether fresh or dried, says, "Spring is in the air." Paired with lemon, it's a lovely addition to dips and dressings, and a classic accompaniment for salmon.

Fennel
Flavor-wise, this is the second cousin to anise, as suitable to meats as anise is to sweets. One bite and you'll recognize it from your favorite Italian sausage. Like anise, fennel can be used ground or as whole seeds which are papery and fun to chew.

Rosemary
These little leaves look like pine needles, and the flavor has a fresh, strong flavor that's not unlike your favorite fir. Half the fun with rosemary is the texture; since the needles don't crumble too well, you get an herb you can really sink your teeth into.