Wow, glad to learn this, Mindy... and glad that some of my regular go-to's are on the list. As for usage, black pepper ends up in most everything, so we'll skip that. Mustard I especially like in finishing sauces, such as a mustard-sage-butter for pork chops. Here we use cayenne regularly too, in soups, stews, and of course Mexican food. I cook a lot of Cuban-influenced dishes, so cumin is another regularly used one. It's also very good in stews, and with short ribs. My favorite use for ginger of late is in a tempura dipping sauce with soy, garlic, and rice wine vinegar. And turmeric, although not a regular go to for me, just added a nice layer of flavor to a beef stir-fry I made. I have never cooked with dandelion and have never tasted dandelion tea... is there another use for it?
