What do I do with all these herbs and spices?

Spices and herbs have always been used in cooking; the trick is to know how to use them. Herbs by definition are leaves of fresh or dried plants. Spices are the aromatic parts of plants; they can be buds, the fruit, berries, the roots or bark. Spices are usually dried and typically come from tropical regions, but not always. A plant can be used in the production of either herbs or spices, or both. For example; as with cilantro, the leaves, and coriander, the ground seeds, are from the same plant.
There are great books that are solely devoted to cooking herbs and spices too. My advice on using spices that you are unfamiliar with is to write me a note under comments on a specific herb or spice and I will research it for you. If you would like to know what to rub down on a steak or if you bought some great curry powder and aren’t sure what to do with it, let me know and I will help you work it out and we can share the information and outcome with the other readers.
So you have this “private” chef at your disposal, it’s your turn to let me know what your interested in and what you want to learn to do better in your kitchen.