<p>Good thread.</p>
<p>Rosemary, with any red meat dish from roasts to soup and stew.</p>
<p>Red currant jelly to beef burgundy - really makes the broth rich!</p>
<p>Looks like it was a chili night for more than a few of us! I make ours on the spicy side, always use brown sugar and added cumin tonight (and will in the future). I always add wine, but it never quite makes it to the pot. ;-)</p>
<p>So do you all see a trend in these posts? I’ve found the savory-sweet combo can add that extra special taste and complexity to dishes on both ends of the spectrum.</p>
<p>I have the most amazing secret ingredient that I use in many things. It is honey-flavored Greek yogurt. I use it to make creamy sauces and I add a tablespoon to a bowl of soup or chili to make it creamier. The basic sauce is about one cup of yogurt, 1-2 tablespoons of pesto (I use Costco’s), 2 tablespoons capers. My sister’s family said it was the best sauce for salmon they had ever tasted.</p>
<p>We also have this yogurt on our cereal every morning along with fruit.</p>
<p>* It is honey-flavored Greek yogurt.*</p>
<p>Do you buy it honey-flavored or do you add honey to plain? I’m only starting to see Greek yogurt in stores…I don’t know if I’ve ever seen “honey-flavored”.</p>
<p>I add truffles (from a jar) to scrambled eggs. It adds to the cost, but the flavor really impresses people …</p>
<p>I want to eat at all of your houses! I feel so sorry for our kids - the food at our house is so bad. The issue is that my husband is the stay at home parent. He will eat ANYTHING. It is good to *cook for *someone who will eat anything, but it is terrible *to be cooked for *by someone who will eat anything. He also does the grocery shopping and buys the giant containers of spices, so our spices are rarely fresh. Maybe I’ll grow some this summer.</p>
<p>I’ll try cocoa in chile…I’ve tried unsweetened chocolate squares and I like the color but don’t like the taste.</p>
<p>I don’t know how unusual this is, but I put red pepper flakes in everything – my scrambled eggs, pizza and pasta sauce, all soups, stir fry, mac and cheese, you name it. </p>
<p>I also put sesame tahini (instead of just the sesame oil) in stir fries. Really good, rich flavor.</p>
<p>I sprinkle salt on the grounds when I make coffee. I read somewhere that it cuts the acidity, and I think it adds a nice rich undertone.</p>
<p>Missypie, I know what you mean about being cooked for by someone who will eat anything. My boyfriend throws in a bunch of random ingredients to make the most revolting “casseroles”. The last one was french fries, bits of hot dog, crumbled Cheez-its, and canned tomatoes. <em>shudder</em></p>
<p>^Physicsmom:</p>
<p>You use red pepper flakes the same way I use Trader Joe’s chopped spinach! I put it in everything. I add a pinch of nutmeg to that too. Sounds like you and wayoutwestmom both enjoy spicy tastes with the red pepper and green chiles.</p>
<p>I’m going to try the tahini in stir fries, that sounds good! 
</p>
<p>The honey flavored greek yogurt sounds good too!</p>
<p>I enjoy “experimenting” with foods, physicsmom… but your BF’s combos sound a bit gross, sorry.</p>
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<p>This seems to be the conventional wisdom, but according a university study it actually takes three hours of cooking before all the alcohol goes away.</p>
<p>If you deglaze a pan for say 15 minutes, 40% of the alcohol would still be retained.</p>
<p>[Does</a> alcohol burn off in cooking?](<a href=“How Long does it Take Alcohol to Cook Off? - Top-Best.com”>How Long does it Take Alcohol to Cook Off? - Top-Best.com)</p>
<p>Thats good to know lurker dad, cause while I do cook with alcohol- my H is in recovery & hasn’t had a drink for over 10 years.</p>
<p>( I also never cook with anything that I wouldn’t drink in a glass- it goes bad too quick)</p>
<p>I sprinkle cinnamon on my coffee grounds.</p>
<p>When I make iced tea, I use one rasperberry tea bag to the other tea bags.</p>
<p>A little bit of either almond extract or vanilla extract to the fruit in ALL fruit pies. Almond extract in a peach pie is particularly tasty.</p>
<p>Orange zest and cinnamon in blueberry pie or cobbler.</p>
<p>Fresh garlic in everything.</p>
<p>thumper, I’m with you. Almond is also especially delicious in a sour cherry pie. Be very judicious – start with 1/4 teaspoon.</p>
<p>Re honey-flavored Greek yogurt question. That is the flavor that I buy. It’s made here in the Seattle area by a company called Greek Gods. I know you can also get it in some other states, Oregon and Iowa. I guess you could just stir some honey into plain Greek yogurt and use that. It is so good and so easy and such a great addition to so many things. Once you have it in the frig to use in cooking, you’ll never be without it! </p>
<p>Last week I had some leftover wonderful spicy mayonnaise from an excellent fish restaurant. I stirred that into some of the yogurt and put it over stir-fried veggies with some smoked salmon. Turned out great.</p>
<p>This particular yogurt is very creamy and smooth and the honey takes away any sour sort of yogurt-y taste you might get with plain Greek yogurt. You don’t taste the honey or any sweetness at all; it’s just yummy.</p>
<p>Coffee. I am NOT a coffee drinker and don’t much like the taste, but I do like what it brings to the party. A shot (or less) of espresso in anything with chocolate, in anything cooked with long-simmered stock (like gravies or soups), and in tomato sauces definitely enhances flavors. You don’t taste coffee, but the flavors are deeper.</p>
<p>I also use adobo chili powder (a mild red chili) in a LOT of things to add texture to the flavors.</p>
<p>When baking cakes and things that call for cooking oil, I use olive oil. I don’t bake that much anymore (who can eat cake these days and keep weight off 
) but when I was baking birthday cakes for the D’s, I only kept olive oil in the house, and used it for everything, even baking. My mom and others would first comment on the cakes and ask what recipe I used (usually a mix) and then comment on how rich it was. I told them my secret was olive oil. The response was generally disbelief. Anyone else use it for baking? </p>
<p>I also use sugar in chili and tomato sauces. And add coffee to choc recipes, and choc to things like chili. </p>
<p>I use quite a bit of garlic or onion in things that would not call for it.</p>
<p>^^I also use olive oil 99% of the time for baking and for cooking. When a recipe says that you should grease a pan, I use olive oil instead of other fats.</p>