Was thinking about food and wanted to share a few more things.
Growing up my Mom and Aunt would use bacon cut in small cubes and when they would foam in the pan, they would add a finely chopped onion to soak up the greese. They used that in lightly wrinced sour krout, potatoes for salad, and...
Spice of the day, Fennel.
Though it has a licorice taste, it works very well with cream, cheese, and meat sauces.
It gives a meal an element of high end resturant flavor. As always, use a little bit of spice and salt to bring taste to life.