Book excerpt: This beautifully illustrated guide to growing and cooking with fresh herbs offers 50 recipes that showcase the flavor of basil, sage, mint, and more. Cooking teacher and best-selling cookbook author Lynn Alley shows you how to make the most of fresh herbs, from your own garden to your own table. With profiles on mint, dill, rosemary, thyme, parsley, tarragon, sage, basil, cilantro, and oregano, Lynn proves that fresh herbs are an easy way to add flavor without a lot of fuss—or a lot of fat. Cooking with Herbs features recipes for seasonings, spreads, and dressings, as well as mouthwatering dishes like Apple, Sage, and Hazelnut Rounds; Cheddar, Mustard, Garlic, and Chive Mac ‘n’ Cheese; Polenta with Two Cheeses, Basil, and Oregano; Potatoes Rosti with Indian Flavors; Savory Tomato Sorbet with Tarragon, Chervil, and Parsley; and Deep Chocolate and Peppermint Cheesecakes. Lynn also offers easy tips and techniques for starting your own container herb garden, from picking your plants to choosing the perfect spot—even if you don’t have a yard!