Instructions: Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped fennel, shallots, garlic and fennel seeds. Saute until fennel is tender, about 5 minutes.

Add wine and cream and boil until liquid thickens, about 10 minutes. Add mussels. Cover and cook until mussels open, about 5 minutes.

Divide mussels among 6 shallow bowls (discard any mussels that do not open). Ladle broth over and serve.

This recipe yields 6 first-course servings.

Comments: "My profession as a real estate agent requires a lot of my time," writes Edi Meadows Morrissette of Westin, Florida, "so it helps that I am lightning-fast in the kitchen. I cook every day, and on the weekends I sometimes make three meals a day. I accomplish that by following my main cooking principles: (1) do a lot of prep work, and (2) keep the kitchen well stocked. For example, at holiday time I might chop onions in advance or bake bread the day before company arrives. And since I converted the bedroom next to my kitchen into a pantry for extra storage, I know Ill always have the right ingredients at my fingertips."

Use crusty French bread or the "Roasted Garlic Cheese Toasts" (see recipe) to soak up the fennel-flavored juices.

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