Homemade Vanilla Extract

Do you see the lovely jars sitting in my cupboard?  Me too!  I love looking at them, admiring them and shaking them.  Yes, shaking.


In 6 months I'm also gonna love opening them up and using what's inside.  Yum!


It's so easy too.


All you need are:

• Vanilla beans (Which I purchased from Ebay.  I was able to get 1lb for $29.99 which is a great price and they sent 1/4 lb free!)
• Cheap vodka
• Jars

1. You will need 3 beans per 1 cup of vodka.
2. Cut vanilla beans in half lengthwise while still leaving it attached at the top.
3. Put them into the jar & add the appropriate amount of vodka.
4. Seal and store in a cool, dry place.
5. Don't forget to shake it once a week.

In 6 months you will have homemade vanilla extract which you can use to your little hearts content.

Just remember your homemade extract will be slightly stronger than what you are used to purchasing at the store so use a little less.

Oh, and if you get this started sooner rather than later you will have a wonderful, homemade Christmas gift to give to the bakers in your life!

Enjoy!

Homemade Orange Julius

This is not a recipe I thought I would ever like.  However, when I found a recipe similar to it online I was reminded of my dad and how much he enjoys them, so I thought I would give it a ring.


I modified the recipe to fit what I had in my fridge and cupboards and tweaked it to our taste.

• 1 cup OJ
• 1/2 cup milk, almond milk and/or soy milk work just fine as well
• 2 TBS sugar (or sweetener of choice), tweak to your taste
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 6 ice cubes

Blend all ingredients (except ice cubes) for a minute or so.  Add Ice cubes and blend until smooth.

Verdict:  My dad, my hubby and my kids loved it!!  I'm not a big orange drink/creamsicle fan, but I thought this was pretty good too.  Definitely a hit & very dessert like.  Which is great because I can use zylitol or some other healthy sweetener (is there such a thing???) and my kids think I've given them the best dessert ever!


 

Serious Deliciousness

I follow Ree Drummond aka:The Pioneer Woman on Twitter and one of her latest tweets said she was making strawberry-vanilla bean jam.

My mouth instantly started to water and I knew I just had to find that recipe. So, I hunted and pecked, pecked and hunted...it only took me 2 minutes...and I found this recipe.

So, I'm adding vanilla bean to my shopping list and this is a "must make ASAP"!!!

Yummy, yummy, oh my goodness yum!!!

Homemade Mayonnaise

Yesterday we were going through a few things we would need at the grocery store and hubby mentioned we were out of mayo. I wrote it down on the list, but then remembered I had a recipe to make my own!

So, I decided to whip up a batch to save a few dollars! Plus, I love knowing exactly what is in my food!

Here is the recipe:

Homemade Mayonnaise (Yield: 2 cups)

1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika (I omitted this)
3 Tbs vinegar or lemon juice
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (I used canola)

Put egg, salt, sugar, mustard, paprika & vinegar in blender. Cover & blend for a few seconds. With blender still running, add the oil very slowly. Blend until thick and smooth.

Note: you can substitute pasteurized egg substitute for raw egg for pregnant women or elderly persons.

Personal notes: This recipe turned out really well. It was a little tangy, so I think I'll play around with the vinegar and sugar. Next time I will use 2 tablespoons vinegar and add an extra teaspoon of sugar.

Hubby is pretty specific about his mayo and how his food tastes and he approved this, so it was success. No more buying mayo for me!!!