Tuesday, January 26, 2010

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE VANILLA EXTRACT

I had a couple vanilla beans sitting in my cupboard. Though fancy recipes often call for whole vanilla beans, it just seems like such a waste to use a vanilla bean once and then toss it. My friend told me how easy it was to make your own extract, and cheaper than buying, so I thought I would try it. Basically, you sterilize a jar and fill it with vodka (or rum if you want that kind of taste in your baking) and then for every couple ounces I think, you use one bean. Here I have a baby food jar with two little vanilla guys. Now I wait..... 2 months.
For one, imitation extract comes from the byproducts of the paper industry.  And at one time, 60% of the world's imitation extract came from Ontario, where there is such a big pulp and paper industry. Also, vanillin is not found solely in the vanilla bean (which is from a type of orchid), it is a chemical compound that can be made artificially (ie; from wood) and can occur naturally in things like wine if they have been in certain types of wood under the right conditions (Yellow Tail Shiraz, anyone?)

Update- The homemade vanilla extract was DELISH

Friday, January 15, 2010

Gorgeous Kitchenware


I wish I lived-in Sweden or at the very least understood the Swedish that could explain to me where to get these gorgeously patterned items from retailer Rorstrand. The colours are killing me!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Gift for the in-laws


Fun little project- maybe my last non-wedding project for the next few months....