Homemade Vanilla

I did it !  I made my own Vanilla Extract....  Then gave some to a very dear friend for her birthday...  It was so easy.... 

Ingredients -

Vanilla Beans (about 20-25)

750ml Bottle of Vodka

Method -

Split Vanilla Beans, not all the way through, but so the beans are exposed. Cut the vanilla beans in 2 or 3 sections (just so tehy are a little smaller)

Remove maybe 1/2 cup of Vodka from the bottle (don't drink it just yet!)

Addthe split vanilla beans to the bottle.  When you have added all the beans, fill the bottle to the top with remaining Vodka.  

Replace the lid and shake..  

You need to leave it for about 1 month before the alcohol smell disapates.  After 2 months I started using mine, and at 3 months I gave some away to a friend.  

The birthday tag was jsut to decorate for her birthday.  I even made my own labels.  Email me if you would like me to send you a copy to print.

This is the finished product.  

My first bottle all made up !!  Doesn't it just look so sweet...  I love it ! 

The perfect gift for a wonderfully perfect friend !

Its beginning to feel.....

It's beginning to feel a little bit like Christmas at our house.  We spent last night putting up the tree and sitting back admiring the finished project.  I spent the afternoon wrapping presents and writing out our Christmas Cards.  

Every year there seems to be less and less Christmas Spirit floating around, but this year I have managed to capture just a very small piece of Christmas Spirit, it is all wrapped up in under our tree.

I also made a batch of Almond Biscotti this afternoon, this was a failure... But Mr M refuses to allow me to throw it away.  It tastes beautiful... but looks a little worse for ware.