How to Make Vanilla Extract

If you love to bake, you know how

expensive it is to buy pure vanilla extract.

Vanilla is the second most expensive spice

because the beans are difficult to

cultivate from orchids.

You can make your own vanilla extract

right now, in time for Christmas baking...

and it's FUN!

You can find many websites that sell

quality vanilla beans.  They can be quite

expensive.

I bought my beans at my local health food store

for $6 apiece.

You will need three beans

about six or seven inches long.

Using a sharp knive, slice each bean

lengthwise...

Leaving about one inch uncut like this:

You will see the fragrant vanilla

seeds inside and that's what will leach into

the alcohol.

You need a fifth of high proof alcohol...at least 80 proof,

like vodka, bourbon or rum.

I bought this mid-priced vodka for $13

mostly because it was in a plastic bottle.

Stick the cut vanilla beans into

the vodka right in the bottle.

Now just let them sit in the alcohol for at least

two months.

The vanilla will leach from the beans over time.

Shake the bottle every week or so.

Some people say to keep the vanilla in a dark

place, but mine sat on top of my refrigerator

and did just fine.

That teensy bottle of vanilla extract cost $4.

My LARGE bottle of vanilla extract cost $33.

Supposedly, you can add more vodka as you use

the vanilla and the beans will continue to leach.

I will test this and update.

This is my vanilla extract after two months.

It smelled exactly like the little bottle extract

 you buy from the store.

I was so excited!!

(It doesn't take much to please me.)

I was a tad nervous, but I tried it on

my daughter's birthday cupcakes and they

turned out delicious.

I will update you as my experiment continues.

Gazpacho Soup

Gazpacho is a cold, tomato based soup

I make only in August when the

summer vegetables are at perfection here

in Michigan.

But, you can make it any time of year

using canned tomatoes which are

packaged during prime ripeness.

I just like to keep it special for August...

plus it's kind of messy to make

and requires lots of chopping.

Gazpacho Soup

3 large red ripe tomatoes

1 sweet red pepper

1 cucumber peeled

1/2 bag of baby carrots

1/4 cup finely diced red onion

Italian dressing

1 TBS. red wine vinegar

2 heaping TBS. tomato paste

fresh cilantro

fresh flat leaf parsley

The key to the soup is the

tomato base.

Start with the ripest tomatoes you

can find.  I like to buy from my

local farmer's market for the best tomatoes.

Cut out the stem area and cut the

tomato into fourths.

I use Good Seasons Italian dressing

that you mix up FRESH.

The taste is much...well, FRESHER than bottled dressings.

One tomato at a time...puree the fourths

in your food processor or blender.

Add one TBS. of Italian dressing and

puree it in.

Pour the contents of the first tomato

into a large mixing bowl and

repeat with the second tomato.

Repeat with the third tomato, yet this time

add two heaping spoonfuls of tomato paste

and whirl it in.  This will really perk the

tomato flavor

Mix the contents of all three tomatoes

together in the bowl.

Salt to your taste.

Cut the cucumber lengthwise into fourths.

Cut out the seeds.

Cut each fourth into narrow strips

and finely chop like this:

Core and seed the red pepper.

Dice it into small bits, too.

Cut the carrots into disks,

then run your knife through them so

you get a fine dice.

Your carrots should equal the amount of

pepper and cucumber.

The amount of onion is a personal

preference.  My family likes less, so I add

1/4 cup of finely diced red onion.

Mix the veggies with the tomato base.

Finely chop a heaping tablespoon of cilantro...

And, a heaping tablespoon of flat leaf parsley.

Add the herbs to the soup

plus one TBS. of red wine vinegar.

Chill the soup for several hours before serving.

You can garnish with any croutons,

but home-made are the YUMMIEST!

Croutons

Any crusty white bread

olive oil

Italian seasoning (or packet of dry Italian dressing mix.)

Kraft Parmesan cheese in green canister

Bread is best to use for croutons

when it's starting to stale.

Cut it into chunks like this:

Put the cut bread in a large mixing bowl

and drizzle with olive oil.

Sprinkle heavily with Italian seasoning

and garlic powder.

Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese

and give the croutons a good toss to coat

evenly.

Spread on a foil covered cookie sheet.

Dab any dry croutons with a bit of

olive oil.

Bake croutons at 350-degrees

for 10-13 minutes or until crispy and golden.

This soup is definitely worth

the effort!

Olive Burgers

I don't know the origin of the

Olive Burger, but they're popular on

menus here in Michigan.

Hubby and I recently ate at the

Peanut Barrel in East Lansing

and loved the savory taste of the

olive burger sauce they put on top.

I tried to reproduce it and here's

my recipe taste-tested and approved

by my hubby:

Olive Burger Sauce

1 cup mayonaise

1 cup chopped green olives w/pimentoes

2 TBS ketchup

1 TBS mustard (I used grainy)

1/2 tea. onion powder

Measure out the olives...

And, run your knife through them

so they're chopped like this:

Whisk the ketchup and mustard

with the mayonnaise in a medium bowl.

Whisk in the onion powder.

Stir in the olives.

Refrigerate the sauce until ready to serve.

The Burger

2 lbs. ground chuck

1 medium onion

barbecue seasoning

Chop the onion...

Mix it into the ground chuck

and sprinkle with barbecue seasoning.

You can use any type you enjoy

such as mesquite.

Form into patties.

I like to grill over high heat to sear

the outside while

keeping the inside juicy.

Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side, but

keep checking.

These burgers are especially good

served with my

Broiled Grape Tomatoes.

Pasta Salad

Everyone has a favorite

Pasta Salad recipe.  Here's my family's

favorite which is especially good

with summer veggies.

Jill's Pasta Salad

16 oz. (1 lb.) pasta of your choice

2 cucumbers

2 tomatoes

1 can large pitted black olives

Italian dressing

McCormack's Salad Seasoning

red onion to taste (optional)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Start by preparing the pasta

according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking

peel the cucumbers.

Cut into fourths lengthwise

and remove the seeds

and chop as shown below:

Drain olives then slice in half lengthwise...

Or if you prefer...cut crosswise

into little circles.

Seed the tomatoes and chop.

Chop red onion if you're using one.

(My family doesn't like the raw onion.)

When pasta is done, rinse under cold water

until pasta is completely cooled.

Mix with the chopped veggies

in a large bowl and add Italian Dressing.

I use the Good Seasons

packets so I can mix it up fresh.

Tastes GREAT!

But you can also use bottled dressing.

Add enough to coat things well.

Sprinkle on McCormack's Salad Seasoning to taste

which you can find in most grocery stores with

the spices.

I buy this larger bottle

of a different brand from

Gorton's Foods...a national bulk food store

If you make this ahead,

you will probably need to add a bit

more dressing before serving as the

pasta absorbs some of the dressing.

Before serving, I sprinkle the salad with

freshly grated parmesan cheese.

This is always a crowd pleaser

at summer barbecues!