I cringe every time I buy a bottle of Vanilla, especially if I get in a pinch, have no time to make it over to Costco, and have to buy a bottle at the regular grocery store.  So I was thrilled when I started reading about making my own vanilla – much cheaper and ultra-easy.  It’s become my go-to holiday, thank you, or “just because” gift.  I took my advice from Annie’s Eats, because that girl never lets me down :-)

I bought Madagascar Vanilla Bourbon Beans from Amazon.  They cost me $25 and I got over 50 beans.  That is an AMAZING deal – it would be literally *hundreds* of dollars to buy 50 vanilla beans at a grocery store.

You’ll also need vodka.  Cheap is OK!  Bought 48oz for $8.

For $.99 each, I bought a variety of little corked bottles from Michaels.

Then, just like Annie told me, I split the beans in half, put them in the bottle, and filled the bottle with vodka.  Use a measuring cup to fill the bottle so you know if you need to add more beans – use about 3 per 8oz of vodka.

It looks a little like a bizarre science experiment for the first couple of days, but as the vodka extracts the vanilla flavor out of the beans, it turns a gorgeous, deep brown.  Let the bottles sit for about two months, and you have enough vanilla for your own kitchen and as many gifts as you’d like to give.

Practical, cheap, cute, appropriate – the *perfect* gift for so many occasions! :-)

Just in case you need a last minute Christmas dessert – or if you, like me, maximize the egg nog time of the year by mixing it with milk for breakfast, using it as creamer in your coffee, and showcasing it in your desserts – this is the cake for you. The cake itself is pretty good, but not absolute perfection. The texture of the icing is UNREAL – like silk in your mouth and the flavor is 100% egg nog. I recommend using unsalted butter in the icing. Recipes below…

Egg Nog Cake
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 c. Dairy Fresh or canned eggnog
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3 lg. eggs
2 tbsp. rum or 1 tsp. rum extract
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, eggnog, oil, eggs, rum and nutmeg. Beat at medium speed 3 minutes. Bake in tube pan per instructions on cake mix box.

Egg Nog Frosting

Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. flour
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 cup eggnog
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup butter, softened

Preparation Directions:

• In a saucepan combine sugar, flour, and nutmeg; add 1 cup eggnog. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat.
• Gradually stir hot mixture into beaten egg yolks. Return mixture to saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and pour mixture in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature without stirring.
• Beat butter until fluffy about 1 minute. Add cooled mixture ¼ at a time, beating at low speed after each addition.

For Decoration (inspired by this picture)

Melt a little semisweet or bittersweet chocolate in a metal bowl over boiling water.  When the chocolate is melted, whisk in cream until mixture is the desired texture.  Pour into a prepared piping bag.  Make large circles around the cake.

I wanted the Amaryllis in my picture, but realized they were much, much prettier than my cake and abandoned cake pictures in favor of the flowers :-)