Sorry, I have hardly kept up with this blog at all this year. I am planning an overhaul of my web/blogsite soon, and that will contain all my newest stuff, but if you are interested in keeping up with my work, check out my Facebook fan page here. (For some reason, I've preferred to keep my Facebook posts more up-to-date than my blog posts.) However, since the holiday season is upon us once more, here's another step-by-step DIY post for ya... At our Christmas bunco last week, the ladies got these really cool, home-made vanilla extract in fancy bottles as consolation prizes, courtesy of our awesomely creative friend, Rebecca Garrett. Sadly, she has moved to another town (boo!), and December bunco will never be the same... but thanks to her, I got inspired to make my own vanilla extract to give to the boys' teachers as Christmas presents this year!!! :-)
The recipe from Pinterest suggested vodka as the alcohol base, but after talking to the knowledgeable "wine guys" at Whole Foods, they highly recommended using Bourbon Whiskey instead. After all, when you go splurge on the "expensive" vanilla extract, it's usually "Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla" which means it is made with Madagascar vanilla beans soaked in Bourbon. :-)
My boys jokingly called the tops, Super Mario mushrooms!!!
Cut each vanilla bean crosswise and lengthwise.... (The Madagascar vanilla beans were also from Cost Plus World Market, but I was told you can buy them cheaper in bulk from Beanilla.com.)
Put the equivalent of three whole beans in each bottle...
Looks pretty already!
Measure out six ounces of bourbon. (The formula is one vanilla bean for every two ounces of bourbon.)
Six ounces = 3/4 of a cup, in case you forgot the math. ;-)
