Oil and Vanilla

Every year at about this time, I make some homemade vanilla. I order vanilla beans from Amazon, find some sealable bottles at the Dollar Store and buy a big bottle of vodka. That is literally it, you put 5 vanilla beans in the jar, fill it up with vodka and leave it for at least 6 weeks in a cupboard (they cure best in the dark). I use my homemade vanilla in all my baking…delicious. Real vanilla is VERY expensive and so, making your own actually saves you money – and it makes a great gift.

This year, I also decided to make some infused oil. This is also very easy to do. I dried some child peppers in the dehydrator for about an hour (until it got wrinkly). I cut up 5 cloves of fresh garlic. I washed and air dried oregano, rosemary, chives, lemon zest and thyme over night. I placed the garlic, chilis and each herb in a jar (I combined the lemon zest and chives) and filled the jars with olive oil. It takes about a month to infuse but, they will last a very long time. I also made some chive vinegar this summer so these will pair nicely to create a beautiful, healthy salad dressing. These oils will also make great gifts this Christmas.