Homemade Vanilla Extract

One of my goals for 2012 is to make and use ingredients from scratch.  First up: vanilla extract!  This was my first time making my own vanilla extract, and I couldn't believe how easy it was!  I gave away my first batch as gifts at Christmastime, but I just ordered more bottles to make some for myself.

DIY Vanilla Extract

3 whole vanilla beans per 8 oz of alcohol

clean glass bottles or jars

high-proof alcohol like vodka, bourbon or rum (I used vodka)

Split three vanilla beans lengthwise and place in a clean glass bottle or jar.  Pour 8 ounces of alcohol over the beans. Seal the bottle tightly.  Store in a dark, cool place for two months.  Shake the bottle occasionally.  After two months, your vanilla is ready!

Note:  I get my vanilla beans from here and the bottles are from here

Goals for 2012

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Happy New Year!  OK, I'm a few days late, but we have been out of town relaxing with family, not thinking about anything!  It feels good to be home, and I'm happy to be back to the blog world!

I love fresh starts, and January is one of my favorite times of the year because it is the ultimate fresh start!  After our time away and off of work, I feel super energized to stay on top of cleaning the house and eating healthily and tackling some projects I've been avoiding.  This brings me to my goals for 2012.

In making my goals for each year, I stay away from vague resolutions like "be healthy" and "get organized".  What does that even mean?  I want a goal that's clear and measurable so that I know exactly what steps I need to take to accomplish that goal.  Not only have I found that this mindset helps me actually meet those goals, it's also much more satisfying along the way.

1. Re-read and put into practice The Happiness Project.  I loved this book and have incorporated some of the principles and habits into my life and have found them very helpful.  Since the book is broken up into a chapter for each month of the year focusing on one area of life, it's basically a year plan of mini goals.  I will be posting about the goals I make each month for that specific area of my life, since I've found announcing it to the internet is a pretty strong source of accountability.

2. Buy a house.  This is our big family goal for the year.  We've started the process and it's exciting!

3. Make ingredients from scratch.  I want to do a better job of controlling our intake of preservatives and high fructose corn syrup, so I want to make some simple things from scratch.  I have a list in my head and will post about them as I make them throughout the year!

4. Get back into memorizing verses of the Bible.  I have fallen out of the practice of regularly memorizing verses, and I miss it.  I want to write them down in a notebook and carry them around in my purse with me.

5. Make cake pops.  This is my fun goal.  I've tried to make them before and utterly failed!  I want to make a perfect batch, meaning they actually stay on the stick, they don't crumble into the chocolate as I dip them, and they look pretty when I'm done!

So there are my goals for the year!  What are your goals for 2012?

Top 10 Posts of 2011

It's hard to believe 2011 is coming to an end!  I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and do a round-up of the most popular posts from this past year.  It was interesting to see which posts have been the most popular with you, my faithful readers, and of course traffic from Google.  So here are the top 10!

10. Homemade Iced Mochas

9. Zucchini Nut Bread Cookie Sandwiches

8. One Year

7. Bringing Home Baby

6. DIY Doily Crafts

5. Christmas Trees

4. Classic Mac & Cheese

3. Gift Wrapping Ideas

2. Pumpkin Apple Bread

1. DIY Chan Luu wrap bracelets

Merry Christmas!

Today is our last day of work for 2011 - yay!  Caleb and I will have tomorrow through Sunday together celebrating Christmas here at home, and Monday we're traveling to visit family.  I'm going to be busy soaking up every minute of our time together, so everyone have a very merry Christmas!  I'll be back next week :)

(image via here)

Holiday Treats

Christmas is in 4 days!  Even with all that we've done for our 25 days of Christmas, I feel like the holiday season has passed by too quickly!  There are more Christmas movies I want to watch, a few more presents I need to wrap, and definitely more holiday treats I want to bake!  I blame this on the fact that Caleb and I have been sick for the past few days, so we've been taking in lots of fluids and getting extra sleep instead of doing fun Christmas-y things.  We'll see which of these yummy treats I find time to make before Christmas!

Double Chocolate Peppermint Surprise Cookies

Skillet Toffee

Santa Hat Brownie Bites

Chocolate Peppermint Roll with Chocolate Ganache

Reindeer Cake Pops

Are you still enjoying the holiday season?  Or are you ready for it to be over?

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

If you haven't already decorated sugar cookies this Christmas season with your spouse/significant other/kids, bust out the sprinkles and icing and do it!  Last week Caleb and I decorated sugar cookies together and it was so much fun!  I didn't have to roll the dough out and use cookie cutters because 1) my mother-in-law gave me this pan that bakes the cookies into shapes for you and 2) you can just roll the dough into balls and flatten them into circles to bake them!  So easy!  Also this recipe is for those delicious grocery store soft sugar cookies that are always frosted according to the holiday.  Like most things, these are SO much better homemade!

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

4 1/2 cups flour

4 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

5 tsp vanilla extract

for the frosting:

5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

7-8 Tbsp milk (plus more, as needed)

food coloring (optional)

To make the cookies, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed. Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a scant quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball.  Flatten the ball slightly and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Repeat with the remaning dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or just until set.  (Do not overbake!  The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all.)  Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To frost the cookies, place the confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl.  Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 tsp at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.  Tint with food coloring if desired.  Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies.  If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable.  Store cookies in airtight container.

source: recipes from annie's eats, originally from hostess with the mostess

The Biltmore

This past weekend for our little getaway we went to The Biltmore!  We had been to the Biltmore last year in the fall; that was our first time and we loved it!  But we have been wanting to see this incredible house decorated for Christmas, so Caleb took Friday off and we spent the day in Asheville.  The weather wasn't great, but since we were inside touring the house most of the time the rain wasn't a big deal.

The decorations did not disappoint: there was a Christmas tree in almost every room we toured (we saw 43 of the 250!), and the Christmas tree in the dining room was the most spectacular of all - 40 feet high!  There was also a gingerbread replica of the house in the kitchen; the details were impeccable!  The house wasn't crowded at all, so at times Caleb and I were the only ones walking down the hallways or looking in the rooms.  You're not allowed to take pictures inside the house, but I found a picture of the dining room with the Christmas tree and my other personal favorite- the library.  

If you ever have the chance, you must visit the Biltmore!  It is a beautiful house and it's so fun to imagine what life was like at the turn of the century - especially for millionaire Vanderbilt!  We definitely recommend purchasing the audio tour - you get lots of fun stories and background information that you would miss out on if you just breezed through.  

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What did you do this past weekend?