~ In the Kitchen ~

Yesterday I spent most of my time in the kitchen , made 2 loaves of Pineapple-Zucchini bread. This was my first time making zucchini bread and I was really pleased with the taste. I'm planning to make a couple more loaves today. We've been eating the loaf pictured above , the other loaf is in the freezer for later.

One day last week , I made another batch of red clover syrup. I tried another method , instead of adding 4 cups of sugar , I added 2 cups of honey and 2 cups of sugar. But once again I didn't let it boil long enough , was afraid I would cook it to long and this time it was like water when I put it in the jars. I thought it might thicken up with time , but it didn't.


So yesterday I put it back in the pot , added another cup of sugar , brought it to a boil , turned the heat down and let it cook on med heat uncovered . I kept checking it and taking a little bit and putting it in a small glass bowl to see if it would thicken up after cooling. After a few checks , I finally got it to a perfect consistency , Yay !
I was going to water down the 2 jars that were to thick , but I put them in a pot to melt the crystals a little and I forgot to put a cloth in the bottom so the jars wouldn't be touching the bottom and one of them busted. The other jar had a scorched scent , so I just threw it out. I did end up with 2 pints of red clover syrup and it taste delicious. I also did a post about making Red Clover syrup over at my " Herbal Spirits " blog yesterday. So if you interested , here's the link ~ http://herbalspirits.blogspot.com/2010/07/red-clover-syrup.html ~.

I had a couple of readers that wanted to know how I make my homemade vanilla flavoring , check-out the link below to see how I made it.

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http://feather-spirits.blogspot.com/search/label/Homemade%20Vanilla%20Flavoring

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~ Many Blessings ~
JoyceAnn

~ Homemade Vanilla Flavoring ~

Last Friday while Dh and I were out to pick-up the hens , we stopped by the liquor store to get some vodka. I use vodka for my tinctures , but my main reason for picking up vodka was to make more homemade vanilla flavoring . You may remember I made vanilla flavoring for the first time about a year and a half ago. I think it was Kathie over at Two Frog Home that posted about making your own homemade vanilla flavoring , it was the first time I had heard of making your own. Well , it's definitely worth the time and effort put into it . You can order organic vanilla beans here ~ http://www.organic-vanilla.com/servlet/StoreFront ~ . I've ordered from them a couple of times , the first time for myself and the second time for my sister-in-law. I was very pleased with the vanilla beans and the service I received. If you're a baker , you know how expensive vanilla flavoring can be. But if you buy some vanilla beans and vodka you can make your own , it's economical , no preservatives , corn syrup or added artificial colorings , the taste is heavenly and it's so easy to make. If you google making vanilla flavoring , you'll find many different techniques , you may find another technique that works for you. But this is how I made it ~ http://www.ehow.com/how_4454043_make-vanilla-extract.html ~.

I made a score/slit down the length of the vanilla bean first , you don't want to cut through the bean as shown above , just enough to let the inside of bean be exposed for extracting.

then I cut the vanilla beans into 1 inch pieces ,

put 4 or more vanilla beans in each pint jar , add 2 cups of 100 proof vodka , put lid on each jar and shake , be sure to label and add date. I also marked the calender with the date that it will be ready. In six to eight weeks , you can strain it or leave the vanilla beans in and strain as needed. I leave the beans in , because they add more flavor over time. I added a tbsp of this flavoring to the snow cream I made for Valentine's Day and it tasted like French Vanilla ice cream , umm ~ sooo good.

The weatherman is saying we might see an inch or 2 of snow tonight , so maybe we'll have snow cream one more time before " Spring ".

Hope Everyone is having a good week !

~ Blessings ~

JoyceAnn