Making Homemade Extracts

Never tried this before, but I did it and so can you, it was really easy!

I made the following extracts:
Mint
Orange
Lemon
Vanilla (still brewing to full strength)

Instructions for Mint Extract:

Gather, wash and dry mint leaves-1 cup of leaves
Pour vodka over the mint in a sterilized / clean jar-1 cup of vodka
Shake and let sit for 2 weeks
Strain the mint leaves out, discard
Pour into a pretty jar.  I ordered mine from Mountain Rose Herb Company, click on the picture to check out  their company.

Instructions for Citrus Extract (I made 1 lemon and 1 orange)

Gather a few oranges, lemons, or other citrus (depending on the variety you're making)

Zest / Peel the skin only off of a few fruits.  You want to be careful not to get the white part because it will make your extract very bitter.

Pour vodka over the peel in a sterilized / clean jar-1 cup of vodka
Shake and let sit.  Unlike the mint you don't have to strain it out in any hurry, you can leave it for a month or two.  I left mine for a month and then strained it into the pretty bottle.   Some recipes you just leave the peel in there forever and add vodka as you want to make more extract.  I would rather start with a clean batch each time.

FYI, I did a taste test on the Orange Extract since I still had some of my Watkins Orange Extract in the pantry and I could NOT tell any difference in flavor so no more bottles of 5.99 for an ounce of extract! I made 8-16 ounces of each extract and even factoring in buying the bottles, vanilla and vodka I still made these for a fraction of the cost. (Plus someone left a bottle of vodka at my house after a party so I didn't even have to buy the vodka! I just used what I had.)

Vanilla Extract

Hands down I use Vanilla Extract the most out of any extract, with Orange Extract being a close second so even though this vanilla extract did cost me $ to make I can make much more quantity than I can buy for the price.

For the vanilla extract you pour vodka over several split vanilla pods and then let it develop over a period of about 6 months.  You can use it at anytime but it gets stronger the longer it ages, so this one I'm still waiting to use. I have it sitting in my baking pantry in a large mason jar and I still have about 4 more months before I think I'll try using it, I want to make sure it is good and strong.

I purchased a vial of vanilla pods from Mountain Rose Herb Company for $7.00 and I only used half of them to make 16 ounces of extract.  Click on picture to go to their website and order.

Other helpful hints:

While googling the heck out of extract making I thought it was a pretty cool idea that some people had to use mini liquor bottles to try and make their vanilla extract with different rums, etc.  I suppose that would flavor differently and the little bottles look cool and you don't have to invest in a large bottle of any one liquor, so that seemed like a good idea.

Almond Extract

I wanted to make almond extract but based on my research, if you poured vodka over the type of almonds we eat, it would never develop a true almond extract flavor.  The type of almonds used in extract making are Marcona almonds and they are not allowed to be sold to the general public as they are considered poisonous.  Interesting, huh! So I'll still be buying almond extract as my husband uses it quite often to make his Italian cookies.

Oooooodles of Nooooodles!

My youngest is on a noodle making binge, watch out world:

When good ingredients go bad

My recipe for wheat bread is simple:

Wheat Flour

White Flour

Yeast

Honey or Agave Nectar

Milk

Butter

Salt

However, this bread would NOT rise! I'm guessing my yeast is past its prime :(

I make bread weekly so I buy a large quantity of yeast from Smart and Final about once a year.  It's about $5 for a pound of yeast and it lasts about a year in my fridge.  This batch of bread told me it was time to buy a new bag of yeast!

Cooking Club

In the late spring I joined a monthly cooking club hosted by my friend Nancy Collins who is a Director with Pampered Chef.  She's been a kitchen consultant for years and knows some really great tricks to get dinner on the table in 30 minutes for your family.  My little one went with me and a couple of times and she loves everything we make at the club.

Prepping for a gorgeous salad

Champagne Orange Vinegar Salad Dressing

Gorgeous way to serve and display a salad

Making bbq chicken pizza

on the grill!

And a chocolate lava cake in the microwave! Seriously I wish I had a microwave after we made this!

If you're interested in joining our monthly cooking club, it is held in Orange one weeknight per month.  Contact Nancy Collins!

What else can I put syrup on?

Picked up two lovely little jars of syrup after seeing a Facebook post on Dragonfly Shops and Gardens wall .  Lawford's Maple Cream and Lawford's Vanilla Cream Syrup...made right here in the good old USA! In Utah specifically.

Of course I couldn't wait to start using them because Beth had said they were SO good and she was SO right!

My first item, super easy to make and oh my gracious so delicious was a fancified butterscotch pudding. 

Here's how you make the Butterscotch pudding dessert

Ingredients:

1 package cook and serve Butterscotch pudding (I prefer Dr. Oetkers's brand but Jell-O brand is good too.) 

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 banana

Lawford's Banana Cream Syrup

1 sugar cone crushed

1 teaspoon of extract (I used Watkins Orange Extract but you can substitute vanilla or almond which would be delicious as well.)

1. Cook up the butterscotch pudding and then pour it into mason jars or bowls, then stick them in the fridge for about 25 minutes.  I like to eat pudding while it is still warm, so I left mine in about 15 minutes.  Cool enough that it won't melt the whip cream but still warm when you eat it.

2. Whip up the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form, add 1 teaspoon of extract, whip and then top the pudding.

3. Drizzle on the vanilla cream syrup

4. Add crushed sugar cone

5. Stick a piece of banana on the side (like a lemon wedge)

6. Eat it and watch your family thank you!

The next morning I had to try the maple cream syrup so I whipped up a batch of waffles, topped them with a banana and the maple cream syrup.  Oh  my gracious.  My thighs jiggled just looking at the plate :)

Here's my waffle recipe:

1/4 cup of flour for each set of two waffles you want to make, so about 1 cup of flour feeds my family with leftovers for the chickens.

Milk enough to make it runny

1 egg from my hens one for the bowl

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice for the bowl

1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the bowl

1 teaspoon-ish for the bowl of baking powder

Mix, let sit for 5 minutes and then put into a greased waffle maker

What else can you put syrup on??????

Mini Apple Pies in a Muffin Tin

For our Memorial Day BBQ I made mini apple pies in a muffin tin with my kids.  It was a very fast way to make a dozen small pies that were a huge hit! I thought I would share the recipe.  Total hands on time is 30 minutes and bake time was about 45 minutes.

For 12 pies you will need one can of apple pie filling (or make your own)

Crust:

1 cup of butter cut into chunks
3 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of salt

Ice Water as needed

Steps

Mix the flour and salt together
Drop in the butter and using a pastry blender blend and blend until your hand feels like it is going to fall off or until everything is in fine small chunks.(This is great for the kids to do!)
Next, mix in 1 tablespoon of water at a time and blend.  Repeat until you have a very dry dough.

Roll out the dough and cut into 4 inch circles (I used my large Pampered Chef biscuit Cutter)

Then press the dough into the muffin tins, I used my tart shaper tool.  This step is good for kids of all ages.  I've had it for years from Pampered Chef.

Fill with apple pie filling, sprinkle on cinnamon and then let the kids use little strips of leftover dough to create the top!  Then brush on 1 beaten egg to make the surface have a nice shine and color and sprinkle on sugar and voila!

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until evenly brown