Vanilla Extract
Vanilla is very simple to make and requires only two ingredients: vodka and vanilla beans. You can use the cheapest kind of vodka, but the quality of the vanilla extract is dependent on the quality of the vanilla beans. After some research, I found that some vanilla beans are best for cooking and baking, and some beans are best for making vanilla. So we used Grade B Madagascan beans I bought on Amazon. Turns out at the moment vanilla beans are very expensive, anywhere from $3-$12 for one bean, depending on where you buy them. You can either split them lengthwise, or chop into 2" pieces to allow the flavor inside to permeate the vodka. Shake the vodka every day for a couple of weeks to mix it all up nicely, then put in your cupboard for about six months. This batch should be ready in time for Christmas gifts.
The vanilla cost about $25 for 750ml.
Taco Seasoning Mix
The taco mix took a little more work, but was pretty easy as well. The hardest part was remembering how many tablespoons you had added and not making a mess everywhere. The main advantage of making your own taco mix is that you can adjust the recipe to your own tastes. I had made up a pound of taco meat to sample using the exact recipe. One lady didn't put as much chili powder to make it less spicy, and another one put extra red pepper flakes to make it more spicy. We set out all the ingredients on the kitchen counter with the quantities for each written on a small card. We put all the ingredients into a plastic zip bag as we went along and mixed it up good when we were done. Some put the finished product in jam jars.
This recipe makes the equivalent of 24 packets you might buy. The taco mix cost about $4.
8 T chili powder
4 T ground cumin
8 t sea salt
8 t black pepper
4 t paprika
2 t garlic powder
2 t onion powder
2 t red pepper flakes
2 t dried oregano
**Use 1 T per one pound of meat.
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