Tuesday, July 13, 2010

splurge

(photo courtesy of spicestation.etsy.com)

Ben and I are trying to be a bit more frugal with our money these days, but this gal has her weaknesses, and vanilla is at the top of the weakness list. Just ask my mom. I drove her all the way to Brunswick to search for the very best vanilla extract ever (scroll down to the Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla, although I've tried many of these and they're all lovely), only to find that they were sold out. So, you can imagine the squeal that escaped my lips this morning when I happened to stumble upon this little gem hidden inside the "plants and edibles" category on Etsy. Bliss.

People think I'm nuts for spending good money on things like vanilla beans/extract/paste, but it makes all the difference when I'm baking (or wearing it) and I simply can't accept that there isn't something comparable in everyone's lives. What do you splurge on?

4 comments:

Momma Button said...

Really good chocolate...not the drug store kind, the GOOD STUFF!

Rumor said...

Have you ever made your own vanilla extract?

Kate said...

@ Connie: ooh, me too! I love buying really nice chocolate when I have the opportunity.

@ Rumor: You know, I've never tried but I've always meant to. Have you done it? Any tips you'd like to share?

Rumor said...

I have some "brewing" now. It won't be ready for a few more weeks. It's pretty simple actually. It's a matter of slicing the beans open and putting them in a jar with vodka and then letting it sit for several weeks. I'll let you know how this batch turns out. I'm sure you can google for more detailed instructions...that's what I do. :)