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Clicky: Gifts- what do you think?
I am trying to figure out what to get my team for Christmas this year. We have a <$4 rule, so it's hard to spend that little and still give something nice. Last year, I gave little fortune cookie soaps and a scratch-off. Other gifts that were given last year were homemade truffles, a poinsettia, a cute post-it pad, and mini-sized hand sanitizer and body wash from B&BW.
I was trying to think of what to do for this year. I thought homemade vanilla extract or vanilla sugar might be good for this group and new to them. So, to stay under the target, I could either do one 8 oz bottle of vanilla extract, or I could do an 8 oz bottle of vanilla sugar + something else. Let me know what you think. (Or if you think I should scrap this idea and start over.)
Re: Clicky: Gifts- what do you think?
That is a good idea!
And Katie- here's the recipe. I bought a half a pound of vanilla beans on ebay from a well-reviewed seller I read about. I'm going to do a big batch of the extract and the vanilla sugar and give it as part of Christmas gifts to some of my family as well.
JAMIE OLIVER'S VANILLA SUGAR
Don't buy vanilla pods that are dry and hard -- buy them fat, sticky and squashy. What we want to do is infuse the natural vanilla flavor of the vanilla pods into the sugar. It is perfectly fine, and obviously quicker, just to pop the pods in an airtight container with the sugar; you will achieve a more subtle flavor. I really like this recipe, though, because you get the maximum flavor from the pods.
2 pound superfine sugar
4 vanilla beans
You need a food processor for this one. Put your vanilla pods in the mixer, blitz, scrape the sides and blitz again. Add all the sugar and blitz for about 2 minutes. Sieve the mixture into a bowl, return any lumps to the food processor and blitz again. (You may want to repeat this process if you want it really fine). The result will be a slightly ashy-colored mixture -- now that's real vanilla sugar!
Store it in an airtight container. It should last you for ages.