Talk about a perfect project—fast, simple, two ingredients, and sun shining through a window does all the work.

Home-made Vanilla Favoring

You’ll need a small package of vanilla beans—long, thin brown pods from an orchid. And a bottle of cheap vodka—forget the high-priced stuff, you’ll want the unflavored ‘grain neutral spirits’ variety.

Carefully slice the beans the long way, first in half, then in half again. Expose as much of the pod interiors as possible—then cut slices into small lengths.

Put the beans in a clear glass container (3-4 beans per cup of liquid). Close bottle tightly and put in a sunny window for about 6 weeks. Shake it up every once in a while. Strain in to clean glass jar. That’s it—you’re done.

The Kitchen Hive