When it comes to edible gift giving, I think that vanilla sugar is the most popular of the flavored sugars.  In my post about flavored sugar I talk about how I started making it as a way to use empty vanilla bean pods.  While it’s a great way to make vanilla beans more cost efficient, you can also use all the little beans inside the pod which I explain in the recipe.  I use clean, dry fingers to break up the beans in the sugar.  But if you’ve used the tiny vanilla beans for something else, feel free to just stick the pod in the sugar. Read more

It doesn’t get much easier than this friends.  A little sugar, a little orange zest, a little jar.  It all comes together to make a sweet gift for the holidays that’s always appreciated.  You can give it in small bottles like the picture, with a tag recommending what to sprinkle it on:
-pancakes or French toast
-shortbread or sugar cookies
-cheesecake
-chocolate pudding Read more

Eric and I love carrots.  This is a good thing since they’re a much cheaper vegetable than some of our other favorites like asparagus and bell peppers.  This year I wanted to come up with a few more affordable Thanksgiving side dishes.  I’ve been doing a lot with the food bank and talking to their clients about using special ingredients in small amounts to turn ordinary foods into fancy dishes.  These Maple Orange Carrots with Sage are a great example, and go amazingly with roast turkey or chicken! Read more