Hi guys,

Been a while. I have been busy baking and not ao much on cooking. Whew.. long time since I last checking in here. So many things happened. Lost my job due to Covid. Then tried working at school, something I never do or think I would do. Then back into promotional world where I actually feel like myself again.

Grateful that through the whole changes, we are still blessed with God’s love. I made masks to giveaway to people who needs them at the beginning of Covid, when I lost my job. But all the money spent, came out break even with the donations received from friends. Amazing how God works. One very thing I learned, never worry. Keep doing and trying to do good and best. He will take care of you. I might not be a weekly church goer, I do have my faith.

Anyway, we are doing great. My son just got back from his London Choir trip with his school. They sang at the Cadogan Hall and the Southwark Cathedral. He had a little experience away from us in another country. That’s a priceless experience. Growing up, My school trip was Java Bali area 😂.

I have been lazy in the kitchen. I still bake since cakes are orders I received. Cooking…errr not so much. Not sure why. Perhaps, the sky rocketing grocery price is one of the reasons. There are times, getting food from home sellers are easier. Every morning I tell myself, you are going to cook today. 😬🙈. Like this morning, but I still have no idea what to cook. So, after having my coffee.. I decided to start my vanilla extract batch. I am running out soon of my vanilla extract.

Why making it myself? Taste better, easy and save some money by doing so. Ever wonder what’s the difference between essence and extract? In simple explanation, essence is faux 😂, while extract it the real deal. Since the extract is made by extracting the life of vanilla beans, it has a stronger, more complex vanilla flavor, compared with vanilla essence, which is cheaper but artificially flavored. I personally think extract is worth the effort and money. The beans inside the pods, at the end of my bottle, I usually scraped them and use for vanilla bean cake or buttercream and I love the speckles it creates. The aroma… oh dear lord.. soo sooo good. And think about how simple. 1 clean jar or bottle you need to store the concoction. 1 bottle and a little extra rum or good vodka to cover the vanilla pods and the main character itself, vanilla beans pods. At least 30 pods and get the grade A. More potent. Indonesian, Madagascar and Mexico are my fave. Store them in dark place for few months before use. Once I am almost run out, I start making a new batch. Here is how I do mine. Oh and there’s a method to speed up the process by using Instant pot. But since I am not in a hurry, I do the classic way.