Making Vanilla Extract

Tytus and I start making vanilla extract. Ezra makes a cameo appearance. We show you a very easy process. The hardest part about making vanilla extract is waiting AND finding great products. Years ago while traveling to visit family I toured a distillery called Siesta Key Rum. This company has won many awards and their product is Top Knotch, On Point, or whatever the new phrase is for excellence. https://www.siestakeyrum.com/ (and NO, I am not getting paid to say it) In the United States, in order for a vanilla extract to be called pure, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that the solution contain a minimum of 35% alcohol and 100g of vanilla beans per liter (13.35 ounces per gallon). Take advantage of the categories and lists that I have assembled and reviewed for top recommendations in the kitchen. Kitchen Best Buys https://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Taiga Woodcraft - A Special Purchase

We made a special purchase from Taiga Woodcraft. I don't want to ruin the video so you have to watch it to see it! 

Larry and Sandy are friends we met while working on the Africa Mercy in West Africa 2017-2019. Not only was this a way to support friends who have businesses BUT it's also a personal connection with shared memories to a one-of-a-kind handcrafted piece made specifically for us! 

Check out Taiga Woodcraft on all the Social Media channels! Look at the pictures and just imagine what "one-of-a-kind" handcrafted piece he can make for you or a special gift to that friend that has "everything". 

TAIGA WOODCRAFT 

Custom, handmade hardwood and epoxy creations based in Windsor, Ontario

TAIGAWOODCRAFT.COM 

(226) 350 9383 

TAIGAWOODCRAFT@GMAIL.COM 

Instagram @TAIGAWOODCRAFT 

Facebook TAIGA WOODCRAFT

Easy Snack Mix

This is something I prep every week for our family! pre-portioning keeps the endless snacking down, saves money, controls calories, and controls how healthy it is. There's no cooking involved.

Easy Conecuh Dish

Easy meal! This can also be made in a casserole dish BUT you won't get as many crispy roasted bits and the casserole dish will keep the grease. Put it in your favorite casserole dish AFTER cooking it! Either way, your choice!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! 

No, I haven't lost my mind. I just wanted to remind you in plenty of time to make sure you get it covered this year and don't mess it up! 

As you know most people have what they call a "side hustle" and I guess now I am no exception. Sure I have my blog and crazy homestyle cooking videos...But now I am putting some of my computer college knowledge to work making some designs for resale on products. 

Recently I was able to get into the Amazon Merch program and get a few t-shirts started. Below is my offering for Mother's Day! available in many colors and sizes. I'm not going to make a ton of money on it because I priced it low to get started. But I'm hoping I can build up my inventory and keep some good designs coming. This will help open up my Amazon "store" if you will.

If you would like to see my other shirts and hoodies I have available now here is the link:

https://amzn.to/3fYLHu6

Thank you for coming to visit my corner of the web! 

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Bonus Content to Seasoned and Smashed Chicken

Today I am showing you a bulk prep way of doing the Seasoned and Smashed Chicken that I covered in an earlier video. Also trying out a headgear camera holder for when nobody is around to help me make some videos! HAHAHA

Spaghetti and Meatballs - A Very Simple Guide

Tytus helps me make spaghetti and meatballs for supper. You'll probably be surprised at how easy it is. We have had many compliments over our meatballs BUT it's about as simple as it gets. And watch for the secret ingredients with a tip for parents.

 
Also some bonus family footage of Tytus new birthday gift. It was delivered while we were cooking...so then Tytus bailed on me! HAHAHA

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls are the greatest snacks, desserts, and breakfast food! In this video, I make them from scratch using my own technique and the recipe for bread dough. https://www.tyronebcookin.com/2009/05/easy-bread-dough.html 

If you would rather not make the dough, buy pizza dough balls from your local grocer.

I do not use a sweetened dough for Cinnamon Rolls because there is enough added sweetness in the filling and glaze.

My cameraman is Tytus today!

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Easy Cake Hack!

When we were living on a ship in West Africa Stephanie developed a quick cake hack that made a box mix tastes 100x better but still used minimal ingredients. In this video, she makes a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting BUT the technique can be used on other cake flavors as well.

She makes the cake as instructed on the box and then...

See how she uses sour cream and pudding mix (and sometimes espresso) in today's video!

Making Hummus!

Our family spent some time in West Africa and one of our best food memories were these small places that served Lebanese food like shawarmas, falafel, fattoush, and ma'amoul. We found out both our kids love hummus(shocking!). And now hummus is a staple snack food at our house. Pretzels, carrots, cucumbers...We love it with a lot of different things!

Here is a link to the recipe we use - https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/best-hummus/

Peanut Brittle! (and the secret to not breaking your teeth!)

 

We're making peanut brittle with the boys. Steph goes through the steps. The addition of the baking soda at the end creates air bubbles in the brittle. This maintains the crackly goodness of the brittle BUT keeps you from breaking your TEETH! It's DELICIOUS!

  

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Mexican Chocolate Caramel Cookies!

 

These Mexican Chocolate Carmel Cookies are made with the caramel candy we made in our last video! Stephanie found an awesome "from scratch" cookie recipe that she modified to make it her own!

Here is the link to the cookie recipe we modified. 

https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/jumbo-chocolate-cookies/

Thank you! #TastesBetterFromScratch

The changes are simple. When you watch the video you will see HOW and then WHEN to add them in.

• Replace the chocolate chips with 2 discs of Mexican Chocolate chopped up. 
• Add a tablespoon of instant espresso powder to your cookie dough.
• Add your caramel candy into the middle of the cookie dough. Watch our caramel candy video. If you're still not convinced to try it yourself then those little square plastic-wrapped caramels from the store will do.

Two things you need to remember to have the most success with this recipe:

1. Chill your cookie dough 2 to 3 hours before using.
2. After rounding your caramel candy into balls, chill for at least an hour. You can do this anytime and then wait till your cookie dough is chilled.

This will also help your cookie have the best structure with no caramel "blow-outs". But even if you do have some, it still tastes great!

Products we use. Give them a try!

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Caramel Candy!

Stephanie and the boys take on making caramel candies. Tytus and Ezra clearly have fun BUT I am sure the end result is the motivation for helping out!

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys