Lemon Roasted Potatoes

A plain and simple recipe. Start with 2 lbs potatoes, 2 lemons, oil, sugar, salt and pepper.

Boil potatoes for 5 minutes in salted water. While that's happening, grate the peel of 2 lemons and squeeze the juice from one of them (about 1/4 cup). Save the other lemon for another recipe. Notice the stamp on the top lemon, which remained despite being scrubbed with a vegetable brush and fruit/vegetable wash. Yuck. I'm buying organic lemons from now on.

Mix lemon juice and zest with 1/4 cup (or less) oil, 1 tsp sugar and salt and pepper. Toss potatoes with the sauce and pour into an 8x8 or 9x9 pan. Roast at 375 degrees until browned.

These didn't brown as well as I'd hoped. I could have left them in longer but the lemon zest particles were starting to burn.

Verdict: The only feedback my husband could give on these was "they're different". I guess that's fitting. I probably wouldn't make them again as is because they lack that special something. Maybe garlic and rosemary would compliment the lemon taste. I like having a 'different' recipe to play with. We've been stuck in a pesto potatoes rut for quite time.

Source: http://recipesfrom4everykitchen.blogspot.com/2009/09/lemon-roasted-new-potatoes.html

Homemade Vanilla Extract

While standing in the spice aisle of World Market, I decided it was time to make my own vanilla extract. It was cheaper to buy 6 whole beans than a 4 ounce bottle of the already-made extract. At home I checked to see what the Google consensus was for a recipe. It varies. A lot. 0.25 to 8 beans per ounce of liquid. With the weighted average being less than 1. Since I only bought 6 beans on my impulse buy, I went with a middle-of-the-road strength at 0.75 beans per ounce. Let's get started.

Round up your beans, alcohol of choice (at least 80 proof vodka, rum or bourbon) and a glass container. You don't even need a separate container if you are making enough to use the entire container of alcohol - just put the beans in. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut each bean into two halves. Then slice each half lengthwise to expose the insides. On larger beans I was able to slice into thirds. No need to slice the entire way. I may end up putting the beans in individual bottles for perpetual vanilla and this will make transferring the beans easier.

Cover your vanilla beans with alcohol. I used Four Roses bourbon because that's what I had in the cupboard - from my first anniversary roadtrip to Kentucky! I used a measuring cup to measure out the bourbon before pouring in the mason jar. This was dumb and unnecessary since this needn't be an exact science. And I spilled some.

Make sure the lid is on tight and give it a good shake. Leave out where you will remember to pick it up and shake it daily. After a week or so, move to a cupboard where you will remember to shake it several times a week. The vanilla extract should be ready to use anywhere between 6 weeks and 6 months of soaking. Strain and store in an amber glass bottle. Stay tuned for an update in a few months....