Not Just Plain Old Vanilla

What happens when you take a few of these?

And a bottle of this?

Homemade vanilla, of course!

I have aunt-in-law Tami to thank for this great idea. She was just starting her first batch of homemade vanilla when we visited their home about five years ago. A vodka bottle with vanilla beans inside just begs for conversation and I never quite forgot about her little kitchen counter concoction.
As I was looking through a spice catalog this past spring, I noticed the whole vanilla beans and remembered the bottle of vodka on Tami's counter. I ordered a few Mexican vanilla beans and emailed Tami to find out her secret.
Here is her recipe: First, buy a high quality vodka. Place 3-4 vanilla beans inside the full bottle, close it up, and shake it occasionally or whenever it crosses your mind. Check it after a month or so to see if it smells like vanilla and is to your liking.
Tami says she usually leaves her beans in for a few months. The secret is to give it enough time. Vanilla beans can be split and reused with new ones added to future batches. It is not necessary to start with completely new beans every time.
There is some investment getting started--around $20 for the vodka and about $7 for the vanilla beans, but this makes A LOT of vanilla. Real vanilla is always over $10 for a very small bottle at our local stores.
I plan to keep some for myself and put some in smaller bottles for gifts. Until then, I'll be shaking and smelling my bottle of vanilla vodka. Mmm!