Yet another snow day...

Insane amounts of snow...

I don't think anyone expected that we would get 16 inches of snow last night.  Craziness.  After shoveling out all morning, Matt FINALLY got to work around noon.  I, however, have the day off again!  I decided to flip through my Magnolia Bakery cookbook to find a good cookie recipe.  I never got to making Oatmeal Raisin cookies at Christmas since I was sick and didn't want to contaminate anyone.  So, when I found a recipe for Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chip Cookies, I couldn't resist.  I love this cookbook because all of the recipes are simple and so fresh tasting.  The peanut butter chips add an unexpected twist to the traditional oatmeal cookies. 

The batch made just enough for me to keep some and take some over to my neighbors who helped us shovel out this morning.

The recipe called for 1 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract.  I used 1 tsp and added 1/2 tsp of vanilla bean paste instead.  If you look close, you can see the little bits of vanilla bean. 

I also decided to finally try out a Vanilla Extract making kit that I bought at HomeGoods a little while ago.   The kit basically came with a bottle and some vanilla beans in it....I could have probably just found a bottle I already had and bought some vanilla beans, but this was only $5 so I figured it was worth it.  I'm thinking that if this works out, I might make a few bottles at the end of the year for Christmas gifts. 

All you have to do is slice the beans in half, put them in the bottle and fill the bottel with Vodka.  They say to store it in a dark, cool place and shake daily for up to two months.  I've put mine in my hall pantry and will try to remember to shake it each day...somehow  I think I will forget a lot. 

Hope all of you on the East Coast are safe and warm today.   Enjoy your snow day!