Beeswax Paste for Cutting Boards and Butcher Blocks

Caring for wood in the kitchen may seem like a mystery, but it’s actually pretty easy. We have wood cutting boards, salad bowls, a few wood plates and utensils, and a butcher block top on the baking center/floating island, and it only takes a little effort to maintain them.

For cleaning, we scrape off all stuck on bits of flour or whatever, then we rub them down with hot soapy water but avoid submerging in water. If wood items soak in water, they tend to crack when drying, so avoid that especially with good cutting boards or plates/bowls. For the same reason you should never put wood items in a dishwasher. To remove odors, I spray on undiluted white vinegar and let the pieces sit overnight without wiping off the vinegar, but you can also use lemon juice. Read more

How to Make Vanilla Extract

Vanilla beans + vodka + time = vanilla extract

That’s pretty easy math! The process is simple and the equipment list very short: you only need a jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid. There was a time when I would have said that the biggest part of that equation was the vanilla beans due to their cost, but the Internet is making them more easily and inexpensively available. If you buy beans by the half-pound or by the pound, you can save quite a bit of money. Check out the recommended list of online vendors at the end of this post.

The biggest thing you need is time, because the mixture needs to sit for about 8 weeks to reach it’s full potential. However, do not fret thinking that you are too late for Christmas gift giving, because you can start now and include a little note with your gift stating when the vanilla will be ready. It’s like a gift that keeps on giving! And if you plan to keep some for yourself, which you should, you can continue adding vodka and beans to perpetuate your stash. Read more

How to Make Prepared Horseradish

I love it in cocktail sauce, but I can’t do it straight. Prepared horseradish is a condiment that I did not have during childhood, although we probably should have grown the plant because it would have cured every cold I ever got. The heady, strong smell of prepared horseradish clears your sinuses pretty quickly. Michael loves it spread on meat or as a sauce for sandwiches, but he also likes to eat really hot peppers. He rarely ever gets a cold, so I may have to give the horseradish and hot pepper preventive a try.

His parents grow horseradish at their camp in the Adirondacks, and his father made a batch while we were visiting last week, Read more