How I keep my job.

How could Sonoma State lay off someone who brings in cake every week or so?

Cappuccino Chiffon Cake with Vanilla Cream and Coffee Whipped Cream... With a sprinkling of cinnamon on top.  I ate a little more than my fair share, I have to say. Good thing I bought a gym membership last week.

My new motto: There is no such thing as "too much pastry cream."

This is why I like Martha Stewart.

One little, seemingly insignificant article on homemade vanilla extract  blew me away yesterday. Coming in at only 267 words, it completely exemplifies everything I love about Martha Stewart.

Read article here.

1) Making your own vanilla extract? Great idea. She even gives suggestions on how to make it into gifts. I love that. 

2) Way way way too detailed information on the origin and process of extract production? Check!
"Vanilla beans are the fruit of a single species of orchid, Vanilla planifolia, varieties of which grow in Mexico, Madagascar, Java, and Tahiti..."

3) Allusion to Martha's high class and wealth? Check!
"Martha likes to use the very best vodka she can find."   Really, Martha?  Like we all thought you were going to be using Popov of Wolfschmidt.  Every good Martha Stewart article has to gently remind you how much better she is than you.

4) But this is what I really really enjoy:  making your own vanilla is a spectacular idea, but the article is really just a first step to your own fantastic projects. Martha has just told me that vodka + something edible + time = extract.   Why not jump on this cardamom train and make some cardamom extract?