afternoon delights

February may be the shortest of all the months, but it sure feels like the longest when it's negative one million degrees outside and the wind chill is even worse and you can't catch a cab in Times Square at one in the morning. So if you're anything like me and suffering some serious winter doldrums, here are some things I recently found on the interwebs that might just take your mind off the weather - even if only for a moment ;)

*I put ground beef and pasta in my chili, so I guess that means I'm a strong-headed optimist

*You're doing better than you think you are

*My love for Shake Shack knows no bounds, and now you can (kinda sorta almost not really) make your own Shack Burgers

*I've got vacation on the brain and might treat myself to a new swimsuit for our upcoming trip to Mexico - I'm crushing on this, this, this, and this one.

*It's funny because it's true

*Samosas vs. Carmel DeLites - there IS a difference

*Fellow nerds unite! Read about the making of Monument Valley and celebrate that there's now (finally) and expansion pack

around here

braving the cold and the snow and the wind by wearing approximately 55 layers just to go to the grocery

tracking my steps (often obsessively) thanks to my Fitbit

having mixed emotions about this season of Girls (are they ever going to get it together??) but loving the new Togetherness.

celebrating that Mei won this season of Top Chef (I totally called it way back during episode 1!)

probably watching too much television (but what else am I supposed to do when it's this cold out?!?)

cooking all the hearty winter stews and chilis

savoring leisurely sunday brunches with the bf and evening get togethers with the gfs

heading into a crazy long run of non-stop work days (because it takes a lot of work to make a play)

already planning my spring shoe purchases

adding touches of color wherever and whenever I can

DIY Vanilla Extract

A few years ago, I posted about making my own extracts - it was my first time doing so, and true to form, I went a little overboard and made five different types of extracts - lavender, rose, and hibiscus in addition to the more traditional cinnamon and vanilla. I got fantastic flavors from all the herbs and spices, but I never really managed to incorporate most of the extracts into my cooking or baking. I once added the lavender extract to a lemon-lavender icebox pie, and the cinnamon gets tossed into various experimental batches of cookies, but it's only the vanilla I use with any true regularity. As a result, my original bottle was getting dangerously low - so I decided to rectify the situation and whip up a new batch of homemade vanilla extract.

It's crazy easy to make your own extract, and is ultimately a whole lot cheaper than buying the pre-made. You'll need a bottle (preferably glass), 1-2 vanilla beans, and enough vodka to fill the bottle. It's perfectly fine to use cheap vodka for this project, so save yourself some cash and pick up some Fleishman's or Smirnoff (or whatever is comparable in your area). I found my vanilla beans at a nearby spice shop, but if you can't find them locally I'm pretty sure that many major grocery stores do keep them in stock.

I tend to stick to a 10:1 ratio - for every one vanilla bean, I need about 10 oz. of vodka. This isn't an exact science, but more beans with less liquid will result in a stronger and more flavorful extract (the bottle I used is 17 oz., so I used two whole beans)

Using a sharp nice, cut a long lengthwise slit down the center of each vanilla bean. Be careful not to split the bean into two separate pieces - you just need a deep enough cut to let the tiny seeds infiltrate the vodka.

Place the beans into the bottle, fill up the bottle with vodka, cap tightly, and store in your pantry/spice rack/wherever you keep things of this nature for at least three weeks and up to two years. You can use the extract as soon as the liquid in the bottle turns to an amber/golden color, but I like to wait a little longer to start using my vanilla - the flavor intensifies and becomes much more robust over time, and there's nothing quite like an apple or cherry pie made with real vanilla extract that's been aged for nearly a year.