vanilla sugar
Sure, you can buy ready-made vanilla sugar or vanilla essence, but quite frankly, why? It’s not as if making your own is very hard and believe me it tastes so much better!
You need:
A jar (if it’s pretty that’s naturally a big plus)
A vanilla pod cut open and with the content scraped out (as it will be if you use it in a recipe)
Sugar
Here’s how to:
- Put the vanilla pod in the jar (yes, it’s OK to squash it to get it in).
- Fill up with sugar.
- Put on lid and wait for approximately a day.
You now have your own vanilla sugar that is excellent when baking, in coffee or in almost any dessert. Personally I kinda like it sprinkled over Greek honey with some strawberries for a really simple dessert. Like you could do that with vanilla essence! 
Forest Spice Blend
I often find spice mixes a great help when I’m cooking in a hurry, but I don’t like the kind you buy ready. First, they’re often ridiculously expensive. Second, they often contain salt and that determines how much of them you can use (unless you liked over-salted food which I don’t). Thirdly, they’re most often not as good as the ones you make yourself.
This is a blend of herbs, garlic and mushrooms that is great for stews, soups and any kind of cooking where you want a sort of rural touch. Try it in a ragù or on pizza or even on oven-roasted potatoes.
You need:
Dried mushrooms (any kind basically, but the drier and crisper the better)
Thyme (dried)
Roasted garlic (dried)
Parsley (dried)
Put the garlic and the mushrooms in a mortar and crush them into a coarse sort of powder. Add thyme and parsley. Put in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and use it extensively!
