How to: Make Homemade Vanilla Extract

August 16, 2023 By Nadia Fuad in Baking and Cooking, Recipes, Uncategorized Tags: bakery, baking, beans, bourbon, cakes, cookies, cooking, Extract, gift basket idea, gift idea, gifts, holiday, holiday cheer, homemade, homemade gift, homemade vanilla, homemade vanilla extract, kitchen, madagascar, mama's kitchen, recipe, rum, tahitian, Vanilla, vanilla beans, vanilla extract, vodka, vodka vanilla extract, yarnutopia, yarnutopia and more Leave a comment

Do you like to bake?

When you bake as much as I do, it is very easy to go through baking ingredients on a regular basis. I purchased very good vanilla extract for a pretty penny and I am always running out! It’s too much money when I can make my own!

Let’s get started!

Homemade Vanilla Extract

2 ingredients.

6-8 Madagascar Vanilla beans per 8 oz. bottle. Find Vanilla Beans HERE. Find the bottles HERE.

Vodka (You can also use Bourbon or Rum each one having a slightly different flavor).
**the alcohol draws out the best flavor in your vanilla bean but you can make your recipe without
by substituting vegetable glycerin for the alcohol.

Directions:

For 6 to 8 beans per 8 oz. bottle.

I slice my beans down the center the long way to release fragrance and flavor of the vanilla bean paste see photos below). Place the vanilla beans into clean 8 oz. bottles. I found my bottles on Amazon HERE. You must cover the beans completely with Vodka so they are submerged-approximately 8 oz. of vodka per bottle. Keep in mind, the vodka has to be 70 proof or more. (I found 80 proof on sale 😂).

Cap bottles tightly. Shake gently to infuse flavors. Store away and let sit for at least 8 weeks.

Try to shake bottles as often as possible to insure that the flavors continue to blend-at least once a week. After 8 weeks the vanilla will be ready to use. The longer you wait the better the flavor- 4 to 6 months is actually optimal. Use in all your baking recipes that call for vanilla extract! Enjoy!

How to make: 4-ingredient no-knead artisan bread in cast iron Dutch oven

January 24, 2023 By Nadia Fuad in Baking and Cooking, kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, Video Tutorial Tags: 4, artisan, bake, bake bread, bake with me, baked, baking, basic, beginner, bread, breadmaker, breadmaking, breads, cast, cast iron, chef, cook, cooking, delicious, dutch, dutch oven, easy, economical, family, fancy, four, fuad, Fuad Azmat, homemade, how to, ingredient, ingredients, iron, let's make bread, loaf, mom, moms home cooking, nadia, old school, our family, oven, pioneer, round, simple, step by step, tutorial, video tutorial, yarnutopia, yeast Leave a comment

Here is a simple step-by-step recipe that is sure to wow your guests at any dinner party or satisfy the most insatiable craving for homemade bread you have EVER had! Trust me when I say, when you make your very own loaf, you won’t want to stop at just one! You will be a bread making aficianado before you know it! Follow my recipe below and watch my step by step video to guide you through this easy process! By this afternoon, your house will smell like rich homemade bread and your meals will be next level with this fantastic recipe!

finished loaf of artisan bread

Recipe AND Video Below:

We made a quick artisan bread loaf using only four (4) ingredients! No kneading! No mess! Easy step by step tutorial to help you achieve the greatest results proving that you don’t need to exhaust yourself to make fancy, delicious bread!!

Easy to Bake 4-ingredient, no-knead artisan bread

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp quick rise instant yeast

2 tsp kosher or cooking salt

1 1/2 cups warm water (Not hot! Luke warm 130*F or 55*C)

(You will need parchment paper)

Mix all ingredients in one bowl. Dough will be sticky. Let sit for 1-3 hours until dough doubles in size. (A perfect time to work on your crochet projects!) Preheat oven to 450*F (232*C) and set empty cast iron Dutch oven inside with lid on while oven preheats. Heat empty Dutch oven for 30 minutes. NOTE: This bread dough can be kept in refrigerator for up to three days and made later. The time in the fridge can even enhance flavor!

While oven/Dutch oven preheats, sprinkle a little flour on clean surface. Roll your dough onto floured surface and fold each ‘side’ into itself. I do 6-8 folds until dough forms nice round ball. Place dough on parchment paper and transfer dough ball into clean bowl. Using sifter, sprinkle a small amount of flour onto dough ball top surface. Using a lame or sharp knife cut design onto top. Let sit for duration of time it takes to preheat oven and heat up Dutch oven.

a slice down the middle, fresh from the oven!

AFTER 20-30 minutes, using oven mitts, remove HOT Dutch oven from preheated oven and carefully remove lid. Your cast iron pot is going to be EXTREMELY hot!! Use caution. Place parchment with dough ball into the hot pan and replace lid. Place back in oven and bake with LID ON for 30 minutes. AFTER 30 MINUTES, Remove the lid from your Dutch oven pot and bake bread uncovered for an additional 15 minutes or until you have a nice and toasty brown crust! Guaranteed your house will smell amazing! Carefully remove bread from pan and let cool for 10-15 minutes on cooling rack. Slice and serve! It tastes incredible with fresh butter melting on warm bread!! Mmm mmm mmm!!! Be sure to share with us how your finished loaves turn out!!!

a beautiful slice of warm, fresh made bread slathered in butter!

If you like easy to follow recipes and a variety of more fantastic videos, be sure to follow our SECOND channel Fuad Azmat/Ambient Sounds WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!

“The more you know, the more you can create. There’s no end to imagination in the kitchen.” ~Julia Child

Happy Hooking…and Baking!
~Fuad, Shannon, & Nadia

Crochet Tutorial: Lemons to Lemonade Pillow

February 14, 2017 By Nadia Fuad in Crochet Pattern, Crochet Projects, Video Tutorial Tags: basic, be my valentine, beginner, citrus, crochet, crochet tutorial, crocheted, crocheting, cushion, day, free crochet pattern, free pattern, fruit, gift, handmade, homemade, how to, how to crochet, learn, lemon pun, lemon puns, lemon slice, lemonade, lemons, love, lovely, loving, pattern, pillow, pun, pun intended, punny, slices, special, stitch, teach, tutorial, valentine, valentine's day, valentines, video, video tutorial, when life hands you lemons, yarn, yarnie, yarnutopia 3 Comments

I have always had a “zest” for life, and “lime” so grateful to be able to do what I love. For the past 2 weeks, my creative “juices” have been going in high gear to bring you this series of puns leading up to Valentine’s Day. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have!! At times, I may have blurred the “limes” between humorous and pushing too far. I’m sure some were a bit “sour” and others made you “peel” with laughter. Today’s pun is no exception. This pillow is “juice” the cutest way to end our series and allows me to “ex-press” how much all this means to me. I do this for YOU! I plan to “wedge” this under me to provide something to “curdle” up with once my procedure and biopsies are over. I’m so lucky to have my “main squeeze” with me during these tests! My life is made up of many “making lemonade” moments. Any way you “slice” it, was a perfect way to bring this series to a close. So, time to “pucker up” and get this procedure done! Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone! Sending you all my love!! I also want to say a special Happy Valentine’s Day to my Nate for taking the day off work to be with me today.

lemons

pillow

Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make the lemon slice:

**You can always contact me via Facebook if you have any problems with the pattern. I am happy to help if you have any questions along the way.
***These patterns are copyright YARNutopia © so PLEASE DO NOT COPY, SHARE, ADJUST OR RESELL MY PATTERN. I wrote and tested this pattern myself, from beginning to end. It took a lot of time and work, and I would really like to have it remain “my pattern.”
***You can sell anything you make from my patterns, please just link back to my website YARNutopia.com. Thank you!

Teacher: Nadia Fuad
Video and Editing: Fuad Azmat (My Daddy)
Share your work on Facebook!
Add me on Snapchat: YARNutopia
Follow me on Instagram
Visit My Ravelry Store and add this to your Favorites!
Follow me on Twitter: @YARNutopia
Enjoy this video and subscribe to my channel on YouTube for more tutorials on how to crochet!
Leave a comment, and share with your friends!

Pattern:

Designed by Nadia Fuad
You *may* sell items made from my pattern, but please reference my website YARNutopia.com.
Please do not copy, sell, and/or post this pattern and claim it as your own.

Materials:

Click here to get the whole kit of supplies to make this pillow!

–Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in White
–Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Pale Yellow
–Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Bright Yellow
-G/6-4.25mm Crochet Hook (Get the same one I used in my video tutorial HERE)
–Felt
-Pillow (Get the same one I used HERE)
–Iron On Letters
–Yarn Needle
–Scissors

NOTES:
-Use a smaller hook to make these smaller
-Use a bigger hook to make these bigger

Special stitches:
Ch(s): chain(s)
YO: Yarn Over
St(s): Stitch(es)
Sl st: slip stitch
SK: Skip
SC: Single Crochet
SC2TOG: Single Crochet 2 Together
TR: Treble Crochet

Pattern:

If you have any confusion or difficulty with reading this pattern, please watch the video tutorial to have visual instructions.

Lemon Slice (Make 2)
With White:
Ch 2
Rnd 1: 6 SC in 2nd ch from hook, sl st to 1st sc, ch 1 (6)

Rnd 2: 2 SC in each st around, sl st to 1st sc. (12)

Rnd 3: Ch 7 (counts as TR + Ch 3 sp), *Sk 1 st, TR in next, Ch 3, repeat from * around, sl st to 4th ch of beginning ch 7. (8 TR, 8 Ch 3 sps) Fasten off, change to Lemon

Rnd 4: Working behind ch 3 sps, in sk’d sts from round 2, Ch up 4 (counts as TR), 3 TR in same st, *ch 1, 4 TR in next sk’d st from round 2. repeat from * around, sl st to beg. ch up 4. (32 TR, 8 ch 1 sps)
Fasten off Yellow, change back to white

Rnd 5: Attach yarn to TR from Rnd 3 and ch 1 sp from Rnd 4. SC 2 Rnds together. *[SC in ch 3 sp and in next TR] 4 times, SC in next TR and ch 1 sp. Repeat from * around, sl st to 1st sc, fasten off white. (40 sc around) (See video tutorial for specific locations of stitches)

Rnd 6: In any st around, with Brighter yellow color, ch 1, 2 SC in same st, 1 SC in next 4 sts, *2 SC in next st, 1 SC in next 4 sts, repeat from * around, sl st to 1st sc. Fasten off with long tail for sewing.

Assembly step:
Iron on letters to pillow first
Then sew lemon slices to pillow using video tutorial as a guide.
Sew on a felt heart (optional)

Enjoy!!

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on the link and buy from the linked websites, I will receive a small percentage of the value of your order. The amount you pay is not changed.

Crochet Tutorial: Sparkling Wine Beverage Bag

December 12, 2016 By Nadia Fuad in Crochet Pattern, Crochet Projects, Video Tutorial Tags: back post, basic, beginner, bottle, cable, cable crochet, cable knit, cables, christmas, christmas time, cider, crochet, crochet tutorial, crocheted, crocheting, fashion, fashion blogger, free crochet pattern, free pattern, front post, gift giving, glitter, granny square, grape juice, handmade, handmade gift, holiday, holidays, holly, homemade, host, hostess, how to, how to crochet, juice, knit, learn, love, pattern, share, sparkle, sparkling, sparkling wine, stitch, stitches, teach, tutorial, video, video tutorial, wine, wine bag, winter, yarn, yarnie, yarnutopia 3 Comments

Learn how to make this Sparkling Wine Beverage Bag using cable crochet! Making the party rounds during the holiday season? Why not wrap up a special bottle of your favorite beverage in this Sparkling Wine Beverage Bag?! The host/hostess of every event you visit this Christmas will be charmed by this lovely touch and elegant presentation.

Follow along with this video tutorial to learn how to make this beverage bag:

My dad will continue to be the videographer, editor, and photographer for our videos when I move away.
Support YARNutopia today so we can continue to bring you clear, quality crochet tutorials even after I move into my new home!
There will be an added expense of more travel and hopefully this won’t deter our ability to provide consistent videos on a weekly basis.

**You can always contact me via Facebook if you have any problems with the pattern. I am happy to help if you have any questions along the way.

***These patterns are copyright YARNutopia © so PLEASE DO NOT COPY, SHARE, ADJUST OR RESELL MY PATTERN. I wrote and tested this pattern myself, from beginning to end. It took a lot of time and work, and I would really like to have it remain “my pattern.”

***You can sell anything you make from my patterns, please just link back to my website YARNutopia.com. Thank you!

Pattern:

Designed by Nadia Fuad
You *may* sell items made from my pattern, but please reference my website YARNutopia.com.
Please do not copy, sell, and/or post this pattern and claim it as your own.

Materials:

Click here for the full kit of supplies!

–Red Heart Yarns Holiday in Aran/Gold
–G/6-4.25mm crochet hook
–Yarn Needle
–Scissors
–Ribbon

NOTES:
-Make the piece flat that will wrap around the bottle
-The bottom of the bottle circle is made separately and sewn to the piece.
-This piece is seamed down the back
-This bag is 11 inches (28cm) long
-WATCH THE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR CABLE DESIGN FOR EVERY ROW

Special stitches:
Ch(s): chain(s)
YO: Yarn Over
St(s): Stitch(es)
Sl st: slip stitch
SK: Skip
SC: Single Crochet
HDC: Half Double Crochet
FPDC: Front Post Double Crochet
BPDC: Back Post Double Crochet

Pattern:

If you have any confusion or difficulty with reading this pattern, please watch the video tutorial to have visual instructions.

Ch 34
Row 1: HDC in 3rd ch from hook and across. Ch 1, turn. (33 sts)

Row 2: HDC in 13 sts, [FPDC in next, HDC in next] 4 times, HDC in last 12 sts, ch 1, turn.

Row 3: HDC in 13 sts, [BPDC in next, HDC in next] 4 times, HDC in last 12 sts, ch 1, turn.

Row 4: HDC in 13 sts, FPDC in next, HDC in next, Sk 2 sts, FPDC around FPDC, HDC in sk’d HDC, FPDC around sk’d FPDC, HDC in next, FPDC in next, HDC in next 13 sts, ch 1, turn.

Row 5: HDC in 13 sts, [BPDC in next, HDC in next] 4 times, HDC in last 12 sts, ch 1, turn.

Row 6: HDC in 13 sts, Sk 2 sts, FPDC around FPDC, HDC in sk’d HD, FPDC around sk’d FPDC, HDC in next, Sk 2 sts, FPDC around FPDC, HDC in sk’d HDC, FPDC around sk’d FPDC, HDC in last 13 sts, ch 1, turn.

Row 7: HDC in 13 sts, [BPDC in next, HDC in next] 4 times, HDC in last 12 sts, ch 1, turn.

Row 8-11: Repeat rows 4-7

Rows 12-15: Repeat Rows 4-7

Rows 16-19: Repeat Rows 4-7

Row 20: HDC in 13 sts, [FPDC in next, HDC in next] 4 times, HDC in last 12 sts, ch 1, turn.

Rows 21-30: HDC across, ch 1, turn.
Fasten off with long tail.

Bottom part of bag:
Ch 4, sl st to 1st ch to form ring.
Rnd 1: Ch up 3, (Counts as DC), 11 DC into ring, sl st to ch up 3 (12 sts)
Rnd 2: Ch up 3, DC in same st as sl st, 2 DC in each st around, sl st to ch up 3 (24 sts)
Rnd 3: Ch up 3, DC in same st as sl st, *DC in next st, 2 DC in next st, repeat from * around, sl st to ch up 3, fasten off with long tail. (36 sts)

Assembly:
Sew the back seam closed, then sew the bottom of the bag to the bag bottom. Weave in all loose ends.
Use ribbon to close the top of the bag.

Enjoy!!

This post contains affiliate links, which I may be compensated for when you make a purchase. That means if you click on any link and buy from the linked websites, I will receive a small percentage of the value of your order. The amount you pay is not changed. Thank you for all your support in clicking the links in my blog!! You all are so amazing!! ~Nadia

The yarn provided for this pattern is courtesy of Red Heart Yarns