One of my favorite things to do is bake treats for my family. Anything they’ll eat I enjoy baking.

Over the years I’ve learned to always use high quality ingredients when baking. Real ingredients, not imitation. One of my favorites is vanilla. It has to be pure vanilla extract. Want to know a secret? I actually wore vanilla as perfume when I was a teenager.

While baking for Halloween I used Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract. I was absolutely delighted with this new to me Vanilla Extract from Nielsen-Massey. With Thanksgiving only weeks away and Christmas next month I’m anticipating a whole lot of baking with my new found treasure.

Nielsen-Massey is based in Illinois and the Netherlands. They’ve been making the highest quality products since 1907. All Nielsen-Massey’s vanilla products are Kosher certified, Gluten-free certified, and they have been a certified organic producer since 1998. That’s pretty impressive!

Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla’s creamy, sweet, velvety flavor is perfect for baked goods to ice creams and salad dressings to barbeque sauces. Contrary to it’s name, Madagascar Bourbon vanilla does not have anything to do with the American whiskey of the same name. The name comes instead from the Bourbon Islands off the coast of Africa. Madagascar supplies more than 60% of the world’s vanilla. I had no idea but … but it sure adds an exotic flare to ordinary baking doesn’t it?

I’m over the top excited about starting my holiday baking with Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract!

GIVEAWAY!

 

One person will win a bottle of Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract.

1. Required entry – Tell us about a favorite recipe that you would use Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla to make.

2. For extra entries:

3. Follow @SimplyCathi on Twitter.

4. Become a fan of Simple Sojourns – Our brand NEW Facebook page. (We’re undergoing big changes)

5. Subscribe by email to Planes, Trains & Taxi Cabs (right sidebar).

6. You can earn one extra entry each time you tweet (once a day) about this giveaway:

GIVEAWAY! Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla http://bit.ly/v2LkEb #giveaway #win @SimplyCathi

* This giveaway will close at midnight Monday November 21, 2011.

* The giveaway is open to US residents only.

* One set of entries per household.

* The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will have 24 hours to respond to the winner notification email.

No compensation was received for this post. We did receive a product sample from Nielsen-Massey who is also providing the winner’s prize.