Hubs, kiddo and I spent the past two weeks at the seashore about an hour away, commuting back and forth to work when we had to. It was a lot of fun, but eventually it was time to come home. We all trooped home, unloaded the cars, and fell into bed. The next morning, the kiddo and I went downstairs for breakfast, and I opened the fridge to find...nothing. No milk. No cream. Nothing to put in my coffee. (Well, besides breast milk and Similac and I'm really not ready to go there.)
What I did have, serendipitously, was exactly what I needed to make homemade french vanilla creamer. So I did. So should you. It's 100 times better than the stuff in the bottle - no artificial flavors, no corn syrup, nothing with long scientific sounding names. Just creamy vanilla goodness to start your day off right.
French Vanilla Creamer
(a girl, a dog & an oven original)
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened and condensed milk
1 vanilla bean
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Note: I used fat free sweetened and condensed milk, you can use whatever kind you want. Also, if you don't have vanilla beans, omit that step and up the extract to 1-1/2 teaspoons.
Pour the evaporated milk into a medium sized bowl. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and mix them into the milk. Throw the pod in for good measure and give it a stir. Add the extract. Microwave on medium high for 60-90 seconds, until the milk is warmed. Remove the pod and add the sweetened and condensed milk. Whisk until smooth. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
