Vanilla Extract

Rivaling ice cubes for simplicity of making, here is a recipe for vanilla extract.

1 bottle vodka
6-12 vanilla beans

Remove a little vodka from the bottle to make room for the beans. Split the beans carefully down the middle to expose the seeds. Put the split beans in the bottle with the vodka. Close tightly and place in a cupboard out-of-the-way. Every once in a while, take it out and shake it a bit. After 2 months, you should have very tasty vanilla. 

This lasts for a long time. When you start to run low, pour the remaining vanilla into a small clean bottle and add more vodka and beans (if you have them - even 1 or 2 would be fine) to the bottle. Repeat the above process. Using beans twice works fine. Then it's time to start afresh.