Mother’s Day is approaching rapidly and while I’ve already unwrapped my present in the form of two beautiful and large vegetable beds that my sweet husband made for me, I have the perfect handmade gift for the mother who likes to spice things up in the kitchen.
Vanilla Salt. It’s unique, incredibly easy to make (get the kids in on the action) and adds an exotic flavor to dishes – sweet and savory.
Simply combine the seeds from one vanilla bean with 1/4 cup kosher salt. Feel free to use more expensive salt here – like Fleur de Sel for example or Maldon if you really love Mom.
Package in a sweet container and tie with a satin ribbon – trust me, she’ll appreciate it.
And if she asks, “What the heck do I do with Vanilla Salt?!”
You kindly reply, “Well, my dear, you can add it to the top of your chocolate chip cookies just before baking, sprinkle it in your buttercream, add it to any baked good as a “regular” salt replacement, sprinkle on seared scallops or candied carrots, etc.”
Then she’ll hug you and kiss you and tell you that you’re the best there is. And then you’ll smile and nod.
Happy Mother’s Day to all you dear mothers out there. Our days are long, the snot is plentiful but the rewards are too many to count.
And to my dear mother who taught me to not only stop and smell the roses but to revel in how incredibly beautiful they are. You and your life are a reflection of His beauty. I love you.
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31 Comments
Gorgeous packaging, Ashley! We were just talking about bringing the vanilla salt back for a special package.
Great idea and so simple! i LOVE it!!!! I think I will just make it for myself…my mom doesn’t cook
Interesting idea, and a sweet post for your mom. The food you make is also a reflection of His beauty! Thanks for sharing it with us.
Vanilla Salt … that’s a very unique concept. I’ll admit I’m not used to vanilla as a savory flavoring (except on caramels!!!) but I have to give this a shot. It does sound good with carrots!
Great looking salt. I have seen vanilla sugar but never salt. Very novel present.
I would have never thought of this. What a wonderful idea!
This is such a great idea! My momma will love it
so cute! I love such homemede presents!
What a gorgeous idea! May I ask where you got the containers, or what brand they are? I’m a huge fan of homemade spice blends in general and they are SO perfect!
What a brilliant concoction; the simplicity is beautiful. I’ve always felt fairly limited as to what to do with vanilla beyond the usual baking applications, but this gives me a new, refreshing perspective. Thanks for sharing this!
My dear daughter and Mother of two amazing grandsons!!
Thank you so much for those kind words, and what a joy it is to
watch you raise your children so beautifully!
I love you and Happy Mother’s day to you.
Love Mom
Wow! What a unique idea! I don’t think either of my mothers are quite that progressive cooking wise but once I have this baby I’ll be sure to have him read this post and give something like this to me some day for Mother’s Day. hehe
What a beautiful heartfelt post and a great idea! I would never have thought of this…even if I thought for a million years!
a-rod! you are so fancy!
Alyssa,
I got them from a place called Packaging Specialties in Seattle. You can also order from them online. They come in all different sizes.
Gorgeous. Can I make some for myself? I’m thinking my cream scones would benefit from a generous sprinkling.
so sweet, and they are in such cute little jars! I’m very jealous of your vegetable beds, oh how i wish i had the space for that. Anxious to see pictures.
How absolutely gorgeous! Beautiful gift and so elegantly wrapped. The Mom in me leaps with joy reading your post! I have loads of vanilla beans, and I must make this soon. Have a good day!!
Too bad my mother doesn’t cook. Otherwise I think this is a great gift. I certainly would love it!
interesting idea and great presentation
Our chef was on the same wavelength as you when considering Mother’s Day gift ideas this year: http://blog.jordanwinery.com/2010/04/a-mothers-day-gift-idea-with-thought-and-longevity/. So glad we found you via TasteSpotting. Gorgeous photographs. Cheers.
I think this is a lovely idea and will try to make some as I love cooking and will try anything
What a great gift idea + beauitful pictures!
What a creative idea! Not to mention the adorable packaging! I don’t know of many moms in my life that would be bold/creative enough to use vanilla salt in their cooking, so I may have to just make some for myself! Thanks for the idea!
That’s a very interesting idea for a gift – I’m always looking around for homemade ideas. They’re cheaper, and most importantly, more thoughtful than anything you can buy in a store!
I love the idea of making vanilla salt for a gift! brilliant!
I saw your post, and so over the weekend, I got my mom and grandma little mini Staub cocottes and filled them with the salts they loved it.
http://www.katom.com/Staub.html
made me miss my momma
Thanks – so simple to make, and it has the most bewitching aroma. so far, I’ve sprinkled it on carrot puree tartlets and little dulce de leche and fresh cream pies. Savoury and sweet. And it looks so pretty!
Miss Anne – I’m so glad you are enjoying it! It’s a simple ingredient that really “fancies” up a dish. Thanks for commenting.
Vanilla Salt, That is a fantastic idea… I have some family members that would go crazy over that……. thank you for posting this.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ashley Rodriguez, 42 Restaurants and artazza, artazza. artazza said: RT @AshleyRodriguez: Vanilla Salt : A simple, homemade gift for mom. New post : http://notwithoutsalt.com/2010/05/05/vanilla-salt-a-homemade-gift/ [...]
[...] I like to think of mothers as salt because of their effect on their children. Like salt that brings out the flavor of good, simple food or like salt that is use to preserve and protect fresh food. For this Mother’s Day, Ashley has this wonderfully unique handmade gift you can make for your mom – Vanilla Salt. [...]
[...] every time, which seems apropos) inspiring – first as a dessert, sprinkled with vanilla salt and topped with frothy champagne sabayon, later as a topping for polenta pancakes for a weekend [...]