So, one of the scents that totally turns my stomach is the smell of vanilla. Just the idea of the upcoming holiday cooking season sets my stomach on edge at the thought of smelling all the vanilla flavoring. The vanilla takeover doesn't stop in the kitchen as it seems to take over every candle shop and every shop that sells body lotion and spray as well. Somehow, this scent has gotten associated with Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas because starting in August...and now, even creeping into July...I am assaulted by this smell.
The tasting of the vanilla flavoring is an entirely different story. Because I can't stand the way it smells, I open and measure what I need as quickly as possible while trying to hold my nose; but I absolutely love the flavor it delivers when mixed into a recipe. I don't think I could count all of the recipes I use during "the holidays" that utilize vanilla flavoring. I do know that I buy the good stuff and go through several bottles of it during the season every year. From cookies to pies to cakes and candies, vanilla flavoring brings all of the ingredients together.
How does something that smells so nasty manage to make everything taste so good?
I used to like the smell of vanilla...then my dad got this "French Vanilla" car jar, and from that time on that smell makes me wince. Perhaps it was just the "car jar," perhaps it's the vanilla!
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