Spend the Holidays with Sara Spicer!

Find that perfect holiday gift with Sara Spicer- a super-hot music star with the voice of an angel! 
This girl can rock!

Get all her music here!

Cheesy Gluten Free Mac n Cheese

So the kids are off from school, Christmas was yesterday, don't want to eat leftovers? Whip up this awesome and easy gluten free mac and cheese from Nielsen-Massey.

• 12 fl. oz. gluten-free uncooked elbow macaroni
• 8 fl. oz. Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely shredded
• 8 fl. oz. extra sharp white Cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
• 4 fl. oz. American cheese, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Organic Fairtrade Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 teaspoon organic garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
• 1/2 cup crushed gluten-free pretzels
• 1/2 tablespoon butter (for pretzels)

Directions

1. While macaroni is cooking, prepare cheeses; set aside. Cook macaroni al dente according to package directions, rinse well with cold water and drain; set aside.
2. To a small bowl, add milk, vanilla extract, garlic powder, salt and pepper; stir to combine and set aside.
3. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour, cook and whisk for about 2-3 minutes. 
4. Gradually pour milk mixture into pot while continuously stirring for an additional 2-3 minutes. 
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and add cheeses. Cook and stir until cheeses melt. Add drained macaroni, stir to coat and remove from heat.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 8 (6 fl. oz.) ramekins with cooking spray and place on a heavy, rimmed baking sheet. 
7. In a small microwave safe dish, melt butter; add crushed pretzels and stir to coat. Evenly fill ramekins with macaroni and top with pretzels. 
8. Bake on lower rack until heated through, about 10-15 minutes.
9. If baking in a casserole dish, coat with cooking spray; add mac and cheese and top with crushed-buttered pretzels, bake until done, about 25-30 minutes.

More great Nielsen-Massey recipes here!

DIY Gifts with Nielsen-Massey Vanillas

Holiday season is here and instead of running to the store and battling the holiday shoppers, give your readers a better option! Here at Nielsen-Massey we are all about gifts from the heart and for the belly. We’ve rounded up unique DIY gifts for the holidays. Save gift cards and give a present that is homemade with love. 

Forget Food: Spoil friends and family with a spa treat that can be enjoyed all season long. Our Vanilla Body Scrub features Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar, making it an aromatic and soothing solution to dry skin. Package in a mason jar, add a festive label and finish it with a bow for a heartfelt, homemade gift that’s better than anything your readers will find in stores. 

Unique Foodie Gift: Impress the foodie in your life by creating DIY-infused vinegar using our Gourmet Vanilla Beans. With just a couple of our rich-in-flavor vanilla beans, you can create gourmet Vanilla Balsamic Vinegar for a sweet and tangy base to salad dressings. Or, make Vanilla Apple Cider Vinegar that can be added to a slow cooker with apple cider to create the best pulled pork ever! 

Cookie Swap Party: When money is tight, hosting a simple cookie swap party can be a great way to gift sweets to friends and family. Use our Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla product line for Classic Holiday Sugar Cookies and Brown Sugared Vanilla Shortbread to include vanilla extravaganza in every buttery, crumbly bite. Both cookies pack up and store easily, so everyone can be sent home with a plate for Santa. 

Baby it’s Cold Outside... and we’re warming up by shipping the gift of indulgent hot chocolate to everyone on our “nice” list. Send everyone home from your holiday celebrations with a jar of Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix. Our unique Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder holds all the distinctive vanilla flavors in a versatile powder to give every cup of hot chocolate extra creamy mellow flavors. 

Drop it in the Mailbox: Send goodies that are homemade with love to those that can’t make it for this year's Christmas party. The Best Pistachio Brittle(recipe below) is an easy-to-make, crispy brittle that features sweet and creamy Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract to balance out the salty, nutty pistachios. It’s perfect holiday surprise to land on a love one's doorstep! 

Books Holiday Gift Guide 2017

Still searching for the perfect present- books are the best!

Soups, Stews & Breads

by Gooseberry Patch

With more than 350 of the most delicious recipes you can imagine, Soups, Stews & Breads makes it easy to whip up a batch of homemade chicken broth, a party-size crock of spicy chili, quick breads, crackers and croutons...all from one handy cookbook. 
Also included are quick-fix and slow-cooker recipes. Filled with photos, tips and serving ideas, this is the last soup cookbook you'll ever need!

Price: $19.95     Purchase Here

The Diehard Football Fan’s Bucket List Blitz

by Steve Greenberg

The first and only all-inclusive, fully illustrated football fan’s bucket-list book. Here’s a full-color, full-speed ride through 101 must-see and must-do gridiron experiences—from the NFL to college football’s greatest venues and rivalries, from coast to coast, from must-have eats to the game’s best seats, from the sport’s greatest meccas and museums to its rowdiest tailgate parties. This book—filled with photos, sidebars, and loads of football attitude—is an essential guide to any football fan’s fantasy (or real!) road-trip and To Do list.

Price: $22.95     Purchase Here

Before there was Johnny and June, there was Johnny and Saul. The Man Who Carried Cash chronicles a relationship that was both volatile and affectionate between Johnny Cash and his manager, Saul Holiff. From roadside taverns to the roaring crowds at Madison Square Garden, from wrecked cars and jail cells all the way to the White House, the story of Johnny and Saul is a portrait of two men from different worlds who were more alike than either cared to admit. Saul handled the bookings and the no-shows, the divorce and the record deals, drugs, overdoses, and arrests. But in 1973, at the zenith of Cash’s career, Saul quit. Until now, no one knew why. Price: $19.99

NOURISH by Katie Farrell will help you with encouragement and practical knowledge for living a healthy lifestyle, in addition to providing a balance of spiritual and physical nourishment.

The practical and spiritual tools provided in this book are what sets it apart from the rest of its kind. Many people give up on their journey to health because they have a plan that addresses only the physical aspect of health. This book encourages the reader to first pursue health at a heart level, bringing lasting change that comes from the inside out.

Price: $12.99