Secret to great tasting cakes .................

Dear Diary,
Yesterday I was so amazed at myself that I learned how to use Picasa and made a slide show to post pictres of the grand babies. I am still trying to FLY (finally loving yourself). Today is my baking day. I made a carrot cake first things this morning and I'm waiting for it to cool.
No I didn't make it from scratch. I got one of those cake mixes that was on sale. I did however add a few things to make it more homemade. I use milk instead of water. I like the way it makes store bought cake mix taste and I added my homemade vanilla extract. what is home made vanilla extract? You take a cheep and i mean cheep bottle of vodka and several vanilla beans. slice the vanilla beans down the middle to release the vanilla juices. then you put the bean in the bottle of vodka and leave it. The same bottle of vanilla extract that you pay $3 or more for you can buy a big bottle of vodka for the same amount and get real vanilla extract. I never throw away my old vanilla bean but once or twice a year I add a new bean to the bottle. I never throw my bottle away either i just add more vodka. I learned this trick from a friend of mines mom who is a great cook.
Try it it's a great trick to make your cooking taste truely awesome...