I was in a rare baking mood tonight and I got in gear to make Chex Mix Muddy Buddies (aka puppy chow) and no bake cookies...So, if I were to be honest, I wasn't in a baking mood, I was in a mixing mood...

I have all of the ingredients...or so I thought...no vanilla...I hardly bake (mix), but I think I have always had vanilla...not today...

So, I look online to see what could be a substitute...whiskey, rum, almond extract or maple syrup were my findings...yeah...don't have those either...

I opted proceed with the Muddy Buddies...no issues there...

Now onto the no-bakes...well, Sara came to the rescue and brought some vanilla by...

However, I don't know if vanilla really makes that much difference...and as Marchelle mentioned to me via twitter...recipes always seem to ask for 1 tsp...that's nothing...

I think adding vanilla is something that we've all bought into so we can purchase the Pure Vanilla Imitation Extract...so someone(s) out there is really rich because of us who continue to be fooled by this ingredient...almost the pure imitation definition of vanilla is "bland"...who wants bland Muddy Buddies...not I, says the one who probably ate her weight in vanilla free Muddy Buddies...

Other food conspiracies you've discovered? Let me know...