AHA!

I found it! The perfect recipe* for vanilla paste! Just ask Tom, I am insane about vanilla paste. Essentially, vanilla paste is an alternative to vanilla extract for recipes in which you want a strong vanilla presence and would like to show off vanilla seeds, but want to avoid the expense of buying vanilla beans. You literally use it in a ratio of 1:1 with vanilla extract (although the flavor is a bit strong and Mom recommended a ratio of 3/4:1. Trader Joe's used to sell vanilla paste for $5 a jar. I bought two one summer and let a classmate borrow one. They used the whole thing up (i.e. never returned it, I guess they were sold), and Trader Joe's stopped carrying the stuff. No bueno. Your alternative is to spend $10-$12 for the Nielsen-Massey stuff at Williams-Sonoma or Zabars. Double no bueno.

*Recipe can be found in the comments section of a blog entry about how to make your own vanilla extract. (I just might consider this for the favors.) I stumbled upon this recipe via Style Me Pretty (picture is from there). Incidentally, the woman whose idea this was has an amazing blog, Twig and Thistle, and a wedding full of details I'd like to steal, like these DIY coat check tags. Love that her color scheme was gray and yellow.

Vanilla Paste
1. Make a very small batch of simple syrup (only need 1/2 cup or so),
2. Add the vanilla bean SEEDS only
3. Add 1/2 a cup or so of vodka.
4. Reduce over low heat until you get a thick slurry. (I think?)