Growing up as an expat kid in West Africa, there were some things that my parents always brought over from the US. Kraft macaroni and cheese and Oreos, to name a couple. But we can get these in Dakar now (thank you, Dior Diarama and others!).

I’ve recently discovered that there’s one ingredient that used to be considered a staple to be brought over from the US but somehow seems to have fallen off the radar. Maple flavoring.

I brought it over thinking everyone else did too, but if you’re one who hasn’t, I’d recommend it highly! Just a little tiny bottle will last a long time and can be used in many ways:

– added to white sugar to make ‘brown sugar’
– added to sugar syrup to make ‘pancake syrup’
– added to homemade country sausage (yum!)
– added to peanut brittle and other candy recipes

Anyone else use it in other ways? Or have other ‘wonder ingredients’ that we should know about?