With Thanksgiving squarely in the rearview, Trader Joe’s (and most every other retailer) is making a sharp left turn into holiday home stretch. Festive foodstuffs — about 475 of them — are lining the shelves, according to Inside Trader Joe’s podcast cohosts Matt Sloan and Tara Miller. (Tara counted.)

Vanilla bean paste can be used in most recipes that call for extract. In most cases, it’s a simple one-to-one swap for extract. My favorite Trader Joe’s version says 1 teaspoon of it is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 Tablespoon to one whole vanilla bean.