Oh yes.  I went there.  Homemade butter.  There is nothing like it and you will not be able to go back to store-bought once you’ve spread this on your morning toast.

And did I mention that it will take you all of 10 minutes to make?  Yup.  That’s it.  And you will do no work at all.  Well, except for pouring heavy cream into the food processor and scraping the butter out of the processor.

Let the savory adventure begin!

Here I am pouring a pint of organic, locally made, pasteurized (Pasteurized because it will have a higher butter fat content, making for yummier butter!) heavy cream into a food processor.

Then attach the lid and turn it on.  That’s it!

You will process the cream for about 10 minutes in total.  It will go through various stages of viscosity (thickness/consistency).

It will start to thicken…

will start to look like whipped cream,

and then you’ll think something went wrong because you’ll see liquid (looks like milk) splashing all over the sides of the processor.

Nothing’s wrong.  It’s done!

Turn off the processor, look inside and this is what you’ll find…

butter!

Remove the butter with a slotted spoon to a paper towel and blot to dry.  Add some kosher salt and mix around.  Add more to taste.  Or don’t!

The “milk” or liquid left in the processor is buttermilk.  Use it in your next batch of pancakes or waffles.  So delicious…try it.

Place the butter in your favorite crock that has a lid and leave on your counter for a couple of days to try it at room temperature.  Then you should refrigerate it so that it doesn’t spoil on you.

So amazing!

Bon Appétit, Ma Chérie!

 

I posted that quote from Helen Keller yesterday because it was fitting to what is happening in our lives right now.  I promise that I will write down the story, when I have a few minutes.  It’s just daunting because it will take a bit of time to sort out my thoughts and it is emotional.

The Team I speak of is my husband and I.  Or your husband and you.  Your partner and you.

It is so important to remember that little saying.  There is no letter “I” in the word “team”.

No matter if you are at odds with each other, cannot agree on the same course of action, or think you have the better idea – talk it out or shout it out, until you come to an understanding of where each other stands.  If you can remember, add in an “I love you” in the middle of your discussion/shouting match.  Or better yet, grab their hand and say it.

Don’t forget that you are part of a team.  That the sum of the parts is greater than the whole.  And the sum of the parts are you and your partner.  That showing respect for their opinion is essential to making them feel like you are working together.

Even if you are not on the same page, decide how to proceed so that you are a team, caring, protecting and standing up for each other.

It is not about you, individually.  It is about you, collectively.

Did you know that only humans can cry as an emotional response to joy or sadness?  And that it is actually good for you to cry?

It’s true.  I mean, it is healthy for your body if you go ahead and have a good cry.

• It improves your mood after the fact.
• Helps relieve stress because it releases chemicals that are built up while you’re getting yourself all worked up.  This helps you stay mentally healthy, or in layman’s terms…sane.
• Tears clean and protect your eyeball and your eyelids.
• And helps keep our nose moist (what a word!) and bacteria free.
• Helps you connect with others.
• Helps you move forward.
• Helps with communication.  Some things do not need to be spoken.

Did you know that it is such a good idea for you to cry and so good for your body that the Japanese have taken it to a whole new level of crazy and have constructed “crying clubs” in many major cities, where people get together to ball their eyes out?!

So next time you feel as though you are fighting back tears, or swallowing a lump in your throat, let it go.   Let it gooooooooooooo!!!!!!!

That sob session will put your body back into a state of balance.  Whatever that is?

They are right.  If it doesn’t feel right, than it isn’t.   Trust your gut.

Hamlet, by William Shakespeare

“To be or not to be.  That is the question.”  “To thine own self be true.”

These are the famous quotes from the play that I just read, 15 years late!  Most people read Shakespeare in high school, because they’re forced to.  I just like to torture myself and read it on a beautiful summer day…how fitting.  Not really!

I did read a few works of Shakespeare during my high school English class but I never read Hamlet and it seems as though everywhere you turn there is a reference to the play and a mention as to it being worthy of reading in your lifetime.  It is, after all, Shakespeare’s most popular play!

I’m happy to report that it was worth reading!  And that it is only a commitment of 50 pages (Well, I have Shakespeare’s Complete Works which is a tome and therefore it is only 50 pages in this.  50 very large pages of very small print.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

I can see the tragedy behind the play.  Hamlet is mourning his Father, the King’s, death and is miffed that not even a month after the funeral his Mother marries his uncle, the newly established King.  He is in love with Ophelia.  He meets the ghost of his Father who tells him that he was poisoned by his brother while he slept.  Hamlet decides he needs to avenge his Father’s death.  And the tragedy begins…

He kills Ophelia’s Father, who is spying on Hamlet for the King.  Ophelia loses her mind and drowns. The new King, his uncle invites Hamlet to talk to Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, who wants him dead.  They meet to talk and the King has poisoned the sword meant to stab Hamlet and the cup of wine meant to be drunk by him.  Instead the Queen drinks from the cup and dies.  Laertes is stabbed by the poisoned sword, Hamlet is nicked by the poisoned sword, finds out that it is poisoned and stabs the King.  And everybody dies.

And that’s it!  Not much of an investment of time and not as labored a read as I would have expected from Shakespeare.  Pretty straightforward and simple to decipher.

Easy as Pie!!

Nothing worse than opening up your ice cream container, with your spoon mid-air, ready to pounce and seeing a white fuzz all over its surface.

And even when you scoop out all of that freezer burned section, the rest of the container still tastes a bit off.  Maybe it’s in your head, maybe it’s not…

Way to avoid the sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize that the rest of your ice cream will not be making it to your mouth, but rather, the trash can?

Press plastic wrap, tightly, down on the surface of your ice cream.  All over it.  And then replace the cover.  This will minimize oxygen exposure and help prevent the dreaded freezer burn.

Phew!  There’s a solution for this…who knew?

 

Rest Your Meat.  All meats.  All the time.

Why?

This way your meat will lose less juice; they will re-absorb their own juices.  And the meat will be more flavorful.  If you cut into it prior to letting it rest, the meat will “bleed out” and you’ll end up with a dry piece of chewy meat!

So, think 8 minutes per pound.  Of course if you have a huge roast you may want to eat it before midnight, so 30 minutes or so, should be sufficient!

Tent the cut of meat with foil to keep it warm and finish whipping up the pan sauce, gravy or your side dishes while that steak reaches optimal deliciousness!