As I write this, there is a small lizard watching me from the wall along the ceiling. It’s the third one I’ve found in the house this week. This current guy is scrawny and moving pretty slow. I hate to see them wither away in the house. They’re so much happier outside in the sunshine where they can eat bugs and poop in the grass.
This is life in Florida. We also have the best mangoes in the world, so it’s a trade-off.
Something cool occurred today.
I made butter.
I didn’t know you could make butter. Well, I didn’t know I could make butter. I know butter is made in Land O’ Lakes factories with big whippers and shakers and vats of cream. But, I didn’t know I could do that in my own kitchen without industrial equipment.
This is about a cup of butter made from two pints of whipping cream. It’s the easiest thing I’ve ever made.
I dumped the pints of cream into my Kitchen Aid mixer and, using the whisk, whipped it until it looked like Cool Whip. You have to start off slow; otherwise the cream will splatter the entire kitchen. I increased the speed as the cream thickened and sprinkled in a little salt.
Once the cream was Cool Whip-y, I switched to the paddle attachment and beat the mixture on high until the cream began to splatter again due to liquid separating from the increasingly hardening butter. A towel over the Kitchen Aid bowl contained the splatters.
Within just a minute or two, the butter had formed, and there were two separate items in the bowl – the butter and the butter juice, which is called buttermilk.
This is where buttermilk comes from!
I’m a city girl, so there is much I don’t know about cows and making butter.
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Between making butter and hanging clothes in the sunshine, I felt very pioneer woman-y today. Carolyn Ingalls would be proud.
I think lizards are kind of cute, but not in the house. 🙂
I've made butter before but not for some time. You're getting so creative with those jeans!
I remember homemade butter. My grandparents lived on a farm when I was a girl and my grandma made her own butter with a butter churn. No kitchen aide for her. It is good! I do have a few cake recipes that call for buttermilk and buttermilk biscuits are the best.
That is awesome! I've never done those things either. LOL What has surprised me is I'm planning a wedding. With two boys I didn't think I would ever be the one to do this, but the way it is going I am. It's fun, bonding me more to my future dil and helping me get way excited about the day, even if I am a nervous mess too! ;D
I used to make butter with the kids…but we just put the cream in a jar and shook it 🙂 I don't have a kitchen aid but this would be a good reason to get one! I also wonder if it is cost effective to make it vs buy it? I just made buttermilk scones that called for 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Easy/peasy. I just saw a lizard on my walk the other day (I'm in Calif). Not in the house though.
I loved that you made butter….not so much into having a lizard in my house though
Paula
Good mom that you are I'm surprised you never made butter with your kids. You know, put cream in a jar with a tight lid and have them shake it or roll in back and forth until the butter ball forms.
We get skinks in our house with a cute blue stripe down their backs.
Somewhere in our house we have a skink that eluded capture by skittering into a floor air vent and a tiny little black snake that went into hiding under a heavy to shift piece of furniture.
Yay you for all these extra bits of domesticity. I hope to buy a bushel of apples next weekend and make a big ol' pot of applesauce that will be packaged up and frozen.
The kids make butter every year in school. They put some cream in a ziploc container with the screw on lid and then shake it all day long during class. I like to add tiny blueberries to the butter. 🙂 We used to get lizards quite often in the house when I lived in Dania Beach. That is, until the cat got them.
I have been Gluten Free since 2007. Email me if you have any questions, and if you're looking for brands to buy. There's a lot of really BAD GF food out there. Hate to see you waste your money, because trust me, we've eaten it all.
I had no idea that was you make butter, or that that's where buttermilk comes from. I'm a city girl too. 🙂
How long do you think the butter will keep? It would be interesting to see if it's cost effective to make your own. I use a lot of recipes that call for butter milk, so I really like the idea of making my own like that. I guess using the buttermilk would help make it more cost effective. I hope you'll let us know whether or not you determine it to be cost effective.
I miss hanging clothes outside. I can't do it now because our condo association lady would yell at us. She protects us all from the hazards of gas grills, beach towels hanging on our balconies, welcome mats that are too big and dogs who aren't wearing their green condo-issued tags:)
My Good job on the butter. Definitely very Little House on the Prairie.
mare–you are adorable—you need your own show—i know i would watch it!!!!
I hope you caught the poor skinny lizard.
I've never made butter, but looks like you did a great job of it–whoohoo!
You are practically Ma Ingalls! Well done. And I'm suddenly craving popcorn.
I made butter back when we could get raw milk locally. In that case, it was cost effective because I skimmed off the cream and made the butter. If you have to purchase whole cream for making butter, I'm not sure it is cost effective but sure fun to try, isn't it?? Lately I've been making my own whole fat Greek yogurt by using my crock pot. Omigosh is it absolutely amazing! And truly cost effective as well, so I'm pleased! Also full fat Greek yogurt is hard to find where I live but whole milk is not lol.