Making butter. No churning required.

I'm a notorious sale shopper. I learned it from my mom and it is one of my greatest talents. I recently bought whipping cream on sale with the intentions of yummy deliciousness...but it didn't happen...SO to use the cream without wasting a drop, I made butter! A 2 cup container will yield about 1 cup butter and 1 cup buttermilk. And it's SO simple.

Let cream come to room temperature and chill your metal mixing bowl. Then put the whisking attachment on your mixer and let it do its thing! Just let it go. You may want to cover so you don't splash. Then just watch it as the magic happens! It will turn to frothy gorgeous cream, then it will start to curdle and separate. At this point I switch to my paddle beater and continue to mix on medium. It will start to splash as the butter separates from the buttermilk but if that's the worst that happens, who cares?! Pour off the milk (KEEP IT!!!!) And now rinse your butter. Yes...rinse. add ice cold water to the bowl and mix again. Slowly. Let it mix a bit, and pour off. Do that till the water runs clear and you have no more buttermilk on the butter as it will speed spoilage.
Make sure you get as much water out of your butter after your last rinse, by smushing it with a rubber spatula and pouring off the water that comes out. That's it!!! Enjoy your butter!

an eye opening moment

when you get called something long enough, you begin to believe it. well, this holds true today. i have been asked more and more lately if i'm nuts...crazy...a FREAK. not just by strangers who hear about the way that i live, but by family and friends. my husband and i choose to live very modestly, and old fashioned. very 50's inspired. it's something we enjoy and something we feel is important for our children. we eat home made food. we preserve food in summer to eat during winter. we fix things that are broken...we don't buy new. I sew clothing. we have never been on an airplane...ever. we love spending time together at home. we hike...we don't buy gym memberships. we don't buy things we can't afford...you get the point. but seriously...with all this taken into consideration, WE are the crazy ones? really?!! wow...i feel bad for "normal people".
here we are, teaching our children and ourselves to live a simpler life, all the while, being bombarded with "you need stuff to be happy" commercials and the "keeping up with the Jones'" mentality. it's a daily battle, and it's really hard some days to agree with myself on keeping up this lifestyle, but i know in the end it's what we want. it teaches our children to earn things by saving and hard work. it teaches them pride in what they have, because they have done so much to earn it. this lifestyle allows me to be a work at home mom, and stay home with my kids, and raise them myself. it's what we want, and i am starting to think that waving this freak flag is a badge of honour. something I'VE earned through the struggles and choices we have endured.
so, if you, like me, are tired of the "stuff makes you a better person" and if the busy busy busy lifestyle drives you crazy, come along...wave your freak flag along with me and my family. you'll be glad you did!!