Today we made butter! There is nothing tastier then fresh butter. There are several different ways to make butter. We used our Kitchen Aid today but it is very easy to make do with just  a mason jar.

Why would you bother making your own butter? Well, firstly because you know what goes into it - its a  great lesson on how our food happens (my kids LOVE making stuff, as do most kids.)

 Ingredients:

Heavy Cream and a pinch of sea salt

All you need to do is pour the cream into a container that you can seal tight. a (clean) mason jar, or bottle,  And then shake it.

At first it’ll slosh about, and then it’ll get thicker and seem like it’s not doing anything (but it is). It should take anything from 10 minutes to three quarters of an hour. Have the kids Shake it, shake it…Then  Shake it above your head, Shake it between your knees or do the cha-cha with it..doesn’t matter at this point!! :o)~

Eventually,  you’ll hear one final slosh….. The fat and the buttermilk has now separated.  Now you need to rid the fat of all the buttermilk. Drain the liquid off (but keep it, it’s useful for making other things, such as pancakes,biscuits, cornbread and cakes.) then rinse the butter thoroughly. Keep rinsing until the water runs completely clear, and then squeeze the butter!!! This is the fun part. Use your hands..as long as they are clean. You could use some muslin or cheesecloth, which would be less messy if you don’t want to get your hands super moisturized.  Your hands will thank you later..so don’t be afraid to use them.

More buttermilk will come out and it’s important to get it all out because if there’s any left in it can cause the butter to go rancid and we wouldn’t want that!

After your done, place your new fresh butter into a small bowl or dish and TA-DA… Home-made butter!

OK, so may be you need butter quickly and want to use your Kitchen Aid…

Place the 2 cup carton of heavy cream in your Kitchen Aid with the silver wire wisk attachment and let it go to town..Maybe on number 3 or 4.

Here are a couple pics from today.

Now in this jar, there is the homemade buttermilk..then I filled the rest of the jar with whole milk and placed the jar in a dark cabinet. It will sit there over night until tomorrow afternoon. Then I will take it out of the cabinet, give it a few shakes and then place it in the fridge. I will then have a whole quart of homemade buttermilk. It will last a whole week..well, unless I don’t use it..which I know I will. I make buttermilk pancakes, waffles, biscuits and cornbread with it. When I see I am getting low..I then only need to remove 2 tablespoons of this buttermilk and place it in a new clean jar and fill that one up with whole milk and repeat the process..it is that easy. You should never have to buy store bought buttermilk again.

Stay tuned-Next week I will be makeing homemade Ricotta Cheese! It is super simple and I have no idea why it is so expensive to buy. You can make it in bulk and freeze it for all those future Italian recipes!!!!

Easy Pumpkin Spread

 4 oz. softened cream cheese (1/2 block)

 2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoons maple syrup {You can use the LITE or sugar free)

 1/4 cup canned pumpkin Puree (if you use the pie filling one, omit the spices because the pie filling one already has them mixed in.)

 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy.

2. Mix pumpkin, spices and vanilla and until smooth.

3. Refrigerate for an hour.

This is sooo yummy! Great to have on hand this time of year. You can use it on store bought Lenders bagels if you wants too, but there is nothing better then a New York Style bagel!!! You can also have the kids dip apple slices and carrots in this dip! ENJOY!

1. Juice enough fresh apples to make 4 cups of Juice.–You can use store bought Apple Juice or cider if you don’t have a juicer.

2. Boil the juice with 1.5 packs of pectin, along with 7 cups of sugar. –If you buy the sugar free pectin you won’t need the seven cups of suagr. You can also buy the low sugar pectin and use 1/2 th amount of sugar. Just read the insert that your pectin comes with. The more pectin you use..the thicken the jelly will be. I like mine thick like jam so use 1.5 packs.

3. Once it boils for about 7-10 minutes..you will notice it thickening up,  that is when you remove it from the heat. I let mine cool a bit before pouring the jelly into the jars. I like the self the suction jars that do not require boiling. I do not have the equipment to can them up. If you do..Go for it!

Even if you do not suction them up..they will last for several months in the fridge as is. If you have several kids who are eating PB&J, then don’t go through the trouble boiling them.

It is that simple!

This can not get any easier then this.

Homemade Yogurt

1/2 gallon whole milk
1 packet unflavored gelatin -If you want a flavored one..Go for it! I use plain unflavored though.
1 cup of good quality plain yogurt -I used Stonyfarm
 Turn your EMPTY crock on low
In a saucepan on the stove mix the milk and gelatin. Bring it up to 190 degrees. Then stick in a cool water bath in your sink..to bring it back down to 110 degrees. (I use my candy thermometer) Sounds complicated but is super easy, Yes, you can do this!!

 Just stir occasionally. Then dump into your crock and mix w/ yogurt starter. Turn your crockpot off and let sit for 8-12 hours. It is thick and yummy every time!

Once you make this..remember to save ONE cup of your homemade stuff to use to make more. It will last in the fridge for about 7 days but with my kids it only lasts a few days. You can add granola or honey or maple syrup. YUM!

Yummy Gnocchi with Cinnamon Butter

1 stick of butter
1 cinnamon stick OR teaspoon of cinnamon
1 package storebought gnocchi {found in your frozen food section}
Salt
1 tablespoon sugar, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Melt the butter with the cinnamon  in a  skillet over medium heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water until all the gnocchi rise to the surface, about 3 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick if you used one.. from the butter sauce and reheat the sauce over low heat. Transfer the cooked gnocchi to the hot cinnamon butter in the skillet. Sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon if you used only the stick before. ENJOY!

Cream Cheese Squares

2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch pan.

 Press one can of the crescent rolls into the bottom of the prepared pan. In a
medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and vanilla until
smooth and creamy. Spread over the crescent layer. Unroll the second can of
crescent rolls and lay them on top of the cream cheese layer. Do not press down.
Pour the melted butter over the entire pan. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup
of sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the top.Bake for 25  minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is crisp and golden.

 Refrigerate overnight to help them set before cutting into squares. If you try to cut them when they are warm, they will be runny. This is very helpful!

My family loves these!

Oatmeal Cake

6 cups quick oatmeal
4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil or 1/2 applesauce and 1/2 vegetable oil
2 cups milk
4 eggs

Combine all ingredients, sprinkle the top with cinnamon/sugar mix and bake in a 9 x 13 pan at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes.

Great breakfast cake!

Buttermilk Drop Doughnuts

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp  baking soda

1/4 oil

3/4 cup  buttermilk

1 egg

sugar and cinnamon for dipping afterward

Heat oil in a dutch oven. Mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, baking powder, soda, and nutmeg in a bowl. Add oil and buttermilk, and egg. Beat with fork until smooth. Drop batter by teasponfuls into hot oil. Do not make them too large or they won’t cook all the way thru.  Fry about 3 min or so until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel. When cool roll in cinnamon sugar.

MAKES:  3 Dozen Doughtnuts