The Great Butter Caper

I tested the powder as planned, adding in s bit of turmeric for color, and started with s couple of tablespoons of powder and a dash of turmeric, to a tablespoon of water, and mixed. About the powder: it's basically the same as butter powder I think, but without coloring. So I added my own, stuff I can trust.

I tried the stick blender but it wasn't as helpful as just beating with a spoon in the end.  

Added water and powder till it looked balanced, beat it a bit and got a stiff creamy mixture. I don't think this powder would result in a solid butter. Probably because it's been processed into powder and now it's being rehydrated, unlike the heavy cream you buy.

Anyway I put the container in the fridge and after about an hour, I have  spreadable buttery stuff. Very good for toast, or top of steamed vegetables. Probably fine for baking. And for making a roux.

In fact, it worked. Very good for creaming with sugar, better than stick butter you need to soften. It tastes sweeter than the Irish or Vermont butters, and could afford a touch of salt.  

This is great. Now I can add butter to the list of things I can make from raw materials and needn't run out.

While I was in the kitchen anyway, I baked a chocolate walnut cake in the hope of a visit tomorrow from handsome Son. Some will probably go next door with a reminder to Gary to collect his tools.

All in all, the butter making was a high point in a day that went from emergency laundry when I realized I was out of everything, to emergency fridge cleaning when I found something had mysteriously spilled down the back wall, behind the shelves, under the containers and settled onto the floor.  This involved taking out containers, shelves, scrubbing at an angle my shoulder really hates. Anyway it's all done now.

And another sock is started. I can do this without a pattern at this point. And I'm listening to a Margery Allingham audiobook. 

All in all, happy day! 

Weather, tea, butter

This sounds like a spartan approach to posting, or maybe my Brit roots are showing.

Anyway the local weather people have been all excited and losing their cool, firing off loud alarms on my phone, all over social media, and getting all carried away. None of the severe things happened here.

And then when the forecast is warm, they have to drag in the bad news. Otherwise there's no drama. I mean, who's going to pay them to forecast a few lovely mild days?

Meanwhile, packages began to arrive. My tea, a real luxury, came,  new supplier, and they included a couple of samples, too.

This is the tea I'm coming to the end of

It's fine, just thought I'd keep looking anyway.

And, separately, the butter aka heavy cream powder. Along with my regular whole milk powder.

So I was having pasta for dinner with roast chicken, and suddenly thought Alfredo! The sauce, that is, which I make by just tossing butter and shredded parmesan into the pasta.

So I thought ah, first experiment with the butter powder, I'll mix with a drop of water to a paste, stir in the parmesan, then dress the pasta with that and see if I like it. Bottom line, I did. Nice buttery taste.

I tried the idea of mixing in some turmeric, to get a golden buttery color, and here's a comparison with my Vermont butter. The taste is comparable, too. Turmeric doesn't have a pronounced flavor, so it just gave color and didn't change the taste.

So, that worked nicely. Tomorrow I'll see about making butter. I like the idea of just making the amount I need. Similarly to using milk powder. I never run out of milk, and make small amounts as needed. I keep the powder in the freezer.

And art happened today, here in the mail

Complete with stamp celebrating ny namesake's jubilee, whatever number she's up to now.

Textiles and Tea was Alice Schlein,  a nice lady, well known among weavers, not very visual, more technical talk which escaped me. 

But for Joanne here's some napkins, she loves making towels and napkins from her samples.

And here are her current looms

Forthcoming attraction: I haven't had a Saturday movie night for ages, but finally found something when I get to the library to pick it up

This is not the HBO streamed fictional series, about which I have heard various opinions, but it's outside my budget anyway. 

This one is a PBS production, a doc of the age. I'm hoping for genuine old footage, too. We'll see.

In between all these activities, I've been signing up a storm and trying to get more sigs, to force Justice  Thomas to recuse himself from any January 6 cases. Also to resign, though that's a tougher one. Common Cause and MoveOn are very active. 

Onward! The Emmet Till Anti Lynching law is finally a federal statute. Great shame it took so long, but anyway it's done. Signed today.

And Ukraine still needs our help and support however we can give it.