Got 11 Minutes? Make Butter!

     No, I'm not kidding and I haven't lost my mind . . . yet.  Here's what you do:  Get yourself a half pint of heavy cream, and let it sit out on the counter until it's room temperature.  Pour it into a glass jar slightly larger than the contents, and screw the lid on nice and tightly.  Now shake that bad boy with as much enthusiasm as you can muster.  Yes, this is where it gets dicey.  After four minutes, I was making unhappy noises and threatening to quit.  At six minutes, I was rolling the jar around on the floor with my feet to give my arms a rest.  At ten minutes, I was shaking the jar in such interesting positions that I could have won an Olympic medal in the little known "Creative Butter Churning" category.  But at eleven minutes, I had butter!  It appears as a large lump surrounded by cloudy liquid.  That's the buttermilk, which you do not want to keep, so pour it off, then rinse the butter blob in the jar with cold water until it runs off clear.  The butter will be very soft, which makes it the perfect time to add garlic or rosemary or any other herbs your little heart desires.  Refrigerate, and voila -- your very own butter!  Don't you feel like a pioneer?  And hasn't it always been your dream to live like a pioneer?  No?  Well, if you have no sense of humor at all, you could trot on down the store and buy butter for two bucks and change, but honestly, where is your sense of adventure?  Go make yourself some butter!

     By the way, if this doesn't have "Rainy Day Project for the Kiddos" written all over it, I don't know what does.  I'm just waiting for the next lull in thrilling activity at our house to spring it on my husband.  Shhhhhh, don't tell.