Bread and Butter

Hannah has a school assignment that came home, she needs to choose something that we celebrate in our family and make a presentation about it to her class. There's a list of suggestions, birthdays, holidays, special events or whatever she would like. The problem beauty is that there are so many celebrations and gatherings in our family that she is having a hard time choosing. How lucky we are...

I made butter this week. We don't actually use very much butter/margarine in our house and I have recently decided to stop buying margarine, since we eat very little of it, I think we will stick with butter. I loved making it, it was so simple and very cool, I followed the instructions in The Homemade Pantry.

500ml whipping cream
1 tsp salt

Using the mixer with the paddle fitting I poured in the whipping cream and salt, covered it with a dish towel to catch the splashes and I began to whip the cream. Peeking in every once and a while, and getting sprayed in the eye with cream, I witnessed it go from this.

To this.

To this!

At this stage I poured off the liquid, buttermilk, put it in the fridge for pancakes this Sunday (it will keep in a closed contained in the fridge for three days). I squeezed then butter together into a ball and continued to rinse it under cold water until the liquid ran clear and then was all out of the butter.

That's all, and then I wrapped it up and put it in the fridge.

It was extremely messy though, depending what size mixer you have I would suggest doing it in half batches which is what I will do next time.

I am not a huge butter person, but this is honestly the best butter I've had, it's so much creamier in taste, lighter or something - which could become a problem as we cut into the fresh bread that evening and smeared it with butter. I am hoping this phase will pass.

A mother needs to have a keen sense of smell. It's true, and sometimes it's not fun, like when toddlers are in the diaper diving and smearing phase and you need to be able to sniff out any item they may have touched, not fun but very necessary. It is also important when doing room cleaning checks, teeth brushing checks, hand washing checks, you get the picture. But, there can be a reward for that keen sense of smell and it's sunshine. There is nothing I like better than the smell of my children after they have spent the day playing outside. It's intoxicating, mixing memories from my childhood with ones from the day, it makes me feel like a "good" mother that my children have played outside, even if it was a particular yelly day for me it all becomes a blur when I'm cuddled up with them and smell the sunshine in their hair.

 

 

 

I honestly thought that the good weather would never come, does it feel like this most years? I forget from year to year, but we were desperate. I know why we are, that end of day feeling where your limbs are a little achy from walking and bike riding and chasing children, everyone's feet are dirty and need to be washed before bed (need to be, they don't usually get it), when I keep pushing bedtime back further and further because they are just enjoying themselves so much outside, it's impossible to match. Would it be so wonderful if we had this weather year round (after such a long winter I may be willing to test that theory)?

Before the sun came out, we had another day of crap weather snow.

On that day I made this soup which was a huge hit. It's funny how that happens, I was just looking for something warm to make while using up some of the dribs and drabs (as my grandma would say) in the fridge. It ended up a favorite, everyone cleared their bowls, even Harper who can sometimes be less than thrilled with soup.

3 Tbsp olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery sticks
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups veggie stock
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1/4 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 can lentils, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil over medium low heat; add the salt, onion, carrot, celery and bay leaves, turn heat down, cover with lid leaving it just ajar and sweat veggies until soft. Once veggies are soft, pour flour and some of the stock into a jar and shake until combined and add to the soup with the rest of the stock and milk, turn up heat until it starts to bubble, stirring. Once it is bubbling, lower heat to simmer until it thickens slightly. Add the cauliflower, zucchini and lentils and simmer until cauliflower is tender.

We had it with biscuits, which I'm not sharing with you, honestly because I can't for the life of me find the recipe I used - ooops.

The girls have started soccer, this is the 4th year for Hannah and Harper's first. Although the season has started a little late due to wet fields we are now officially in it, the only free evening we have is Wednesday and as long as the weather's nice, I'm alright with that.

Hannah seems to be a little more focused this year. They are starting to learn some more rules and a few more skills which is pretty exciting.

 

 

This is Harper's first year, she has the cheering down, tow arms in the air no matter who scores! She also has the run around the field down in a sort of bouncy sort of way, the going after the ball is a little hit or miss.

 

 

 

I hope the sun shines down on you this week!