Adventures in Country Living: Butter

I know that's a picture of pie, but my jar of butter didn't turn out to be so photogenic so the pie took center stage. But there will be pie in this post. Buttermilk pie...allow me to elaborate.

There is a handy blog out there by the "West Ladies" that I enjoy perusing for homesteading ideas and tips. They've also put together a wonderful collection of DVD's for everything from The Art of Soapmaking to The Art of Canning and I've been wanting to make their recipe for "Grandma's Buttermilk Pie" which not only calls for a cup of buttermilk, but also offers a super simple method for making butter. Yum! So here we go....

Butter Recipe
3 cups heavy cream at room temp
1 quart Jar
Willing shakers

Pour cream into jar. Shake.
Easy as (buttermilk) pie!

I used a quart size canning jar but you could use any large jar that has a tightly sealing lid. The kids were eager to help and when my husband (aka the worlds best cream shaker) saw what we were doing, he jumped in to try it. But the jar got really full, making it difficult to shake. We realized that the cream was just thickening and expanding into a runny version of coolwhip Something wasn't right. It was then that I remembered the one important rule--the cream needs to be at room temp. Oops. The recipe has ONE ingredient and I still managed to screw it up! Our jar was cool to the touch but after running it under some warm water for a few seconds, the fat instantly separated from the liquid and we suddenly had a large mound of butter!

I think the heavens might have parted at that moment, but maybe that was just me overly excited.

But then my husband (let's just call him Noah from here on out) got a call. Our neighbor down the street needed help beheading a turkey. Talk about random--and a little gruesome--my apologies. It was actually pretty ironic. I wondered how many wives and husbands didn't have that conversation this week. "As much fun as I'm having churning butter little lady, duty calls."

So turkey-killer and I parted ways and I set to work draining off the buttermilk. After reading that too much liquid left in the butter can ruin it, I was nervous about not being able to get it all out and probably only got a B+ so next time I will strain it really well through cheesecloth. But for now, we were thrilled. Especially my husband. We stood in our kitchen after the kids went to bed, spreading homemade butter on last nights biscuits, dolloped with spoonfulls of some pie filling I had made the week before--rhubarb, strawberries and butter never tasted so good! We leaned against the kitchen sink, devouring our late night snack as he filled me in on the details of his--er--own adventure across the street. When he finished, I told him I was going to do some canning with Mrs. Turkey-killer after church (hi Robyn :])

He started laughing and said, "We're such rednecks."

I think something about me being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen rounded out the moment :D
Happy Homesteading.

P.S. Buttermilk Pie...two thumbs up! Please don't make fun of my crust, I worked very hard, haha. And I used an AMAZING recipe by Ina Garten from the food network.
Also, visit Homestead-blessings.com for the recipes and much more.

Yea Though I Walk Through The Valley

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever. (Psalms 23)

The 23rd Psalm has never had much impact on me before. Aside from memorizing it as a child with my parents help, I just thought it had something to do with a Shepherd his staff and something about lying beside still waters. I just never quite got it. Until now.

The valley of the shadow of death is a very real place. For those who find themselves in the valley, away from the mountain tops and sunlight, take comfort that it is something we walk through--not around in aimlessly, not back and forth...but through. There is a beginning to it which can feel the darkest, but there is also an end. And though it may feel that way at times, we are never alone.

It is not a place of abandonment--God is there to be our comfort. And though it is so hard to see, we will not be the same as we were in the beginning. With each step, God does a work to transform us. To strengthen us. To bring us closer to him.

To God be the glory.

Fantasy Fiction: A Driving Passion

 Guest post by writer and editor
Dona L. Watson

Behind God and family, fantasy fiction is one of my driving passions--one of the key factors that makes up who I am. Why fantasy? It might be for the brief escape from life gained from a few minutes of reading. It might be the way vast cultures and races designed by talented authors intrigue me. Regardless, I love the way fantasy fiction captures my imagination, poking me, prodding my thoughts toward something I’ve never before considered. To me, that is pure brain candy.

I know that to some Christians, fantasy fiction is frowned upon as a venture too far from reality to be healthy. In fact, not all see fiction itself as being wholesome in any way, but instead consider it to be simply a lie--as evidenced by scathing essays and posts that can be easily found on the internet. To those people, I would say, “Consider Christ’s parables.” Jesus Christ himself understood, in all of his wisdom, the explosive power a story can have on the human soul. Sometimes a story can capture our interest in ways that true life--or dryly recited principles--never can.

This is particularly true with our younger generation. Young people are so easily entranced by a good story. And this is where children of God can make a real difference in someone else’s life. Fantasy stories in particular capture young minds in ways no other types of stories can. I’m not talking about gritty, sensual fiction, but stories filled with action, intrigue, and light. What an opportunity we have to point others to Christ--the ultimate source of light in this increasingly darkening world. As examples, I point to such fantasy authors as Bryan Davis, Wayne Thomas Batson, Sharon Hinck and others who have successfully captured our emotions and minds and then redirected us toward God and his precepts. Oh, that someday I might add my humble work toward achieving the same goal. Hence springs my love, my passion for fantasy fiction.


I think the same arguments apply to fiction of all types, particularly inspirational fiction. I would say to those of you who are writers, we all have the opportunity to embrace the passion and let our lights shine! Are you with me?

http://fantasyandfaith.com/