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Although it happened over fifty years ago, I still remember licking the cream off the cardboard caps that sealed the bottles of milk that the milkman had delivered to my grandmother’s house. 

These days, most of us buy all of our groceries at the store, including milk and butter.  And, because of the push many years ago to replace butter with “margarine” or other butter-like spreads…which more recent health studies show are probably worse for us than the natural product…many children these days have no idea what real butter tastes like. 

Take this opportunity to make some real butter at home with your child!

HOMEMADE BUTTER

You will need: 1 cup heavy whipping cream, electric mixer and a large bowl.

1.   Pour the cream into the bowl and beat on medium till stiff peaks form…about 1-2 minutes.  This is REAL WHIPPED CREAM!  Taste some for an out-of-this-world treat!

2.   Continue beating…about 4-8 minutes…and soon the curds will separate from the whey.  You could sing “Little Miss Muffet” with your child while you are doing this.

3.   Pour off the whey and you will be left with a lump of pure butter.

4.   Enjoy with crackers, bread or toast.

5.   Put in a covered container and store in the fridge.

6.   Instead of using an electric mixer, you could put the cream in a glass jar with a lid and shake…but this will take between 5-30 minutes and little hands might get tired.

Cooking with young children is only one of the many activities that builds self-esteem, develops pre-literacy skills and creates a life-long parent-child bond.  If you are looking for more child-friendly healthful recipes or other educational fun-filled activities, grab a copy of my new book for parents and teachers of preschoolers, now on half-price sale with FREE shipping till March 9^th, at my website.

And please stop by tomorrow for Quotable Timeless Tuesdays