BuTTer Everything is BeTTer with a Bit of BuTTer:

...so i know that this day in age most people are staying away from butter or are concerned about fat or cholesterol...but as we grow older we learn that life is about moderation and everything has its time and its place....and in my eyes so does butter. Butter can be a great way to spread a lot of flavor. After cooking a steak if you just put a little butter that you have infused with flavor, that flavor just sits on the outside of the steak until you eat it...and its delicious! Or try putting a cumin and lime butter on shrimp or scallops...yum! or even infuse your butter with flavor to add on top of baked potatoes or corn on the cob...there really is no limit! You could make a cinnamon and sugar butter for oatmeal or waffles...So whAT YOU  have to do is just bring the butter that you wish to infuse to room temperature (or slowly melt it on the stove without the fat and why totally separating.) then you choose your flavor and stir it in....when that is over you scoop all of it on to a piece of plastic wrap and roll it up carefully so you don't get the plastic wrapped up in the butter!

Here are a few of my favorites:

1) Cumin-Lime--->

1# unsalted butter

1 T cumin

zest of 1 lime and a little juice

s/p to taste

2) ciNNamoN & SuGaR

(it really is amazing as your breakfast substitute for regular butter)

1# unsalted butter

1/4 c. sugar

1 T cinnamon

1/4 tsp. vanilla

2 shakes of salt

3) Chipotle-Cilantro Butter

1# unsalted butter

3 T chipotle puree

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

s/p

4) FrEsH HerB BuTTEr

1# unsalted butter

1/2 c. chopped herbs,

basil, chives, cilantro, thyme, parsley

(or whatever combo you want)

s/p

5) Rst. GarLiC

1# unsalted butter

1 head of roasted garlic*

1 T cajun seasoning

s/p

Try adding a flavored butter to your next meals...

and watch out for that flavor you will discover! If you find one you love, please share!

...ok if butter is just really not your thing, why not try infused oils and vinegar?!?!? Its really is as simple as it sounds, and on top of all of that it can make a really great gift! (HiNT: I like to use old wine bottle or jars) You can make these infusions as simple or complex as you like. For simple ones you just put your flavoring in the bottle, pour oil over it and let it sit. Be sure to use an olive oil that you really like the flavor of to begin with....this is not something you want to do with a cheap oil like canola or a vegetable oil....you should use olive oil or grapeseed oil for best flavor. YOu can use fresh herbs like basil or thyme....or a roasted garlic...or why not sun dried tomatoes and rosemary...these infused oils make a really great dipping oil for bread. If you want to infuse an oil with something like paprika or chile you will need to heat the oil up and strain the spice out before you use it...a coffee filter is a great way to strain particles that will pass through over strainers!

Happy CrEaTinG~!