Molded Butter! Isn't it exciting?!

Ok, so y'all know by now that I am a nut over old-timey things. And y'all also know if you read this blog that I love churning my own butter. That's me in the picture above. HaHa! (No cute comments please.) Anyway, so...thanks to eBay and just a few minutes of time spent searching for butter molds, I found one I loved! It's just gorgeous! It came last week and I could hardly wait to try it. My first attempt at this process proved not *quite* successful. The butter came out of the mold ok but it didn't come out perfectly molded where the engraving was. Not to be daunted, I searched the world wide web to find out the best way to get the butter out of a mold. I came across the neatest site. http://www.oldandinteresting.com/ Take a peek at it when you have time. Anyway, so here's an excerpt I found from a book written in 1861:

Butter-moulds, or wooden stamps for moulding fresh butter, are much used, and are made in a variety of forms and shapes. In using them, let them be kept scrupulously clean, and before the butter is pressed in, the interior should be well wetted with cold water; the butter must then be pressed in, the mould opened, and the perfect shape taken out. The butter may be then dished, and garnished with a wreath of parsley, if for a cheese course; if for breakfast, put it into an ornamental butter-dish, with a little water at the bottom, should the weather be very warm.

Isabella Beeton, Book of Household Management, 1861

Aha! This armed me with the knowledge I needed! This morning while I was churning, I put my butter mold in the freezer to chill. When I was finished, I washed my butter, got the mold, wetted the inside with cold water, then packed the butter in the mold.

I prayed (don't laugh) then put it in the fridge to chill.
A few hours later, I was dancing across the floor squealing with delight!! (doesn't take much to make me happy, huh?) Here is the result!
Isn't it just the most beautifulest thing you ever saw in all your whole life?!

Apparently, Isabella Beeton, who wrote the book I mentioned, also wrote quite a few other books in her relatively short life. (She died at 28.) Her most famous book was the one I just quoted above. There's even a Masterpiece Theater movie about her...The Secret Life of Mrs. Beeton. Most of her books had to do with domestic things...keeping the home, cooking, recipes, etc... Mrs. Beeton's "secret"??? She was a terrible cook! :O) You can read a bit more about her here http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/mrsbeeton/beeton.html

Didn't mean to run a rabbit there, but I did find that interesting.

Seems like there's been record cold weather across parts of the US. It was 4 degrees here this morning. We kept that old wood stove hopping all day yesterday and last night....adding wood every 2 or 3 hours. We've stayed surprisingly warm...wearing two pairs of socks helps too. These old houses can be pretty drafty. :O) See these cold, pink, pretty cheeks?
...and this cold birdy?
Hope y'all are staying warm! I'll be back soon!