Real Butter!

Each year Alexa's class holds a Thanksgiving feast prior to the holiday, and it is one event Alexa eagerly anticipates.  This year I was sure to sign up for the potluck feast early, as I remember my mother-in-law and sisters dutifully using turkey cookie cutters to shape sandwich bread for turkey sandwiches last year (I was practically living at the hospital).  I took the easy route this time and signed up to bring a pumpkin pie, requiring only a quick trip to Costco after Alexa's gymnastics class last night....ahh, the ease of outsourcing.  I was already at work before Alexa woke up this morning, but she had no problem remembering to bring the pie to school...this was an exciting day for her!

Not only did Alexa get to partake in the Thanksgiving feast - she told me she had both apple and pumpkin pie! - but the highlight of the day seemed to be the homemade butter.  When I picked her up from Aftercare, she immediately ran to the refrigerator to grab the mason jar of butter she had churned from heavy cream.  After showing me her creation, she looked at me and asked, "So what can we make for dinner with my butter?!?"  Butter is usually not on menu at our house, so I quickly suggested the first thing that came to mind - garlic bread.   Not exactly gourmet, but it was an easy way to incorporate Alexa's beloved butter into tonight's dinner menu.

The aspiring cooking show contestant raved about the garlic bread we made - she commented that it was "crispy and buttery with good flavor balance."  Damon loves to joke about the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" that I use, and Alexa seemed to pay homage to his teasing tonight.  "See Mommy!?!  Food is much better when you use real butter and not the fake stuff in the refrigerator!"  

She's always been a fan of Thanksgiving feasts - - Alexa in 2010.