Thanks for your patience during the move to my new kitchen. I should have the new kitchen up and running by next issue. I will then have more actual cooking to write about.

One of the key ingredients Hoosier cooks of the past used that we don't appreciate as much today is real dairy butter. The farm wives of yesterday would not even consider using anything else. We seem to be in a swing back to the real thing from the mostly oil margarine so plentiful today. I am rediscovering the pleasure of real butter and I would recommend you at least try some soon. I have included a recipe I have started using to make a soft, spreadable butter that comes right from the fridge.

To fill you in a little, butter is a natural dairy product made by churning cream until it reaches a semisolid state. The butter standard today is 80-82 percent milk fat, 16-17 percent water and one to two percent milk solids other than fat. It takes 21 pounds of fresh, cow's milk to make each pound of butter. Margarine, on the other hand, is made from a single oil, or blend of oils, including animal and vegetable fats, water and artificial flavorings.

Slightly soften the butter and cut into pieces. Using an electric beater and a large bowl, beat the butter well. Continue to whip the butter at high speed. Start to drizzle the oil into the butter. Add the oil very slowly.

Blend together and store in refrigerator. You can vary this recipe by adding 1 teaspoon grated orange or lemon rind.

Blend together and store in refrigerator.

Blend together and store in refrigerator.

Cut unsalted butter into pieces and melt slowly in a small saucepan. Skim off as much of the foam as you can from surface. Carefully pour off all the clear golden liquid (this is the clarified butter), leaving all the milky water in the bottom of the pan. Clarified butter keeps well, tightly sealed, in the refrigerator or freezer. One half pound of butter (2 sticks) yields about 3/4 cup clarified butter. Don't discard the residue. Mix the foam skimmed from the top with the milky liquid from the bottom of the pan and try as a lower fat topping for baked potatoes.