Have you Turned the Tub Around yet?
The “Turn the Tub Around” campaign is spreading the word that I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter has been reformulated – among other things, no hydrogentated oils, no cholesterol and 460 mg of Omega 3 (ALA) per serving. (If you have yet to read my post about our foray into the world of music videos, check out this post about our “Turn the Tub Around” video.)
I don’t know about you, but I can use all the help I can get cutting fat and calories. Plus, around here, trying to get the essential Omega 3 in our diet is difficult. So I decided to test I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spread out on my unsuspecting son, Hank. He’s a picky eater; my daughter, not so much, but my son, ugh.
Recently I’d posted some recipes for compound butter – one of them for honey cinnamon butter. Hank likes cinnamon toast for breakfast. It’s easy and basic. Why not replace the butter in the honey cinnamon butter with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spread and use that for his cinnamon toast? Just tell him it’s the same ingredients, only mixed together so it’s easier to spread. And since the honey cinnamon butter recipe calls for honey instead of sugar, if it worked, the health benefits from the honey combined with the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spread would be a much healthier choice.
I mixed up the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spread with the honey and cinnamon – so easy. He gobbled it down. He even said it was better than normal. Score!
And you know what? I’ve gotta say it, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! No loss of flavor – just the loss of fat and cholesterol. I can imagine many compound butter flavors you could substitute I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spread with. Herbed butter on steak or fish would be fabulous.
Honey Cinnamon I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spread Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter original spread
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
- Mix all ingredients together well.
That’s it! Easy peasy!
So if you’re trying to make some small changes or have special dietary restrictions, go get some I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, turn the tub around and check it out for yourself. You might be surprised at how great it tastes.
Yummy Compound Butter (It’s just flavored buttah people.)
Last spring I hosted a bridesmaids’ brunch at our home. The food was simple. Quiche, fruit and an assortment of breads. To make it even more simple (and since a baker I am not) I picked up a few loaves of bread fresh from a local bakery.
I decided to spend time on a few homemade touches that could be made ahead, one of which was compound butter. I had never made compound butter before but knew that it was quick and easy – and that’s right up my alley. Three varieties were offered, honey cinnamon, fresh herb and strawberry. The honey cinnamon was by far my favorite, followed by the herb and the strawberry, ehhh, it was okay.
So this week, for the Christmas season, I’m going to go ahead and make some compound butters to have on hand and maybe even give for gifts. Instead of strawberry I’m opting for a more festive and seasonal cranberry version, in addition to the herb butter and cinnamon honey. Maybe I’ll try to make some homemade bread from scratch for the first time.
Or not.
We’ll see.
Rolls, scones, muffins and toast are all good with a pat of yummy flavored butter but they’re not the only use for this good stuff. A little herb butter is also great on steak, fish and potatoes. And one of our favorites is toasted pound cake with some honey cinnamon butter – yum yum.
For those of you who’ve never made compound butter, it really couldn’t be more simple. And the flavor, when using fresh ingredients, can’t be duplicated in any store bought brands. Plus you can make it ahead and it’ll keep for weeks. Or freeze it for up to a couple of months and cut off sections as needed.
The recipes will follow but basically for each you mix the butter with the ingredients. No cooking just a little measuring and mixing. That’s all. And I promise the results are worth every bit of effort and then some.
As far as the mode of mixing goes, I used a combination of my stand-up mixer, hand mixer, food processor and by hand. The point is to incorporate the ingredients well. The recipes below all call for 1/2 lb. (2 sticks) of butter for each flavor, if you’re using more than that you’ll probably want to use a stand up mixer or split your batch mixing smaller amounts at a time. Note that with a mixer you’ll have to scrape down the beater(s) and sides a couple of times. If using a food processor, pulse a few times to keep it from balling up.
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Cranberry Butter Recipe
(makes ~ 1 cup)
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup cranberry sauce
Directions:
- Let butter soften to room temperature.
- Add the cranberry sauce to the butter and mix well until fully incorporated.
- Serve right away or you can cover and refrigerate for up to a week or so. If time allows, serve at room temperature.
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Herb Butter Recipe*
(makes ~ 1 cup)
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon sage
- 2 cloves garlic
Directions:
- Let butter soften to room temperature.
- In a small food processor blend olive oil and herbs together. If not using a food processor, chop herbs finely and beat together with olive oil.
- Add the olive oil/herb melange (Yes, I used my thesaurus.) to the butter and mix well until fully incorporated.
- That’s it. It’s ready to serve or you can cover and refrigerate for up to a couple of weeks. Serve at room temperature for easy spreading.
*(For the herb butter, fresh ingredients are always preferred but dried herbs will work as well. Also, make your own flavor combination. Don’t have thyme or don’t care for it? Use dill or a favorite herb. Make it your own personalized butter flavor. It’s allowed.)
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Honey Cinnamon Butter Recipe
(makes ~ 1 cup)
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 7-8 tablespoons of honey
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions:
- Let butter soften to room temperature.
- Add all ingredients to the butter and mix well until fully incorporated.
- That was easy enough. Now it’s ready to serve or you can cover and refrigerate for up to a couple of weeks. It’s best served at room temperature.
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Hope you enjoy your Christmas treats and with a little compound butter on top, it’s sure to be a success! Enjoy!
Merry Christmas!
