August 1st

Day one! I approached the day with tenacity, and although my lunch consisted of raw veggies dunked in olive oil and balsamic vinegar (secondary to me getting home late last night following a 3 1/2 hour dance rehearsal and eating Rocky Rococo's pizza), it was surprisingly satisfying.

My first new item made: butter! It was one of the easiest and most delectable things I've made in a while.

What you need:

heavy cream

mason jar, or any other clear vessel with a tight-fitting lid

What you do:

Fill your vessel ~2/3 full with cream and pretend like you're in a Shake Weight commercial for ~10-15 minutes, until the buttermilk starts to separate from the butter solids. Then rinse with cool water until the water runs clear. Pack tightly in saran wrap and store in the refrigerator.

I lathered the butter on a fresh ear of corn; gotta love 'murica. I saved the buttermilk and am planning to use in scrambled eggs in the morning.

For the rest of the month, I'll be making butter in the food processor, but I thought I'd shake up some butter first for the experience. You should too.