Culinary Calamities

Softening butter seems like a simple task except when you forget to soften the butter prior to mixing ingredients for Christmas cookies.

I forgot to set a stick of butter on the counter to soften the night before.

The morning of baking, I opted to place a fresh from refrigerator stick of butter on the floor vent in the kitchen.

The consistent, even heat from the furnace, I thought, would be gentler than softening the butter in the microwave. Plus, my luck softening butter via the microwave always resulted in a disastrous mess.

We were homeschooling at the time and while the butter softened on the floor vent in the kitchen I was slightly distracted; not keeping track of time.

Lunch time rolled around.

Both kids about the kitchen making their own lunch while I was busy putting laundry away that had been left in the dryer from the day before.

After we ate, cleaned up from lunch and morning lessons, we were now ready to make Christmas cookies.

We set out to collect all the ingredients, mixing bowls and mixer, kids clamoring over who was going to lick the beater when we’re are all done.

I walked to the floor vent where I had placed the wrapped stick of butter only to find an empty butter wrapper slowly wafting in the warm air of the furnace. 😳

My stomach sank as I realized what I had done.

I created a new disastrous mess down in the ductwork!

I knelt down onto the floor and took off the vent cover.

Gazed into the dark abyss.

Both kids peered over my shoulder.

My pursed lips started to twitch.

My shoulders began to shake.

Moments later, I fell into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

“This mess,” I said, “will have to wait. We have some baking to do!”

I put the vent cover back.

Picked out another stick of butter from the refrigerator.

Promptly softened it in the microwave and we began mixing cookie dough for Christmas cookies blissfully taking turns licking the beater between each batch.

In the aftermath, not only did I clean melted butter from the microwave, I cleaned butter stalactites from the basement ductwork that developed that day thanks to my ingenious idea of softening butter on the floor vent in the kitchen.

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Baking calamities. 

We’ve all had them.

I’d love you hear yours.

Please share your baking snafus below in the comments.

“If you can’t make it better, you can laugh at it.”

Erma Bombeck