I have finally joined the women-folk before me.

As I type this, there is a stick of unsalted butter sitting on the counter in my kitchen. As I left it out to get to room temperature, I thought about my mother and grandmother who also left their butter out on the counter. As a matter of fact, my mom has my grandmother's butter dish, I think in her china cabinet. My grandfather, Daddy B, liked his butter soft, and it was that generation where the women gave the men what they wanted.

I occasionally find that I need butter that is soft. I even bought some Kerrygold Irish Butter because I thought it would be softer than the stick. Not so lucky. I want spreadable butter, but I can't find it while keeping it in my refrigerator.

So, is it safe to keep your butter at room temp? It is safe for two days, and then it may start to get rancid.

Side note: isn't "rancid" a gross word? I may need to add that wo words that I don't like. But that's another blog post.

Here is my butter dish. It is a vintage Johnson Brothers Friendly Village. I bought a complete set of Friendly Village from a flea market when I lived outside Philadelphia in the 1990s. It is in beautiful condition, and I love it.

Because I can't ensure that I will use an entire stick of butter in two days, I put 1/2 stick in the butter dish. When I make a baked potato, I will be more than ready with some beautifully soft unsalted butter.

Thanks, Nanny. Thanks, mom!