This year’s Christmas shortage is apparently butter. All the state fairs made too many sculptures and there’s not enough for everyone else now.
I made that part about the sculpture up. The real cause is that a lot of dairy farmers got out of the butter business since last year because of rising feed costs, transportation costs, and labor shortages. There was 22% less available this year than last year and the USDA is estimating there will be less next year.
I used to put butter on everything I made with pasta. But, I switched to olive oil about 20 years ago. With a little salt, it tastes just as good. I substitute olive oil for butter in almost every recipe. I don’t use the extra virgin kind though. I’m not big on that “green” flavor.