I grew up thinking whipped cream was a mysterious food-like product not to be replicated outside an aerosol can. Imagine my surprise in discovering that all it really takes to make whipped cream is a wrist, a bowl, a whisk and about 5 minutes.

Here’s a fancy, no-equipment-necessary recipe for homemade whipped cream:

1. Combine in a small bowl:

about a half cup of heavy whipping cream (you don’t need to measure; I’ve never once been distressed by having too much whipped cream, if that even exists)

half teaspoon or so powdered sugar (a few pinches)

a drop of vanilla extract (or as little as you can pour in!)

Taste it once you combine everything. Whipping just makes it fluffy, so make sure you like the flavor. Add more sugar if it’s not sweet enough for your liking.

2. Locate whisk and pretend you’re on TV. Every time I attempt whisking like a pro, I always end up tensing my biceps, then I remember this is not the way to sustain whisking and revert to calculated wrist movements. [Cycle repeats because I’m ostensibly uncoordinated.]

3. Remember to breathe.

Your mixture will start out like this:

Miraculously thickening into something like this:

And then, seconds later, become this:the blueberry butter took a bit longer…Ta-daa! Eat fancy-pants whipped cream with triumphant smirk (and white-dotted nose from licking the bowl).