Red velvet cupcakes!

blue cheese or ranch dressing, onion gravy, onion rings, saag paneer, creamed spinach, corn chowder, pan fried fish, cupcakes, muffins, chocolate cake, scones....

I love a splash on plain oatmeal.

Buttermilk pancakes are always good. There are oodles of recipes out there. Mine is simple.

1 1/2 cups flour (any combination of white and whole wheat)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients together. Add eggs and buttermilk. Mixture might be thick, you can add more buttermilk. Pour onto buttered griddle or pan. Wait til bubbly on one side, flip. Finish cooking and serve!

Gourmet magazine also had a great buttermilk cake last year. It became a big hit with food bloggers. It's really easy to make and versatile since you do can whatever berries you like. I like to top the cake with lemon curd and more berries. Here's the link:

buttermilk cake

There's exactly one recipe that happens with leftover buttermilk in our house. and with friends around, it gets doubled and made once per day until the buttermilk is GONE.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/05/raspberry-buttermilk-cake/

Marinated fried chicken.

People still fry chicken, right?

That is what I thought of MichaelH!

I have the same issue, and came across this recipe last night: http://cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com/2008/04/lemon-buttermilk-sherbet-with-poppy.html

Buttermilk oatmeal pancakes courtesy of Orangette (requires 2 full cups!) and marinating chicken.

Per the fried chicken comment above, I have a baked "fried" chicken recipe that marinates the chicken in buttermilk (mixed with a little Tabasco, salt, and pepper) first, then coat with a mixture of bread crumbs and parmesan and bake. Yum.

I find muffin recipes that use buttermilk are wonderfully tender. And buttermilk biscuits, muffins, and even pancakes all freeze really well, so you could make an extra big batch to save.

Also, I find that buttermilk itself keeps a really long time in the fridge (I guess 'cause it's milk that's essentially already "gone bad"?), so really no rush to use it up. I keep a carton around for several weeks--pancakes one weekend, muffins another, biscuits at dinner, etc.

I second Rianne and limes' suggestion - that buttermilk cake is one of my favorites. It's light enough that you can eat it for both dessert and breakfast. It's also great with blueberries, cherries, or blackberries, so you can extend your buttermilk cake-baking season well into the summer :)

Also, buttermilk keeps for a really long time in the fridge (what's it going to do, spoil more?), so you'll have some time to think on it.

I also pour it over my oatmeal. I prefer it to milk because of its tang.

Plus the usual...salad dressings, coleslaw, pancakes, waffles, muffins, scones, pannacotta, cake. BTW, buttermilk keeps for a really long time in the back of the fridge and I've never had to resort to freezing it. Nor have I had any carton go bad before slowly using it up.

Buttermilk ice cream- smittenkitchen.com has a recipe. But then you'll be asking what to do with leftover egg whites....

garlic mashed potatoes!

That buttermilk ice cream on smittenkitchen.com clermont mentioned is SO GOOD that you won't mind having to also make meringues with the leftover egg whites!

Alton Brown's waffle recipe calls for two cups of the stuff!

2 cups flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
pinch salt

3 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs, beaten
4T butter, melted
2 c buttermilk.

Pancakes! For a mix use in place of regular milk, or mix up some buttermilk 'cakes from scratch.

i usually buy buttermilk for pancakes. i use the remaining buttermilk for a batch of banana oat muffins (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone) and use the rest to make a ranch-like dressing with parmesan and lots of black pepper.

Buttermilk Pie!
I like this one with cocnut:
http://usads.ms11.net/coconut.html

This is a delicious and easy salad dressing from Food and Wine (and normally the cause of my leftover buttermilk, so I'm loving all of these ideas!).
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/buttermilk-dressing

hi this post could not have come at a better time, i have a carton about to go bad taunting me in the fridge. gracias.

Another shout out for smitten kitchen but her apple muffins use buttermilk and are some of the best muffins I've ever made!

Here are some recipes I love that use buttermilk...many of them freeze beautifully, so why don't you make a few and freeze them for later? That way you have something wonderful waiting for you in the freezer.

http://www.abbeycatchat.com/2009/11/delicious-pumpkin-bread-with-pecansand.html

http://www.abbeycatchat.com/2010/04/blueberry-almond-coffee-cake.html

Don't freeze this one, just eat it right away - I guarantee it'll be gone before you know it:
http://www.abbeycatchat.com/2010/03/chocolate-banana-bundt-cake.html

If you still can't use it all up after one recipe, stop buying it and just add vinegar to milk (I think it's 1 T to 1 cup of milk, but I don't really measure, I just add a splosh of it), let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, mix it up and add it to whatever requires buttermilk. ~H

You can make homemade sour cream! It's super easy and very yummy, and a great way to use up buttermilk. Here's who I did it: http://yardtofork.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/homemade-sour-cream/

I always have a carton of buttermilk in the fridge for making Irish soda bread or corn bread. Both are quick and easy to make and perfect additions to stews and soups.

This dressing looks good; I plan on trying it tonight: http://cooking-books.blogspot.com/2010/04/orange-date-and-spinach-salad-with.html

I'm using mine to make fried chicken and biscuits on Wednesday.

Take a look at Thomas Keller's fried chicken recipe. The buttermilk coating is great.

Summer squash soup! Saute onions, add chopped zucchini or yellow crooked neck squash and water to cover. Medium heat till cooked. Salt, etc. Add buttermilk and blend. Great hot or cold.

orange juice jello

buttermilk also lasts for ages in the fridge. My mom always kept some around for baking and whatnot

Easy. Make yourself a batch of Creme Fraiche, a delicious and more useful alternative to run-of-the-mill sour cream.

http://video.about.com/gourmetfood/How-to-Make-Creme-Fraiche.htm

Easy.

I was also going to suggest Alton Brown's waffles. Make them, cool them on a cookie rack, wrap in plastic wrap and a freezer bag, and freeze them. You'll have homemade waffles all week! Just toast them (don't microwave) when you're ready to eat. Yum!

Also, lots of quick (unfrosted) cakes, scones, and muffins are a good way to use up buttermilk.

Crunch parmesan chicken tenders!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/crunchy-parmesan-chicken-tenders-recipe/index.html

This is about a once a week staple at our place.

Chicken, biscuits and ranch dressing! Make it a country-fried evening!

You can always go jogging tomorrow. :)

You can use it in most recepies that has sour cream or yoghurt, just remember that sour cream is thicker and plain yoghurt is less sour.

1. Use it instead of sour cream in a tomato-cucumber-radish-paprika salad - it makes it rather soup like so you can add croutons into it.

2. We have a thing called Kama (coarsely ground flour mix made from peas, rhye, barley and wheat that has been boiled, dried and then ground) - we use it as a drink - Kama powder buttermilk sugar makes an interesting müsli like drink.
But you can basically mix buttermilk with müsli in food processor into a puree. Instead of müsli also berries or finely chopped nuts or cocoa powder can be added. Of course that can be made with yoghurt too.

3. You can use it as an ingredient for paneering - for 4 chicken filet's take
4 tbsp coarse corn flour (polenta)
2 tbsp crushed/chopped corn flakes
1 teasp oregano
1 teasp thyme
1 teasp chopped parsley
1 teasp onion salt (salt & ground onion flakes)
1 dl (about 1/2 cup) buttermilk

Mix the things except buttermilk and take half of the amount and mix it into buttermilk. Take the chicken filet and immerse it into the buttermilk mix and then paneer with the rest of the corn mix. Cook in oven at 190C = 375F for 20 minutes.

4. Curd sauce (ideal to hot boiled potatoes): Curd or ricotta buttermilk (or milk or yoghurt or sour cream) & puree it, then add finely chopped cucumbers, chopped boiled egg(s), chopped green onions and season it (salt, dill, parsley &/or other herbs)

5. Swedish goat cheese cutlets
400 g ground beef
1-2 dl = 1/2-1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
4 tbsp chopped onions
1 dl = 1/2 cups chopped parsley
1 can feta cheese in cubes
salt
pepper

Tomato-basil sauce:
4 very large and ripe tomatoes
1/2 onion chopped
2 crushed chives of garlic
1 cube of beef stock
2 twigs of fresh cumin
1/2 litre water
1/2-1 dl = 1/4-1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh basil
salt
pepper

Mix ground beef, buttermilk, egg, onion & parsley, season with salt and pepper. Mould cutlets (2x2x1/2 inch) and press into each cutlet 3-4 feta cheese cubes. Fry on both sides & turn off the heat but let the cutlets sit under the lid in residue heat another 6-8 minutes.

Sauce: Chop tomatoes and fry with the onions and oil until onions are glassy but not burnt. Add stock, cumin and water. Boil about 10 minutes, stir once in a while. When ready puree it, add chopped basil and season with salt and pepper

Buttermilk Pie! http://therunawayspoon.com/blog/2010/02/buttermilk-pie/

My mother used to make the most delicious and healthy muffins using raisin bran cereal and buttermilk as two key ingredients. They are called semester muffins because the batter can last six weeks in the refrigerator, which allows you to prepare your muffins fresh daily. They are also excellent reheated.

Into a large bowl sift 5 cups of flour with 5 teaspoons of baking soda and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add to this a 10 oz. box of raisin bran cereal (try to find one without corn syrup). Add one cup of sugar and stir to incorporate all ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat four eggs, add 3/4 cup of oil and one quart of buttermilk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to bake muffins, preheat the oven to 400 and spray a muffin tin with cooking oil or grease pans with butter. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Personally, I grew weary of wasting buttermilk. We don't "southern"* or cakes in this house. Those foods don't do well here.

So, I switched to buttermilk powder. I found in the baking aisle. Just follow the directions on the can. The powder keeps forever, and does a really nice job of creating the buttermilk affect. It may not be a "purist" thing, and I am sure the elite food snobs here will look down on my trailer trash ways,** however, it beats wasting food in my book.

*Yeah, I know, southern style food is "trendy". It also clogs the arteries, and tastes greasy(fried chicken, and don't tell me your recipe is different, it isn't) and slimey, as in okra or collard greens. (see parentheses above).
Taste in food is subjective, and right now I am subjecting you to mine.

** Once any food elites have picked themselves off the fainting couch and are done clutching their pearls. A lot of times in cooking for families, good enough actually tastes pretty damn good.

Hey! buttermilk can actually be healthy - low in fat, and even comes in no fat varieties.

My favorite thing to do is make buttermilk, rhubarb ice cream in my ice cream maker and sorbet - tangy, light, and healthier than ice cream made with cream!

DRINK IT! I drink it, it's yummy. Or if you don't like the tartness add raspberry preserves to it.

DRINK IT! I buy it for drinking.. You can use it to make salted, sweet and mango lassi :)

When making oatmeal, replace up to 100% of the water and or milk with it.