How to make Old Fashioned Egg Custard in your pressure cooker!

Old Fashioned Egg Custard is a time-honored old fashion dessert that many including me, never grow tired of! And the good thing is that you can make it in your Instant Pot. Take a look, I will show you how...

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot 05.29.2026

Hello and welcome to another great weekend! 

And what better way to enjoy it, in full, than with a visit to Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot! for May 29, 2026!

What makes this link-up special is that we encourage you to link up not only your current posts and good ideas, but also the great stuff in your archives! Yes, let's all show some love for those great posts resting in the archives, until you share them again.

Cabbage New Potato and Onion Skillet

Aren't we all looking for more ways to enjoy and eat more vegetables? I know we are. Come and take a look at this delicious Cabbage New Potato and Onion Skillet, it is easy, frugal, and a braised vegetable dish the whole family will enjoy!

Beef and Carrot Stew with Barley, a dinner idea

Cooking almost every meal we eat, is my usual kitchen style. Often requiring a bit of creative license to use what we have on hand in the pantry. When eating dinner, my husband will often turn to me and say, "are you going to blog this?” That is how a dinner idea came to be...not always a recipe, but too good, not to share.

Today we have Beef and Carrot Stew with Barley. 

Welcome to The Senior Salon Pit Stop #412

Welcome! The Senior Salon Pit Stop is now open! 

We invite you to come and take a look at all the wonderful recipes, craft and upcycling ideas in today's line up. Along with thrifting treasures, photography and a wonderful assortment of family friendly articles being shared. I can guarantee that, you will be pleasantly surprised, with all the good stuff you are about to find…so I invite you to come and take a look. And while you are here to visit, I hope you have brought along some ideas of your own to share with all of us as well!

 

Some of Our Favorite Food and Kitchen Tips!

May is a tough month in Texas...the weather is still deciding how it wants to behave while changing from day to day. First it is hot, then cold, then wet, then dry and time to get out the watering hoses for the garden. And while we are currently eating fresh cucumbers and zucchini from the garden, there has not been much time spent on recipe development. But what we have been doing....

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot 5.22.2026

Hello and welcome to another great weekend! 

And what better way to enjoy it, in full, than with a visit to Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot! for May 22, 2026!

What makes this link-up special is that we encourage you to link up not only your current posts and good ideas, but also the great stuff in your archives! Yes, let's all show some love for those great posts resting in the archives, until you share them again.

Favorite Honey Chicken Skillet.

Don't let failed plans get the best of dinner. There is always another way to get dinner on the table...which is how we came up with Favorite Honey Chicken Skillet! And you are going to love this one, also....

Have you heard about 30+ each week? So, how much variety do you eat?

One of the easiest ways to take care of your gut, your microbiome and your heath is by monitoring what you eat in a 30 day period. And by monitoring, I really mean eat a wide variety of food choices. Have you heard about 30+ choices per week? Neither had I, until searching for ways to eat, for better nutrition. It turns out the folks that consistently eat a variety of food sources, are the healthiest...

Welcome to The Senior Salon Pit Stop #411

Welcome! The Senior Salon Pit Stop is now open! 

We invite you to come and take a look at all the wonderful recipes, craft and upcycling ideas in today's line up. Along with thrifting treasures, photography and a wonderful assortment of family friendly articles being shared. I can guarantee that, you will be pleasantly surprised, with all the good stuff you are about to find…so I invite you to come and take a look. And while you are here to visit, I hope you have brought along some ideas of your own to share with all of us as well!

 

Whole Fruit Organic Applesauce, from your IP or Stovetop Model

Quick, easy, and delicious! What are we talking about? Whole Fruit Organic Applesauce from your Instant Pot. You probably need to give this applesauce a try! Why exactly? For starters, fresh applesauce on demand...for the applesauce lovers in your family. 

Chunky Raspberry Vinaigrette.

Having a variety of homemade salad dressing recipes is one sure way to enjoy eating more salads! Why? Because you will never get tired of eating the same old dressing, ever again! And since the dressing is as important as the salad, this Chunky Raspberry Vinaigrette is perfect for your next salad...

Low Histamine Recipes to Enjoy.

Like every family our there, we have a lot going on! In our case it is homesteading for our garden, tending to the chickens and of course the land. Add in learning about our new home state of Texas, and exploring all that we can when we have open time. As well as time with family, and getting ready for the next celebration, because there will be one!  Here recently I have had to add something else...a Low Histamine eating plan. 

Easy Oven Baked Whole Wheat Pancakes with Warm Apple Sauce, Vanilla Yogurt, and Crunchy Granola

Out of maple syrup? Don't let that stop you from making a delicious pancake breakfast for everyone to enjoy! Easy Oven Baked Whole Wheat Pancakes with Warm Apple Sauce, Vanilla Yogurt, and Crunchy Granola to the rescue!

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot 05.15.2026

Hello and welcome to another great weekend! 

And what better way to enjoy it, in full, than with a visit to Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot! for May 15, 2026!

What makes this link-up special is that we encourage you to link up not only your current posts and good ideas, but also the great stuff in your archives! Yes, let's all show some love for those great posts resting in the archives, until you share them again.

Quick and Easy Chilies Rellenos Rice

Quick and Easy Chili Relleno Rice is not only delicious but also really easy to put together! Making it the perfect side dish to serve alongside just about everything. Not overly spiced, but instead it is creamy with just a hint of roasted green chilis. You will love it!

Jessica's Cheddar and Cut Corn Cornbread, savory, whole wheat and delicious!

Jessica's Cheddar and Cut Corn Cornbread is perfect with chili, stew, or soup. Or on any day that is chilly, rainy or down right cold. Or you simply want a pan of delicious cornbread. But especially when you want cornbread!

Welcome to the Senior Salon Pit Stop #410!

 Welcome! The Senior Salon Pit Stop is now open! 

We invite you to come and take a look at all the wonderful recipes, craft and upcycling ideas in today's line up. Along with thrifting treasures, photography and a wonderful assortment of family friendly articles being shared. I can guarantee that, you will be pleasantly surprised, with all the good stuff you are about to find…so I invite you to come and take a look. And while you are here to visit, I hope you have brought along some ideas of your own to share with all of us as well!

 

Mary's favorite, Raw Apple Cake.

Mary's favorite, Raw Apple Cake. This is the cake my mom made when ever cake was needed. Perfect anytime, like now, tomorrow, as well as Mother's Day, Sunday dinner, or even next Thursday! You will really want to make this cake...

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot 05.08.2026

Hello and welcome to another great weekend! 

And what better way to enjoy it, in full, than with a visit to Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot! for May 8, 2026!

What makes this link-up special is that we encourage you to link up not only your current posts and good ideas, but also the great stuff in your archives! Yes, let's all show some love for those great posts resting in the archives, until you share them again.

Fresh Green Bean Salad with Tomatoes Feta and Toasted Walnuts

Fresh Green Bean Salad with Tomatoes, Feta, and Toasted Walnuts! That is a long name for a salad...but this is a salad worthy of every letter used! Why? Because it is so delicious! And what an enjoyable way to enjoy fresh green beans...

The PONZI Vineyards Cookbook for What Did You Read This Month Book Review LInk-up!

Welcome to the What Did You Read This Month? Book Review Link-y, a monthly sharing link-up for books! Books of all kinds, romance, suspense, DIY, and my personal favorite, cookbooks! Personally I couldn't be happier that books are once again, back in fashion! 

And a great way to keep them front and center is to share a review of what you have read, if and how you enjoyed it, and if you would recommend that book to a friend! Oh and a story or two of how you came to own or stumbled upon the book would also be fun...because the human connection to a book is just as important! Since books are for everyone, let's all enjoy them, once again!

Corn Moussaka

Is your family tired of the same old ground beef recipes? Looking for something delicious, yet still affordable? If so Corn Moussaka needs to be on your dinner table tonight! It is savory, comforting and so delicious!

Welcome to The Senior Salon Pit Stop #409

Welcome! The Senior Salon Pit Stop is now open! 

We invite you to come and take a look at all the wonderful recipes, craft and upcycling ideas in today's line up. Along with thrifting treasures, photography and a wonderful assortment of family friendly articles being shared. I can guarantee that, you will be pleasantly surprised, with all the good stuff you are about to find…so I invite you to come and take a look. And while you are here to visit, I hope you have brought along some ideas of your own to share with all of us as well!

 

In My Homestead Kitchen May 2026, looking back on April.

Happy month of May to one and all! April was busy, very busy with a second batching of chicks. But not in the kitchen...our meals have turned into a sidewalk of sameness that I am hoping to improve on, as the month of May leaves us. As we join Sherry for In My Kitchen!

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot 05.01.2026

Hello and welcome to another great weekend! 

And what better way to enjoy it, in full, than with a visit to Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot! for May 1, 2026!

What makes this link-up special is that we encourage you to link up not only your current posts and good ideas, but also the great stuff in your archives! Yes, let's all show some love for those great posts resting in the archives, until you share them again.

Carrot Cake Banana Bread

Ahhha, the kitchen issues of what to do with all those ripe bananas! And that is exactly how, Carrot Cake Banana Bread was born! Turns out, this is one delicious loaf of banana bread. And, one that really does taste like carrot cake, come and take a look...

How to Can Rhubarb, easy tutorial

How to Can Rhubarb. From your garden or the Farmer's Market. Canning rhubarb is a great way to have ready-to-serve rhubarb and to conserve freezer space. Home-canned rhubarb is perfect for pies, cobblers, or just eating as is, right from the jar! This canned rhubarb is one of my favorites for breakfast...

Rhubarb!

Welcome to The Senior Salon Pit Stop #408

Welcome! The Senior Salon Pit Stop is now open! 

We invite you to come and take a look at all the wonderful recipes, craft and upcycling ideas in today's line up. Along with thrifting treasures, photography and a wonderful assortment of family friendly articles being shared. I can guarantee that, you will be pleasantly surprised, with all the good stuff you are about to find…so I invite you to come and take a look. And while you are here to visit, I hope you have brought along some ideas of your own to share with all of us as well!

 

Pork Chops with Scallions, start with the grill!

Pork Chops with Scallions are so good! A delicious dish of grilled golden brown pork chops finished in a savory sauce of soy, sherry, and vinegar. Add in the braised green onions and you have a wonderful dinner for the whole family. We like to serve this with brown rice and buttered carrots on the side!

Tuna Salad, our way!

Are you a tuna sandwich fan? I have to admit, I was not always eager to have a tuna sandwich for lunch. Maybe it was because I always thought of tuna as a last minute choice, when the cupboards were bare. But no longer! Not with this delicious savory recipe for Tuna Salad, our way! Come and take a look...

How to make Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Homemade Chocolate Syrup, is so easy! So don't forget to put a jar of this in your fridge, because it is perfect for chocolate milk, cold mochas and a quick drizzle over just about anything where chocolate would be invited!

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot 04.24.2026

Hello and welcome to another great weekend! 

And what better way to enjoy it, in full, than with a visit to Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot! for April 24, 2026!

What makes this link-up special is that we encourage you to link up not only your current posts and good ideas, but also the great stuff in your archives! Yes, let's all show some love for those great posts resting in the archives, until you share them again.

One Bowl Carrot Cake, delicious, easy to make and yes, whole wheat...

Are you looking for a cake that is just as delicious plain, right out of the pan as it is with frosting or a dessert sauce? If so, One Bowl Carrot Cake is just what you are looking for! Perfect as a snack cake right out of the pan, but so easy to upscale with a bit of frosting or a creamy dessert sauce...you are going to want to bake this cake!

Welcome to The Senior Salon Pit Stop #407

 Welcome! The Senior Salon Pit Stop is now open! 

We invite you to come and take a look at all the wonderful recipes, craft and upcycling ideas in today's line up. Along with thrifting treasures, photography and a wonderful assortment of family friendly articles being shared. I can guarantee that, you will be pleasantly surprised, with all the good stuff you are about to find…so I invite you to come and take a look. And while you are here to visit, I hope you have brought along some ideas of your own to share with all of us as well!

 

Hatching Our Own Chicks, for Homestead Sunday #15

Welcome to Homestead Sunday, where we share what we have learned, what we do on a regular basis, and what projects we are building, rebuilding or working on. Who are we? We are a three generation family living on six acres in South Eastern Texas. 

And while we have only been in Texas a short time, we have had the homestead mentality and lifestyle for quite a few years. Starting out with our time living in Montana. And, although we are not experts in any way, I hope that what we share with you with this series is helpful, as well as inspirational for you and your own homestead journey. Or even with your own home and yard in the suburbs. Because to homestead is an much an action as it is a lifestyle.

We have a neighbor down our country road who loves birds! 

She has a special compound and fencing set up on her property that keeps all the birds she loves and lives with, predator safe. She is also the first to offer eggs for your own kitchen or for the hatching, should you want to take on that homestead chore. She currently has chickens, Guinea fowl, turkeys and an Ostridge! Here recently she acquired a couple of donkeys because they are a wonderful alarm when predators come around. 

She dropped by one day offering eggs for my kitchen 

and we got to talking about hatching my own chicks as a way to keep our flock large enough to provide enough eggs for our two families. Last year each of our properties took quite a hit from predators, around her that includes fox, coyote, wild dogs and for some properties feral hogs. And before I could say, maybe I should give this a try, we were gathering up her equipment and a few more eggs from her yard and I was deep diving into egg hatching! And just like that, we became another homestead family who now hatches their own flock...

We had some of what we needed because we had purchased 

wee baby chicks and raised them while living in Montana. But our large brooder box was left behind in the move. However we did have a large water tank that would be perfect to convert to a Brooder Box, so after gathering up some scraps my husband came up with this topper for the water tank. It keeps them safe and makes it easy to clean up after the little chicks, plus we can see inside to make sure everything is A-OK. 

The basic shape for the top was cut from a piece of siding that was left from a previous project. I had requested a hinged opening for easy access. 

The hinged lid covered with chicken wire was assembled and affixed to the top. 

Scraps of garden hose was put on the bottom as bumpers so the top would stay in place and not slide off. 

In place on the water tank, looking into the tank from above. 

And completed. There is a small port drilled into the frame so that the electrical cord for the platform heater can be plugged in. 

While we had these supplies on had, once we knew we wanted to take this task on we did purchase our own incubator, heat platform and a tent. A tent? 

Turns out with a modern incubator hatching chicks is mostly fool proof. Do purchase one that has a large enough water reservoir to hold the water necessary to keep the humidity at the proper level. leaving you free from having to worry about water levels, and humidity. In addition you will want a countdown timer on your incubator. More as a reminder for you, the eggs already know what to do. 

In the past we used a heat lamp. But were fortunate to be able to use a heating platform on our first go round. And just let me say, purchase a heating platform! From the chicks point of view it is perfect (just like mom) and you don't have to monitor it very much at all. 

Once the hatching begins it goes quickly! We went from 0 to 15 chicks in two days! These were field run eggs, but when you have a rooster you can pretty much bet, each egg is a fertilized egg. 

How about a little terminology?

Left: the bump on the egg is where the chicken is poking a hole to breath oxygen and begin breaking out of the shell. That bump is referred to as "pipped".

Middle: the chick is using it's beak to cut a slit in the shell. This is referred to as "zipped". Once the shell has been pipped and zipped, the hatching should be done within 24 hours. 

Right: this little chick is tired, but eager to walk around and dry out. They hatch while still wet with amniotic fluid. They should receive 24 hours in the incubator or until they dry out before being moved to the brooder box. Sometimes the incubator gets a bit crowded!

But wait, what was the tent for? 

Our first hatching when we used the neighbor's equipment were still in the Brooder box when it was time to clean it out in anticipation of the second batch of chicks due to hatch. My daughter saw a video on IG where the folks used a 6ft by 6ft tent as a holding pen for the larger chicks, that were too big for the brooder box, but too small for the outdoor chicken run. 

I put down a double layer of cardboard for insulation from the cooler concrete floor and we set it up over the cardboard. It was outfitted with a layer of wood chips, a water dispenser and a large bowl of chick starter crumbles. The only thing I will do differently in the future is also put a layer of cardboard inside, because all those little claw feet will go through that tent bottom very quickly!

And I have to say, it works like a charm! Once the first hatching group is ready to go out to the chicken yard, we will need to move hatching batch number two, into the tent!

What do I think about hatching our own baby chicks? I actually have really enjoyed it! Who knows, maybe this could be a little side line for homestead income...

You may also enjoy: 

Stocking from the heart, for Homestead Sunday #14

#wholefoodingredients

#scratchmadefoodforyourfamily

#HomesteadSunday!

This post featured at: 

Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household featured at Busy Monday Link-up and Blog Hop. 

Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household featured at Homestead Blog Hop, 

Scratch  Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household featured at Share Your Style Link-up and Blog Hop. 

Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household featured at Sweet Tea and Friends Link-Up and Blog Hop. 

Thanks for stopping by!

We offer new and delicious recipes as well as DIY ideas for your home, regularly. Feel free to drop us an email request for any question or recipe you may be looking for. In addition, like all our guests, we invite you to come for a visit again and again for new recipes, and my down-home take on frugal ways to keep your home in tip top shape.

Hey you, don’t miss a post! Please consider following Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household. To follow by email, and/or by RSS feed, complete the application located on the right-hand side of the blog. Please Note, some posts may contain affiliate links, thank you for supporting Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household. 

PS, friends, and family who love good food and household ideas might love us too! Tell them about us, and thanks for the referral! 

You may also enjoy, Creative writing From the Heart... stories of life, living, and family. Now, From the Heart Vol II can be found here. 

Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household proudly shares with these generous link parties featured here.  

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot 04.17.2026

Hello and welcome to another great weekend! 

And what better way to enjoy it, in full, than with a visit to Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot! for April 17, 2026!

What makes this link-up special is that we encourage you to link up not only your current posts and good ideas, but also the great stuff in your archives! Yes, let's all show some love for those great posts resting in the archives, until you share them again.

Prunes Poached in Red Wine and Cinnamon.

Prunes Poached in Red Wine and Cinnamon, are you serious? Yes we are! And this dish of fruit with a bit of soft creamy cheese is so good, we call it dessert! Come and take a look...and please don't let the term prune, stop you...