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!

It is easy to be fooled by the weather in April, 

and completely believe that a spring like summer has arrived full time! But the truth is, we always have a wet spring, with lots of rain. Which we need, as much as every state needs rain. Looking back, March gave us very little rain. Around here the weather becomes sunny and warm almost instantly, usually by Valentines Day. And we quickly move on to thinking about grilling outside, a trip to the beach and fourth of July fireworks before that heart shaped box of chocolates is half empty! And with that nice weather we do begin grilling outside, we plant the garden, and always get surprised by the chill that takes over when the rains are on their way! This year the rain arrived late, with almost none offered in April. But rain has ushered us into May with nonstop rainfall for two days now...

We have been in Texas for three years, and I fall for it every year! 

And while I am not originally from Texas, I have come to call it home. Not just my address, but also my comfort with the weather, the people and overall satisfaction with life, in general. I don't mind the heat or the humidity. And I enjoy the independence that seems to be a part of each person living here. Especially those who have been Texans their whole lives! They might be a little slower on the road, but they are Texas through and through! And I think I have a fair idea of taking on a new community, because moving to Texas was my 38th move. Yep, I have moved 38 times (possibly more!)....it just seems to be what we did as a family when I was young, and it became a habit for me, when I moved out on my own. 

April was a bit slow in the kitchen because the springtime crud,

which finally caught up with me! We have passed it from one family member to the other, and from one household to the other. Fortunately I can finally tell that this virus is releasing it's grip on my system. I was the last one to succumb to it, but it sure stayed longer than I would have liked. These newly enhanced T cells should see me through for another seven years or so, which is about the last time I had a doozy of a cold. And the rain is expected to ease up, making outside where I want to be! There are peas to pick in the garden and a few weeds that have pretty much appointed themselves as masters of the universe.  

So what is new in my kitchen? 

One thing I purchased was a ceramic waffle maker! So I can use...

I have this fun cookbook called Will It Waffle, and I am keen to have more kitchen fun making a few of the recipes. Last year when I cleaned out all the non-stick silicone bakeware, I also tossed out a waffle maker that had a teflon coating. As well as any appliances with black plastic. I knew as soon as a ceramic waffle Maker was available and affordable, I wanted to replace the one I had. This purchase offers another chance at making some of the recipes in the cookbook! I have several earmarked to try. 

Plus it was time to replace the dried herbs in my spice cabinet. While they still had a lovely smell, they really did not offer much flavor when used. Some will be shared with my daughter's kitchen as well. 

And while the month was slow for new recipe development, I did manage to get out these new posts!:

Garlic Green Beans, dressed in Olive Oil. I have been paying extra attention to my food intake. But not in the usual way, where calories are the focus. For me, it is about a wider variety of different foods through out the month along with special emphasis on nutrition. PS those beautiful purple flowers are from my sage plant in the garden!

True confession, I had never (and I do mean NEVER) been a fan of overnight oats until this recipe. They were always gloppy, and I simply did not like the texture! Yes, I am a texture person, as well as a flavor person. But this recipe from Mel proved to be a winner! And I have been enjoying them almost daily! The boost in fiber is the thing. We all need it, and this is an easy way to get some! Mel's Overnight Oats. You are going to want to try this recipe. 

While I have not advertised the fact, I became (temporarily) a Low Histamine cook, a few months ago. With that said, never fear all new recipes are not L/H, because I still cook what my hubby enjoys as well. But all food is cooked from organic (when ever possible) whole foods. But you see, after years of not feeling good, it finally dawned on me that I was in Histamine Overload. I knew it was not aging that had changed my metabolism, in truth, my metabolism had stopped operating correctly. Long story short, I began researching Histamine Overload once aware of it in myself and adjusted my cooking style accordingly. We are about six or seven months in and I am seeing pretty goo results, and have begun adding (slowly, very slowly!) the higher histamine foods back into our meals. Needless to say, I am looking forward to that!

But along the way, I read an article about eating to keep your metabolism in tip top shape. And what it said (without being blunt, like I can be!) was that we need a wide variety of different foods each month. But not just once, we need to eat a big variety each month. Now I know we all know that! But apparently we don't all do that...I know I didn't. Turns out I work from a master grocery list when I market, and I work from those same foods, when I cook. Problem created by convenience...So change was needed! I now keep track and make sure I am eating at least 30 different seeds, nuts, fruits and vegetables each month. But don't stop at 30, the more variety the better. Plus these are also the same foods that offer fiber, which is the other thing we all need. Have You Heard About 30+ Each Month? So, How Much Variety Do You Eat? came from reading and following that article. 

And we went into hatching our own eggs big time! We were given more eggs from our neighbor down the lane, to use in our newly acquired incubator! Ours holds 18 chicken eggs. While it also offers the times and temperatures needed for eggs of all different fowl. We got 15 chicks from our maiden voyage! Which means we have 23 chickens to add to our flock. They aren't all hens, but we will be eating our own eggs once again in about 6 month!

Needless to say, I have been fairly busy taking care of 23 baby chickens! That is after learning all the different stages that have to happen for successful hatching. My husband built a brooder box for them, for keeping them safe and warm once they hatched. Hatching Our Own Chickens, for Homestead Sunday tells the whole story! 

So, what has been happening in your kitchen? Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate it!

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