Make it from Scratch, bird bread

I have cockatiels that refuse to eat anything that is good for them. Sounds like a kid doesn't it? For them to have a balanced diet and to live the 20 years they are supposed to I bake bread for them. This is not just any old bread, it is bird bread.

First I get 2 eggs out and wash them. Yes I said wash them. Eggshell have bacteria on them that can be fatal to birds. After washing them crack them and toss into a blender shells and all. Yep I said shells too. The shells give the birds a source of calcium, a much needed mineral especially if they are nesting. Next I put 5 jars of baby food in the blender. I used garden vegetables, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, and bananas. I bought these when they were marked down for clearance. Turn the blender on and grind it all up. The shells need to be grind up fairly small. After that is blended, add Jiffy mix cornbread muffin mix in the blender or you can pour it into a bowl and mix. Use the Jiffy mix as it does not contain any ingredients that can harm the birds. Next spoon into muffin pan that has been lined with cupcake paper. I prefer to use mini muffin pans so I have a size that won't get wasted by my small birds. Bake in oven at 300 degrees until the muffins are cooked thru. It never seems to take the same time every time. It has taken an hour but usually 30 minutes. Allow them to air dry and cool completely. They will be moist so freeze any unused portions as they will mold quickly in the fridge. Serve at room temperature to birds. When I get one from freezer I thaw in microwave. make sure that they are not too hot or they will burn your birds tongue. This is a sneaky way to get them to eat their fruits and veggies. Any combination of fruits and veggies can be used. Just be sure to check and make sure that you do not give the bird a fruit or veggie they cannot eat. If you have tiels this is a good place to find out what they can eat and recipes too! The Cockatiel Cottage

The bird bread is good for birds feeding babies also. It is easily digested and they can regurgitate it well.

tags: Make it From Scratch Birds Homemade

Made From Scratch

For Christmas this year(2006) I received a new sewing machine! Not exactly a gift for someone that knows absolutely zero about sewing! Back in high school when everyone else was taking Home Economics I was working in the Guidance Office. I could find no reason to take a class on something I would never use. It has only been on rare occasions that I wished I could sew. Lately I have been wishing I could do some sewing so my hubby got me a machine. It has been incredibly hard to learn how to do anything on this machine because I know nothing about sewing, I know no one that sews, and I can't see to thread the darn needle! Slowly but surely ( I am stubborn!) I have been learning how to do a few things. My granddaughter has been busy picking out patterns of things for me to make! LOL I have to keep telling her that I do not know how to do that yet but I am learning!

For my first project I made hanging kitchen towels. I bought some kitchens towels that were on clearance, a yard of material, and some buttons that were in the clearance bin also. I went online and downloaded a pattern and got to work. I printed the pattern and pined it to the material and cut it out. Next I cut the towel into. There were 2 different ways to make the towels and I wanted to try each. I ended up not following the directions all the way but I think my results came out pretty good for a first time!

Made from Scratch

This week has not been a biggie for making from scratch. Sunday I made a roast in the slow cooker and mashed potatoes to go with it. The next morning I made potato cakes for breakfast out of the leftover potatoes. No picture of the finished product, LOL they disappear as fast as I make them!

After breakfast I got out my small crockpot that I paid $3 at Walmart and loaded it up. This is a small crock that is ideal for making 2 person crockpot meals. I chopped up the left over roast, peeled and chopped potatoes and poured it into the crock.Then added enough water to cover. I added the leftover gravy from Sunday, poured in some salt, sprinkled some celery seeds in (out of fresh celery), popped the lid on and waited for the outcome. This is what my mama always called hash, just meat, potatoes and gravy cooked together like a stew. We would eat it over toast. Notice no onions in the recipe? They are there in the gravy. My hubby does not like onions but I use them regularly. After removing my roast from the pan I pour the drippings and the onions in the blender and make it smooth.

No sign of onions anywhere and everyone is happy! LOL Time to eat!

To see more about Made from Scratch go here

Made from scratch

This weekend I decided to try my hand at butter making. Yep butter, made from the fat of a cow. I made sweet cream, lightly salted butter. It was easy to make and I will do it again! It takes 1 ingredient, heavy whipping cream. I got out my new food processor that I got for Christmas and poured in 1 pint of whipping cream and a pinch of salt and set it to low. After a short time it was whipped up into whipping cream. Shortly after that it started looking like clobbered milk. Soon it was fairly solid looking. I poured off the buttermilk and churned it for a few more minutes . I poured off more of the milk and scrapped it up into a ball and placed it in a wide mouth mason jar and screwed the lid on. I started shaking it churning it more using a steady shaking motion. I did this until there was no more milk coming out of the butter. I tasted it and it sure did taste like butter. Now it is time to clean it. I poured about 1/2 cup of ice cold water into the jar and started shaking again. I repeated this until I had clear water. This step is not necessary but it will allow for longer storage of the butter. I then shook it more without the water in it to dry the butter out, pouring off the water that was shook out of it. I poured it out of some waxed paper and I was ready to eat it! A warm loaf of cheese bread was waiting for me to put a pat of creamy fresh made butter on it! A juicy steak, hot potato, and cheese bread with fresh butter, a meal made for my king!

For information on how you can make butter yourself click here