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Texas Tornado Cooking Sauces & Rubs, Canyon, TX (2026)

Created by Arthur Lee Parker, (better know as Honey), an old cowboy who didn't like the traditional barbeque sauces. He wanted a sauce that could be used on any meat, without tomatoes or sweeteners. A sauce that could be used out on the ranch when everyone gathered, that didn’t need refrigeration, and it was too far from town to run to the store. In 2012 the name was changed to Texas Tornado Cooki

ng Sauces and Rubs® and developed into the product people in the Panhandle of Texas have come to count on. Whether your thinking of Ribs, Chicken, cooking a pork tenderloin for an intimate gathering, or preparing a steak out on the grill, Texas Tornado Cooking Sauces and Rubs® will enhance the flavor of most any meat as well as fish and vegetables. Many have tried to duplicate the special recipe, and failed. From our family to yours we hope you enjoy it as much as we have through the years. The perfect sauce or rub for trail rides or just hanging out with friends. Don’t forget to ask about our Gourmet All Natural Beef Jerky.

05/01/2026

Good morning, everyone. Another busy week is coming to an end at Bits & Pieces Quilt Shop. Patterns this week are from my 2024 Calendar which is still available on my website for free until the end of July. I have spent the week at the hospital with Allen. Due to a bone infection in his right leg the doctor had to amputate more of his leg to above the knee. Dr. Vowles said that this should take care of the infection, and he should require any further surgeries. This has been a long road for him, but we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully will get ready for the prosthetic in two months.
Simple Picnic Quilt-August 2024
Hollow Cube 3D Blocks- October 2024
Why did the cow go to space?
To visit the Milky Way!

The Crafters Corner
Growing Fruit Trees From Seeds You Save | Homesteading
• By Homesteading Team
• Published on April 13, 2023
Growing fruit trees from seeds is an essential homesteading skill. If you want to start harvesting fruit trees, you’ll love this easy way to grow your own fruit trees for free. You could save money on fruit, enjoy the benefits of homegrown produce and even turn a profit.

Step-by-Step Guide To Growing Fruit Trees From Seeds
Don’t you feel guilty throwing out seeds from the fruit you eat? I know I do. When I used to cut open a persimmon to eat it, I would throw out the seeds. Eventually, I decided that wasting beautiful seeds wasn’t an option—after all, I could grow trees from those seeds…and I did! Here’s a way to grow trees from seeds that will produce healthy fruits on your homestead!
Step 1: Germinate Seeds
Clean the fruity flesh off the seeds. Pick it off using your fingers. Or if it’s too hard to do, try to soak the seeds in warm water for 2 minutes first.
Step 2: Choose The Right Soil
Choose the right soil. Some people say you have to use seed starting soil, but in my opinion, any soil is fine. Even old soil from your garden beds would work perfectly. My soil is really sandy, and all the seeds I plant in it germinate really well, about 90%.
Step 3: Choose Where to Plant
Choose where you will plant the seeds. I wouldn’t recommend planting the seeds outside or in garden beds. The reason why I don’t encourage this is because it may be too cold outside. You also want to plant in a smaller confined space to better manage and track the growth of your seed.
I recommend planting your seeds in a pot or container. You can keep them on a windowsill until they grow bigger.
TIP: Dollar stores have cheap flowerpots. You can use a chopstick or finger to dig small holes in the soil.
How deep to plant your seeds:
Seed Size: Depth:
1 inch……………………………………..2 inches
2 cm……………………………………….3 cm
1.5 cm……………………………………..2.5 cm
1 cm………………………………………..2 cm
0.5 cm……………………………………..1 cm
Step 4: Care For Your Seeds
Water your seeds often. Fertilize them once the trees are over 5 cm. You could use store-bought fertilizer or make it yourself out of compost [learn how to make it here]. The choice is yours. Once the tree becomes twice as tall as the pot it is in, transfer it into a larger pot.
From there you can watch your trees grow big and strong! I do this on my own homestead all the time I’ve even learned how to turn a profit.
Want to watch the process in action? Hit Play:
So will you start growing fruit trees from seeds you save? Let us know below in the comments!
How To Germinate Seeds | A Homesteader’s Guide To Sprouting Seeds
• By Homesteading Team
• Published on March 19, 2025
Learn how to germinate seeds fast and easy today! With this guide, you can now start growing seeds in soil, water, and even common household items like a paper towel!
5 Ways On How To Germinate Seeds Fast And Easy
One of the basic skills any homesteader should learn is how to germinate seeds. Once you get the process, you can just imagine the different salad greens, fruits and veggies – even flowers – you can grow! That can save you a lot of money in the future. Of course, you can now feed your family with nutrient-dense, delicious, and even organic whole food. A lot of people tend to think you need to have a green thumb before you can grow seeds. Definitely, it helps, but the truth is anyone can grow food, build a garden, and sprout seeds with these fast and easy ideas.
The Difference Between Sprouting And Germinating Seeds
How To Germinate Seeds | A Homesteader's Guide To Sprouting SeedsHomesteading.com | Practical Homestead Skills, DIY Guides & Sustainable LivingCitrus | How To Germinate Seeds A Homesteader's Guide To Sprouting Seeds
Before we get into easy ideas on how to germinate seeds, let’s answer one of the common questions among homesteaders: what’s the difference between sprouting and germinating? The answer is none! Yup, technically, they mean the same thing. Recently, however, some refer to microgreens as sprouts.
What You Need to Germinate Seeds Fast

Learning how to germinate seeds fast involves knowing the factors that affect their growth. These include water, light source (sprouts grow toward the light), type of germinated seed, type of soil, and season. Different seeds require different quantities and needs for each of these elements, so doing your research FIRST before you start the process of seed germination is important. This guide will give you the basics.
Different Germination Methods
Germinating seeds indoors and outdoors is incredibly easy. Really, I couldn’t emphasize that enough. Infact you have many options on how to do that. Just check out this list.
1. How To Germinate Seeds in Water
In A Cup
One of the first processes of seed germination is called imbibition. This is when the seeds “drink water.” By imbibing water into the seed, it starts off and even speeds up the metabolic processes need to make the seeds sprout and grow. If you’re started learning how to germinate seeds in water, you can achieve the best results with an avocado seed (hello, guacamole!).
Some seeds need to be soaked in water (this is called pre-soaking) to soften the seed’s coat, but to germinate an avocado seed, there’s no need for that. Rather, you can use a toothpick to balance it in the mouth and allow the roots to grow and feed on the water.
In A Sponge
If you can germinate seeds in a cup of water, you can also sprout them using a sponge! This is a great idea if you are thinking of having fast-growing seeds. Note, though, since a sponge doesn’t have a lot of space available, you can’t have too many seeds in one.
To germinate seeds in a sponge, you need a clean dry sponge. A kitchen sponge will do. Then you have to run it on clean, tepid water. The sponge will soak the water, but it should not be dripping with it. Place the seeds inside the sponge and the sponge onto a clean dish. Check the sponge regularly for any sprouting.
In A Paper Towel
A very popular method of sprouting seeds is by using tissue paper or a paper towel. Germinating seeds in a paper towel is a viable option when you have a lot of seeds with you, and you have no idea which of these will grow successfully.
How to germinate seeds in a paper towel? So easy! It doesn’t even require sunlight. Get a kitchen paper towel and run it on water. Wring it to remove the excess water and spread the seeds evenly. Cover them with another moist paper towel and put in a dark area to allow the seeds to absorb the water properly.
2. How To Germinate Seeds In Soil
Muffin Trays
Germinating seeds in soil is remarkably easy, provided you have the right kind of soil (although compost always works). The best part is you can be imaginative and creative by putting them in recyclables! Take, for example, the muffin trays, which are perfect when you are growing different sprouts simultaneously.
Plastic Containers
Plastics don’t decay at least within the next thousand years, so why don’t you recycle those plastics into containers to germinate seeds indoors? You can get plastic containers like these, place the seeds near the window, and allow enough sunlight to let the seeds grow.
Mason Jars
The great thing about mason jars is they tend to be deep, so there’s enough room for the seeds or sprouts to really take root. They also make nice decors for your kitchen counters and windowsills. If you’re planning a birthday or even a wedding, they make awesome party favors.
Tin Cans
If you’re looking for more room to plant many seeds, then I suggest you get the tin cans. They’re wide and deep you may no longer need to move the plants to pots anymore. I love the look of tin cans as is, but if you want to be artsy, you can spray paint them with bold, lively colors.
CD Cases
image via 2busybrunettes
Can you germinate seeds in CD cases? The answer is yes, although the space is pretty limited. However, it makes an excellent science project as kids can see how the seeds sprout and grow.
Soup Bowls
image via growcreativeblog
Wide soup bowls are perfect for growing fruits and veggies that also tend to be huge once they grow like pineapples, for instance.
3. How To Germinate Seeds And Not Water It Often
image via instructables
A busybee (yup, pun intended)? Water is an essential element when you’re still trying to germinate seeds. If you don’t have time to water it regularly, you can try doing this simple process. The self-watering technique involves cutting a plastic soda container about two-thirds and a third. Fill the two-thirds container with soil for your seeds while you place water into your one-third container. Put the two-thirds container in your one-third container. That’s it! The roots will consume whatever amount of water it needs, so you add more only when there’s little to none left.
4. How To Germinate Seeds In Cartons
Egg Cartons
One of the main reasons why you should seriously consider sprouting seeds is carton is biodegradability. You don’t have to worry about throwing the cartons away once you’re ready to move the seeds to their pots. If you lack muffin trays, you can grow seeds in egg trays instead. Fill them with soil and spray some water, and you’re good to go. Another option is to use eggshells. Cut them in half, fill them with soil, and add a minuscule amount of water. Then place the eggshells in the tray.
Toilet Paper Cartons
image via lonehomeranger
I love using toilet paper rolls or cartons to organize my wires, but you can also use them for seed germination. They’re scalable, which means you can add as many toilet rolls as you like in a container depending on how many seeds you wish to sprout.
5. How To Germinate Seeds In Fruits And Veggies
Pumpkin
image via lifewithmoorebabies
Be a lot gentler on the environment by either composting your fruits and veggies or using them as seed starters. Your pumpkin, for instance, can be used to grow, what else, pumpkin seeds! It takes about a week to see your first sprouts, so they’re easy to germinate. All you need is to get a pumpkin (not rotting yet), cut the top, clean the space, add your compost or soil, bury the seeds, and water.
Citrus
Don’t have pumpkin? More likely, you have citrus fruits like lemons. Use the halves the way you do pumpkins. That’s it!
One of the easiest and fastest ways on how to germinate seeds is to use paper towels. If you’d like to see how it’s done (this is going to be quick, don’t worry), just check out this video:
There you have it, my fellow homesteaders! Here are 5 ways on how to germinate seeds the easiest and fastest way possible. Many of the things you need are found in your home, so all you need is some creativity and imagination, and you can make the process even more fun.
What do you call a pig that knows karate?
A pork chop.

Grand Marnier Apricot Stuffing
Place the apricots and 1 cup of Grand Marnier in a small saucepan. Heat to boiling. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Simmer the turkey liver and heart in water to cover in a small saucepan for 5 minutes; set aside and cool.
Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and sauté for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Cook the pork sausage in the same skillet, crumbling with a fork, until it is no longer pink. Remove and add to the celery mixture.
Add the stuffing mix, apricots with liquid and almonds. Finely dice the turkey liver and heart and add to the stuffing mixture, stir to combine.
Heat the remaining 1/2 cup butter and the stock in a small saucepan just until the butter melts. Pour over the stuffing mixture and add the remaining 1/2 cup Grand Marnier. Stir well to moisten the stuffing. Season with thyme, salt and pepper to taste.
Enough for a 21 to 24 pound turkey.
Adapted from Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook

Pistachio Cherry Biscotti
Golden-green, mildly salty shelled pistachios and deep red, sweet and tangy dried cherries complement each other beautifully, both, in color and flavor.
Makes 16 to 18 biscotti
Ingredients:
1 recipe American-Style Biscotti (recipe above)
1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon strong cherry flavor, to taste (optional)
1 cup (4 ounces) shelled pistachios
1 cup (4 5/8 ounces) dried cherries, sweet or sour
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) one baking sheet.
Prepare the biscotti dough, substituting cherry flavor for the vanilla, if desired. Stir in the pistachios and cherries. Shape and bake biscotti as directed in the essential recipe. If the cherries you used are very fresh and moist, you may find the biscotti still fairly soft at the end of the baking time. For crunchier biscotti, bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Baking time: 50 to 60 minutes
Cranberry Orange Biscotti
This classic muffin and quick bread flavor pairing translates beautifully to biscotti. These make a lovely dessert at Thanksgiving, if you can tear folks away from the pumpkin pie!
Makes 16 to 18 biscotti
Ingredients:
1 recipe American-Style Biscotti (recipe above)
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest, not packed*
1 cup (4 5/8 ounces) dried cranberries
1 cup (4 ounces) toasted walnuts
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) one baking sheet.
Prepare the biscotti dough, adding the orange juice and zest once the egg/sugar mixture is fully beaten. Shape and bake biscotti as directed in the essential recipe.
*Measure the orange zest into the tablespoon without packing it. It’ll take about half a large orange to yield a tablespoon of zest.
Baking time: 50 to 55 minutes

04/24/2026

Good morning, everyone. Another busy week is coming to an end at Bits & Pieces Quilt Shop. Between doctors’ visits and home health visits I haven’t had much time for quilting. Spring is here. The Texas wind took down all my fence signs. I hope next week I can find the time to get the plants in the ground. And then get back to the shop to get ready for long arm quilting again, but Allen goes back to the hospital for surgery on Tuesday. It is going to be a busy week. I watched a documentary this week on Netflix. The name of the show was “When They See Us. I enjoyed the show for the most part, but I do wish film makers would stop featuring half-truths. The fact that at the time of the interview “Now President Trump” stated the death penalty should be in place for the crime had nothing to do with race, gender, or religious beliefs. This is being turned into a race issue but please look at the entire truth before you judge anyone, The President of the United States or your neighbor. The prosecutor took a remark from President Trump and turned it into a race issue. My personal take away from the movie is that five young men were wrongly convicted. They were sent to prison because of corrupt detectives and prosecutors. To this day I cannot find a single thing about the individuals involved with this travesty who have been charged. In my option it was the detectives that should be in prison for what they did to these young people. It is time we held the criminals on both sides of the law responsible.
Prairie Point Play Baby Quilt
https://square.link/u/aQNGJNEh
Playing in the Wind Quilt Pattern
https://square.link/u/x3m1kNu8

The Crafters Corner
How to Germinate Peach Pits (and Why You Should)
• David The Good
July 7, 2017
• Edible Landscapes, Fruit, Fruit & Nuts A-Z, Garden, Growing Food, Seeds
Some years ago, I discovered in some dusty corner of the internet that peach pits require cold stratification to germinate. Cold stratification is a technique used to simulate real-world conditions that a seed would get outdoors after a frozen winter, which then gives way to a warm, wet spring. There are six methods of cold stratification to choose from: cold water soaking, refrigeration, fall planting, winter/solstice sowing, outdoor treatment, and snow planting.
I put this knowledge to the test with great success, starting about 50 peach pits I found beneath an abandoned and squirrel-ravaged Tropic Beauty peach growing a few miles from my old place in North Florida.
I did this experiment despite the fact that there are hordes of small-minded gardeners, who take great pleasure in lecturing everyone about the utter worthlessness of starting fruit trees from seed.
These people are wrong.
Here’s a video I did showing some of my seed-grown peach trees in fruit:
And here are two pictures of some of the delicious fruit I got as a result of germinating peach pits in my very own refrigerator:
In their SECOND year, my two seedling peach trees produced about five gallons of fruit. They continued to massively outproduce the grafted peach trees I planted before them, plus they grew with more vigor.
Growing fruit trees from seed isn’t a dumb thing to do. It’s a great thing to do, and a YUGE, high energy, too. Check out this video on how I germinated other fruit trees from seed!
Sometimes the “experts” aren’t necessarily correct. They’re just people who say things adamantly because they’ve heard other people say them.
Heck with that.
Apple Surprise Rolls
Source: Better Homes and Gardens

Makes 16 rolls
Prep: 45 minutes
Rise: 30 minutes
Bake: 12 minutes
Ingredients
1 16-ounce package hot roll mix
1 medium cooking apple, finely chopped (1 cup)
1/4 cup mixed dried fruit bits or raisins
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons milk
Directions
1. Prepare hot roll mix according to package directions. Knead the dough; allow to rest as directed. Meanwhile, for filling, in a small bowl stir together apple, dried fruit bits, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Divide dough into 16 pieces. Flatten each piece into a 3-inch circle. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon of filling onto each circle. Shape the dough around the filling to enclose, pulling dough until smooth and rounded. Place, rounded sides up, on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (about 30 minutes).
3. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly on a wire rack.
4. For icing, in a small bowl stir together powdered sugar and enough milk to make of drizzling consistency. Drizzle over rolls. Makes 16 rolls.
Crispy Rolls of Salsify with Prosciutto and Parmesan
Daniel Boulaud
Chef of the Month
November 2001
Adapted from Cooking with Daniel Boulud, Random House 1993
Makes 48 Hors d Oeuvres
5 to 6 Salsify roots (about ½ pound), ends cut off and roots peeled
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 to 8 slices of prosciutto, 8 inches by 3 inches (about ¼ pound)
5 to 6 sheets of Phyllo dough
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 pinches of fresh ground nutmeg
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. Boil the peeled whole roots in a deep pan with 2 quarts water, the lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. When easily pierced with a knife, after approximately 15 to 20 minutes, remove the Salsify from the heat, drain, and set aside to cool on a paper towel.
3. Season each Salsify with salt and pepper. Use about 1½ slices prosciutto lengthwise to wrap each root (the width of the slices should fit tightly around the cooked Salsify).
4. Place a sheet of Phyllo dough on the countertop. Brush the sheet with melted butter and sprinkle it with Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Place a Salsify wrapped in prosciutto along the edge of the shorter length of the dough. Tightly wrap the Salsify. Trim off any leftover dough. Repeat with each Salsify until they are all wrapped. Brush each roll with butter and sprinkle with or roll them in Parmesan. Place the rolls on a greased baking sheet and bake until golden, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Cut each roll at an angle into 8 pieces. Place them on a serving dish.

04/17/2026

04-17-2026
Good morning, everyone. Another busy week is coming to an end at Bits & Pieces Quilt Shop. This week I will focus on quilts you can make without a pattern. The Color Me Quilt is made with 8” x 10” squares. I make the squares for mine 8”x 10” finished. The finished quilt will be 48”x48” with borders. You can make our quilt any size you want by increasing or decreasing the size of the squares or by adding and subtracting squares. All you need for the Color Me Quilt is your imitation, a permanent marker, some coloring book pages, and scrap fabric. The permanent marker is for tracing the design onto white fabric, you can print out the design on fabric using a sublimation ink printer, if you have one, but be aware, the design will fade over time using the printer method. Once you have completed the quilt, let your child color the squares using a washable marker. The quilt can be washed and used repeatedly, or your child can color the pictures before you put them in the quilt with permanent markers or crayons. If they use crayons make sure the quilt is air dried and not put it in the dryer. The My First A-B-C Quilt is made with 7” squares but you can use whatever size you want, depending on the size of quilt you desire. The designs on the A-B-C quilt can be appliqued or embroidered. Simply draw out the alphabet letters the fabric and cut out for the applique or if you are using machine embroidery you can find the alphabet lettering at any number of embroidery sites or if you have the software, you can design your own. Make all your alphabet squares. Press them flat and lay out on a flat surface. Let your imagination run free. I make all the alphabet letters then fill in with blank squares to make a 48” x 72” twin size quilt, consisting of 54 squares total. I make the squares for mine 8” finished. Both quilts are learning quilts for the young one in your family. If you don’t have time to make one yourself, I sell these by special request only with a simple email containing the coloring pages you want incorporated into your quilt.
This week’s quilt pattens
Color Me Quilt
My First A-B-C’s Quilt
• What do you call a Frenchman wearing sandals? Philippe Flop.

The Crafters Corner
Calm Bouncy Balls
Ingredients
White school glue (PVA glue)
Borax powder (laundry aisle)
Warm water
Food coloring (cool tones like blue, teal, lavender, or mint)
Fine glitter (optional)
Tools
2 small bowls
Measuring spoons
Spoon or craft stick
Paper towels
Gloves (optional)
Step 1: Make the Borax Solution
In a bowl mix:
½ cup warm water
1 tablespoon Borax
Stir well until the Borax dissolves completely.
Set the solution aside.
Step 2: Prepare the Glue Mixture
In another bowl mix:
2 tablespoons white glue
1 tablespoon warm water
Stir until smooth.
Add:
2–3 drops of cool-tone food coloring (blue, teal, lavender, etc.)
Optional: add a pinch of glitter for sparkle.
Swirl lightly to create a marbled effect.
Step 3: Activate the Reaction
Slowly pour 1 tablespoon of the Borax solution into the glue mixture.
Do not stir immediately.
Wait for 10 seconds, then gently stir.
The mixture will begin to thicken and form a soft lump.
Step 4: Shape the Ball
Remove the mixture from the bowl.
Roll it between your palms for 1–2 minutes until it becomes smooth and round.
If it feels sticky, lightly dip your fingers into the Borax solution.
Step 5: Let It Set
Place the balls on paper towels.
Let them rest:
10 minutes for softer bounce
30 minutes for firmer bounce
They will continue strengthening as they sit.
Step 6: Test and Store
Bounce the ball on a hard surface to test it.
Store in an airtight container to keep it from drying out.

Amaretto French Toast
3 (1 inch thick) French bread slices
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoons almond liqueur (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/8 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup, warmed
Arrange bread slices in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
Whisk together eggs, next 4 ingredients, and, if desired, liqueur; pour over bread. Let stand 5 minutes, turning once. Cover and chill for 8 hours, if desired.
Melt butter at 400° in a 15 x 10 inch jellyroll pan; add French bread slices.
Bake at 400° for 15 minutes; turn and bake 8 to 10 more minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with almonds and powdered sugar. Serve with maple syrup.
Yield: 1 serving
Raspberry Stuffed French Toast with Custard Sauce
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 1 hr. 25 min
Makes: 9 servings, one piece each
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs plus 2 egg whites
5 cups of fat free milk, divided
1 loaf (1 lb./24 inches) French baguette, ends trimmed, cut into 18 slices, divided
1 pkg. (12 oz.) frozen unsweetened raspberries, divided
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
BEAT Neufchatel cheese, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs and egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gradually add 2 cups of the milk, beating until well blended.
ARRANGE 9 of the bread slices in greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the raspberries; top with remaining bread slices. Pour Neufchatel cheese mixture over bread. Let it stand for 30 min. Preheat oven to 350°F.
BAKE 40 min. or until golden brown. Meanwhile, bring remaining 3 cups of milk just to boil in saucepan; gradually add dry pudding mix, whisking until well blended. Remove from heat; let stand 5 min. Microwave remaining raspberries in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 15 to 20 sec. or until warm. Serve topped with custard sauce and raspberries.
KRAFT KITCHENS TIPS
Make Ahead
Assemble casserole as directed. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. When ready to serve, bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 40 to 45 min. or until golden brown. Meanwhile, prepare custard sauce. Serve as directed.
• Did you know that the first french fries weren’t cooked in France? They were cooked in grease.
Chocolate Garden
by Marie Hofer, Gardening editor, HGTV.com
There can be a world of chocolate in your garden. I'm not talking about the plants that look milky brown and have chocolate in the name--'Chocolate Ruffles' heuchera (brown foliage) or the 'Chocolate Soldier' columbine (brown flowers) or even 'Chocolate Chip' ajuga (new leaves are brown). No, we're talking about walking through the garden and smelling chocolate. A sniff of the plants below can be very satisfying. Unfortunately, though, if aroma makes you hungry, you'll need to carry a chocolate bar with you. The only two of these that are edible (the geranium and the mint) have only the vaguest of chocolaty flavors.
Chocolate flower (photo courtesy of Mountain Valley Growers)
Chocolate flower (Berlandiera lyrata). The chocolaty aroma that wafts from these dark-eyed daisies is best in the morning. A wildflower that's native to the Southwest, the chocolate flower thrives on minimal water. In moist, humid climates, try planting in containers; that will also allow you to place the plant where you can best appreciate its fragrance. This hardy perennial is short-lived but freely reseeds.
Chocolate-mint geranium (Pelargonium tomentosum 'Chocolate Mint'). Scented geranium comes in apple, pineapple, orange and even pink champagne, so obviously a chocolate-mint was needed too. The foliage, not the flowers, carry the fragrance. Enjoy as an annual during the growing season and then bring inside for the winter.
This young chocolate mint is as vigorous as its other mint cousins. If you're concerned that it may outgrow its space, keep it in a container.
Chocolate mint (Mentha x piperita 'Chocolate Mint'). Call the fragrance on this mint nine parts mint to one part chocolate. Like others in its family, this mint spreads aggressively via rhizomes. If you want to keep it in bounds, plant it in containers or install ground barriers. Mint is tolerant of almost any soil, but in moist, rich soil, growth will be rampant.
Chocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus). Velvety, black-maroon flowers give off a wonderful chocolate scent from midsummer to fall. This plant needs full sun and well-drained soil with even moisture. In spring, plant tubers three feet apart in full sun. In the fall, treat as you would a dahlia; lift and store for the winter. Enjoy the aroma but don't eat: this plant is toxic.
Not on the list:
Somehow the sweet shrub (Calycanthus floridus) has gained the reputation for having a chocolate aroma. Not so. The brown-maroon flowers of the sweetshrub have a lovely fragrance, but it's fruity (or sometimes spicy). The other common names for this large deciduous shrub: strawberry bush, spicebush and Carolina allspice.
Chocolate flower - Mountain Valley Growers

04/10/2026

Good morning, everyone. Another busy week is coming to an end at Bits & Pieces Quilt Shop. I hope everyone had wonderful Easter. A quick thank you to our military for rescuing our downed airman.
Over the next few months, I will be designing baby quilts. I am sure that with spring coming new announcements will be forthcoming. I started receiving my plants for Spring planting. The first one to arrive was the miniature fig bush. This was delivered by the post office. To my surprise they put it in the mailbox. Why would anyone in the right mind put a live plant in the rural roadside mailbox. Even worse was the fact that I was supposed to sign for it but was not asked to. I am hoping it survives. I am also planting Variegated Blue Hosta Bulbs and Heart of Jesus Caladium Bulbs. This should complete the flower bed nicely with the Yellow roses bush, Rosemary, Lavender and Fire bushes.
This week’s quilt pattens
Sunbeams
https://square.link/u/7E6YoXrr
Doughnut Pillow
https://square.link/u/diK1jtuq

You may or may not get this one depending on your age!
• This morning, Siri said, “Don’t call me Shirley.” I accidentally left my phone in Airplane mode.

The Crafters Corner

DIY Concrete Hand Planters & Bowls
https://diyjoy.com/diy-home-decor-concrete-planters/
Hi Friends! I’m very excited to share my latest DIY. I made these really cool concrete planter hands. Use them as planters or toss your keys or spare change into them. My inspiration for these DIY concrete planter hands came from a recent feature post I did on another set of DIY concrete planter hands. I thought they were so fun. Plus, I’ve been really wanting to try making something with concrete. So this seemed like the perfect place to start. Now, while making these DIY concrete hands was super easy, I have to admit I started out with a major fail. So I’ll start by telling you a little about how you can avoid making the same mistakes. My biggest lesson learned here is that not all concrete is made equal. I picked up the smallest bag of concrete I could find at Home Depot. Their smallest bag was 50 lbs. But it was only $5 so no big deal. I was all ready to get started.
The first thing you want to definitely make sure to do when you start is wear a breathing mask because when you pour the concrete, there is no way you’ll be able to avoid breathing in the dust that flies up. So absolutely wear a mask. Anyway, wearing my dust mask, I went ahead and poured my dry concrete into a bucket.
Dry & wet concrete
It was all full of rocks! Yup. Apparently, real concrete is rocks mixed with cement. Well, I figured I’d give it a try so I mixed in water based on the package instructions. Then I used a garden trowel to stuff the concrete into an old gardening glove and a few plastic gloves.
I let the gloves sit over night then started cutting and peeling the gloves off the concrete. It was not looking right at all.
Something’s not looking quite right
I had made the hands of The Thing from Fantastic Four.
I had definitely made a mess of it; couldn’t even get the gloves off without breaking the fingers. Total sadness.
But I wasn’t ready to give up. I headed back to the hardware store and this time I asked one of the store clerks what kind of cement I should use for casting. The clerk went into a schpeel on all the different kinds of cement (apparently there are lots of different kinds of cement), but he finally directed me to a product. So my biggest tip is to look for a cement (not concrete) that says “casting” on it. This is what I picked up…
Notice that is says “casting” on it….
It’s called Rapid Set Cement All. So, back to the drawing board, I mixed up my new cement according to the instructions. Aahhh, look how perfectly smooth that is…
Using a gardening trowel again, I started filling my gloves. I found that air gets stuck in the fingers.
I squeezed the fingers of the glove to push the air out and then to get the cement to the bottom of the fingers you have to sort of “milk” the fingers as if you were milking a cow. (I’ve never milked a cow, but I might be pretty good at it now.) It takes a bit to make sure there are no air pockets. I had to work kind of fast because the cement I was using starts to set in 15 minutes. I filled a total of four gloves this way. On the last two, using a scissor I cut a slit along the pinky side, pressed out a little cement and then pressed the two hands together so that they would dry as one.
Preparing to connect the hands
Then I shaped the fingers the way I wanted them and used some rocks to hold them in place. I did the same with the other two gloves I filled.
The cement starts to dry really quickly and the hands got really hot to the touch. By about a half hour in they felt rock solid. But I let them dry a few hours before messing with them. Then I used a scissor to cut the gloves open and peel them off.
Once the gloves were peeled off, my beautiful DIY concrete hand planters were good to go. I picked up some succulents on my second trip to Home Depot and planted them.
You can also use to store your keys!
Or as an interesting center piece.
To recap, the materials needed are:
– cement FOR CASTING! (that’s me yelling at myself)
– water
– plastic gloves
– trowel to mix & scoop the cement.
Enjoy making your own DIY concrete planter hands and bowls!
• Where do pirates get their hooks? Second Hand stores.

CAYENNE CORN BREAD
3 cups yellow corn meal
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
1-cup sugar
4 Tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2-teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 large eggs
4 cups milk
2 T Honey
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two glass 13 by 9-inch baking dishes. This is even better if you substitute Johnny's Pizza/Pasta Seasoning for the Cayenne pepper.
In a large mixing bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Sift through a coarse sieve. In a separate large bowl lightly beat the eggs and milk. Add the dry ingredients, stirring to combine. Do not over mix.
Pour the batter into the buttered baking dishes and bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the center. Cool and cut into squares and serve.

Green Chile Cornbread
Finally. A green chile cornbread that is moist, flavorful, and filled with corn and chiles. I've been experimenting for a couple of years now and believe we now have a winner. Do you like green chiles? I grew up eating Anaheims. They are best when roasted fresh over flame, but you can easily use the canned chiles.
If you use canned chiles and want the heat, make sure you look for the cans that say "hot", not "mild" on them.
Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup of sour cream
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups of milk
2 cups of chopped, roasted green chiles (Anaheim or Hatch) (2 7-ounce cans of whole green chiles, drained, chopped)
1 cup corn (frozen is fine)
1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces)
Method
1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease an 8x12 inch baking dish.
2 In a large bowl mix the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar. Beat the sour cream and eggs into the butter sugar mixture. Add the milk and the dry ingredients, a third at a time and alternate wet/dry. Mix in the green chiles, corn, and shredded cheese. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
3 Bake for 35 minutes, until top is browned, the center springs back when pressed down, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool almost completely before serving.
Makes about 12 serving pieces.

Address

Canyon, TX
79015

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

(806) 655-2028

Website

https://www.bitsandpiecesquiltshop.com/

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