All Saints’ Day ~ Saintly Steak Sandwich - French Dip

 

This is a simple and warm dish to serve up on chilly day before the festivities. 

This EASY French Dip Sandwich is an offshoot of Papi’s creation. Papi loves steak (including tri-tip).  Bread comes a close second for him.  He made a tri-tip sandwich one night in September when dinner was served up.  Papi declared, “This is a Saint Steak Sandwich.”  The girls agreed, “A Saint Steak Sandwich, perfect for All Saints’ Day!”  

Prayers for a blessed All Saints’ Day!

~~~

Prayer for All Saints Day

Dear Father,
You have given the saints in Heaven eternal happiness and they now live in the fullness of Your glory. Because of their holy love for You, they also care about me and my family, my friends, my church, and my neighbors. Thank You for the gift of their friendship and the witness of their holy lives. I ask our patron saints and every saint who has become especially dear to me to intercede for us. I ask them to help us journey safely on the narrow path that leads to Heaven. O Lord, give us their protection. Grant us their assistance in overcoming temptation and gaining the fullness of life with You.
Amen.

 ~~~

Recipe: All Saints’ Day Saintly Steak Sandwich – French Dip

Prep Time: 5 min. | Cook Time: 10 min.| Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 7 Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cans beef consomme
• 2 pounds thinly sliced deli roast beef
• 14 slices provolone cheese
• French bread

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
• Slice French bread and butter one side of the sliced bread
• Place sliced French bread, butter side down, on a baking sheet. 
• Heat beef consomme and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Adjust water amount to suit your preferences.  Less water will make a richer beef broth.
• Place the roast beef in the broth and warm for 3 minutes.
• Arrange the meat on the sliced French bread and top each side of meat with 2 slices of provolone.
• Top the meat and cheese with another slice of French bread, butter side up. 
• Bake the sandwiches in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, or until the cheese just begins to melt.
• Serve the sandwiches with small bowls of the warm broth for dipping.

ENJOY YOUR SAINTLY SANDWICH!

The 2012 Saint-O-Lantern Link Up!

Since 2009 we have been hosting an annual Saint-O-Lantern Link Up here at Catholic Cuisine.  With All Hallows' Eve and All Saints' Day coming up next week, it's time for the 2012 Link Up!

Our family will be heading to the Pumpkin Patch this weekend to choose our pumpkins to carve as "Saint-O-Lanterns" like we have done every year.  You can scroll through all of our past pumpkins from 2006 and on over at Shower of Roses.  We always have so much fun and it is such a wonderful opportunity to tie in our Catholic Faith!

In addition to all the pictures and links which can be found in the archives, here are some themes, and links to templates found online, to help get you started with creating your own "Saint-O-Lanterns" this year:

.: Saintly Symbols :.

Have you all noticed yet how much we love incorporating Catholic symbolism, especially symbols of the saints?  Last year my children all decided to carve pumpkins in honor of their Patron Saints!

You can find the links to images and templates for the carvings above (St. James Cross, Flaming Sword for St. Michael the Archangel, Chalice and Serpent for St. John the Apostle, Rose for St. Therese, Heart and Crown for St. Catherine of Alexandria, and Chalice for St. Clare)  over at Shower of Roses.

How about this beautiful Celtic Cross for St. Patrick, a Knight for St. George, a Bird for St. Francis... and so much more!  Do some research to find out more about the symbols for your favorite saint (Illuminated Ink, CHC and Fisheaters are all great places to start), search for inspiration through google images, and be sure to share the results!

.: My Catholic Faith :.

 

In addition to the saints, there is so much to choose from for inspiration when it comes to our Catholic Faith in general!   I've shared our  IHS Symbol (link to template) in the past.  Other ideas include images of Jesus, The Apostles, various events from the Life of Christ including The Crucifixion,  Nativity, Let the Children Come Unto Me, The Last Supper, Gethsemane, Bible stories including Noah's Ark, images the represent the sacraments, this White Dove and so much more!

A few of my new favorite (beginner) templates this year include the free templates of a Church, the Alpha Omega, and the Trinity from Squidoo!  I also really love this image of a child praying. So pretty!

But don't limit yourself... Sometimes the most unique pumpkins are created without the use of a template!

.: Our Lady and the Rosary :.

The month of October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary.   A pumpkin carved with a rosary or in honor of Our Lady would be most appropriate!  The pumpkin of Our Lady of Guadalupe above was carved by a friend of mine's daughter.   You could carve one of many images of Our Lady, or even just a rosary circling the pumpkin.

If you'd rather pull out paints, instead of carving knives, Tiffany has a lovely tutorial for making a Rosary/Pumpkin Centerpiece for this month!

.: Pro-Life :.

October is also Respect Life Month! How about carving a Pro-Life Pumpkin?  Our family has used the free template from American Life League a couple times.  The results are always beautiful and inspiring!  Additional Inspiration can be found in this photo album on the American Life League Facebook Page.

Raising {&Teaching} Little Saints also has created 4 additional free Pro-Life Pumpkin Templates that can be downloaded here based on designs she has seen online, including the beautiful pumpkin carved by C & S Nicholas for our 2009 link up!

.: One Nation Under God :.

With the upcoming Election, how about carving the "One Nation Under God" like my son carved in 2009?  We purchased the template for this carving from The Pumpkin Lady, adding a halo to Jesus.

Additional Links for Religious Pumpkin Templates found on these websites:

• Pumpkin Glow
• Stoneykins Pumpkin Patterns (Updated: Removed link due to other content on site.)
• The Pumpkin Lady: Have Faith

Other ideas for celebrating the feast of All Saints can be found over at Shower of Roses (scroll down to the bottom of post), as well as in the archives under the labels for All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

If you carve a Saint-O-Lantern this year, we'd love to see it!

To Add Your Post:

1. Create a post about your Saint-O-Lanterns.
2. Using the Mr. Linky below, enter the exact link to your post.
3. Link your post back to this post. (Please feel free to include the Saint-O-Lantern Button!)
4. Be sure to visit the links and check out everyone's Saint-O-Lanterns!
5. The linky will be open through November 6th.
6.  If you would like to share a picture but do not have a blog, please email it to catholiccuisine[at]gmail[dot]com or post it on our Facebook Page.  

St. Kateri's Indian Corn Cookies

A couple days ago I shared a recipe for Edible Indian Corn and mentioned that my family was planning on making Indian Corn Cookies for the Canonization of St. Kateri this weekend.   We just finished making them for tomorrow.  Adapted from a Family Fun recipe, these cookies are really easy to make with just a few supplies, and fun for the kids to help decorate!

St. Kateri's Indian Corn Cookies

(adapted from Family Fun)

Ingredients:

Sugar Cookie Dough

(homemade or store bought)

Spread

  (frosting, melted chocolate, peanut butter, cream cheese, Nutella, etc.)

Reese's Pieces

Green & Yellow Fruit Leather or Fruit Roll Ups

Directions:

Roll out prepared cookie dough to a 1/4" thickness. Using a knife, cut out corncob shapes about 4" long.  (I used my small St. Nicholas cookie cutter to get a general idea, adding a rounded end at the bottom, but that isn't necessary.)  Bake according to directions or just until the edges brown. 

Cool completely on a wire rack.

Frost the cooled cookies with spread of your choice such as chocolate or vanilla frosting, melted chocolate, peanut butter, cream cheese, or Nutella.  Basically any type of spread that pairs well with peanut butter Reese's Pieces.   Originally I was going to use chocolate frosting (which is pictured above) but then changed my mind and used melted white chocolate.  This held the Reese's Pieces in place wonderfully!

Layer the Reese's pieces in horizontal rows, working from the top to bottom. 

Finish off cookies by cutting corn husks out of the fruit leather/fruit roll up, to fit the sides of each cookie. 

Wrap the husks around the cookies and press in place.

A Child's Prayer to St. Kateri Tekakwitha

St. Kateri, loving child of God and Lily of the Mohawks, I thank God for the many graces He gave you. Help me to be more like you in my love for God and for people.

Give me a great love for the Holy Eucharist and the Mother of Jesus. Make me ready to make sacrifices for Jesus that I may save my soul and be happy with you in heaven.

St. Kateri, I love you. Always be my friend. 

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Pray for us!

Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers

Tomorrow, along with Kateri Tekakwitha, Mother Marianne Cope will be canonized a saint!  Inspired by Sarah, I've decided to serve a Hawaiian themed dinner in her honor, to go along with St. Kateri's Indian Corn Cookies.  Last March, as part of my daughters State-by-State Study, we made Teriyaki Burgers using a recipe from Bless Us O Lord.   They will be perfect!

"In 1883 Mother Marianne Cope and five other sisters volunteered to travel to Hawaii to work with people afflicted with Hansen's disease. The disease, then known as leprosy, was so feared they were the only religious congregation to respond to a request for help. Mother Marianne wrote "I am not afraid of any disease." To this day none of the sisters has gotten sick."

Mother Marianne Cope 1838-1918 • Memorial Feast: January 23rd

Canonized a Saint October 21, 2012

Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers

Ingredients:

8 - 1/3 pound frozen hamburger patties

Marinade:
1-3/4 c. water
1 c. soy sauce
1 c. light brown sugar
1/2 t. onion powder (we substituted 1/2 tbs. onion flakes)
1/2 t. garlic powder

8 canned pineapple slices
8 slices cheddar cheese
8 sesame seed hamburger buns
mayonnaise
8 tomato slices
8 iceberg lettuce leaves

Directions:

Begin by preparing the marinade and defrosting the hamburger patties.

Combine all marinade ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Place burgers in a baking dish or a large storage container. Baste with marinade; flip and baste the other side (be sure to reserve some marinade for the pineapple slices). Cover container and refrigerate 4-12 hours. Place pineapple slices in a separate container with the remaining marinade, cover and chill.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Cook hamburgers 3 to 5 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. When you flip the burgers, add the pineapple to grill and cook until the grill marks show, turning once. About 1 minute before the burgers are done, place a slice of cheese on top of each patty to melt.

Spread mayonnaise on the top and bottom of each bun.

Place hamburger patty on bottom bun and top with a tomato slice and a grilled pineapple slice on each. Cover with a lettuce leaf and place top bun on sandwich. Enjoy!

Mother Marianne, pray for us! 

St. Kateri's Edible Indian Corn

Last fall, as an extra activity for our Colonial Life Unit Study, my girls spent a little time in the kitchen making Edible Indian Corn.   It was a great recipe for them to make (mostly on their own) and they had so much fun!   These would also make a fun treat for the upcoming canonization of St. Kateri Tekakwitha on October 21st!   This week we are planning on making Indian Corn Cookies.  I'll be back with the recipe soon! 

St. Kateri's Edible Indian Corn

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 4 cups of mini marshmallows
• 5 cups of puffed corn cereal (we used Honey Kix)
• 1 1/3 cups diced dried fruit (we used raisins and cranberries)
• Popsicle sticks
• Fruit leather

Instructions:

In a large pot, melt butter and mini marshmallows over low heat.  This takes about 5 minutes.

Remove the mixture from the stove and use a wooden spoon to stir in puffed corn cereal and diced dried fruit. Allow the mixture to cool for about 10 minutes.

Using buttered hands, shape each treat by pressing 1/3 cup of the mixture around a Popsicle stick. 

Add fruit leather husks to the bottom of the ear, slightly moistening them to help them stick if needed. 

Makes approximately 15 treats.

Bible Cookies for the Year of Faith

A couple years ago, when trying to come up with a snack for our Little Flowers Girls' Club meeting on the virtue of Wisdom, I came up with these cute little Bible Cookies to place on top of our cupcakes.  Lacy expanded on this idea by cleverly adding a little bookmarks made from fruit roll ups!   We just made them again, since one of our Kindergarten Themes this past week was "B is for Bible" inspired by A is for Altar, B is for Bible, and I thought I'd share the directions with you all, as we begin The Year of Faith.   

Bible Cookies 

Ingredients:

• Fig Newtons (we made these with "Gold" Peach & Apricot Newtons)
• White Icing (I used Wilton's Icing Writer, but any white icing/frosting would work)
• Red Fruit Roll-ups

Directions:

Begin by trimming off one long side of each fig newton with a sharp knife.   This creates the book, with three sides of "pages" showing with the binding on the remaining side.  

I have found that standing them on their end and cutting straight down leaves a nice clean edge, versus cutting through the cookie/cake:  

Using a sharp knife, cut "bookmarks" from the red fruit roll ups. Stick them into the end of the "book" (newton) using a toothpick (or the end of the knife, like I did).       

Decorate the cover and binding with icing to complete the "Bibles."

This idea can also be modified, using different flavored/colored cookies and decorations, like we did for our "Story of a Soul" cookies last year.  

These cookies would make a great snack anytime during this "Year of Faith."  They are also perfect for the feasts of the Evangelists, Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, or for the feast of St. Paul and any other of the many saints that are symbolized with a "Book."   

Pan de Santa Teresa (St. Teresa’s Bread)

This recipe, adapted from Cooking with the Saints, was submitted by Hi Cookery in honor of today's feast of St. Teresa of Ávila!  This recipe is similar to the Pan de Santa Teresa, adapted from A Continual Feast, which can be found in the archives.  

October 15: Feast Day of St. Teresa of Ávila/Jesus

We had blogged previously about pain perdu, a French toast-style bread associated with St. Anthony of Padua. Pan de Santa Teresa is very similar and it is linked to St. Teresa of Ávila/Jesus. Making her bread requires two separate steps of flavoring the milk then dipping it in egg, instead of coating the slices into one mixed batter, followed by frying. The subtle yet sweet citrusy-cinnamon taste of St. Teresa’s bread is a nice change to regular French toast. Prepare Pan de Santa Teresa as a feast day food in honor of St. Teresa of Ávila/Jesus.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking With the Saints by Ernst Scheugraf)

Ingredients

• 8-10 French bread slices (3/4-inch thick)
• 2 cups milk (we used Lactaid brand)
• 3 tablespoons sugar, granulate white
• 1 lemon peel piece
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 eggs
• pinch of salt
• olive oil
• cinnamon sugar

Directions

Mix the milk with the sugar, lemon peel and cinnamon stick. Heat over the stove top or in the microwave on medium heat. Simmer for about five minutes until the lemon and cinnamon flavors are well-infused. Let cool. Strain over the bread slices in a large pan, allowing them to soak up the flavored milk. Beat the eggs with the salt in a shallow dish.

Coat the bread on both sides. Fry in olive oil until brown and crusty on both sides. Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Notes

• Day-old French or Italian loaves are preferred for this recipe as regular white bread slices are too soft and become mushy when soaked in the flavored milk and eggs.

Poulet à Sainte-Ménehould (St. Ménehould Chicken)

This recipe, adapted from Cooking with the Saints, was submitted by Hi Cookery in honor of today's feast of St. Ménehould!

October 14: Feast Day of St. Ménehould (Manechildis)

We have had ham hocks and pig’s feet before. So we would not mind if we prepared pied de cochon as St. Ménehould’s feast day food. But because some ingredients are not readily available at our grocery store, we prepared poulet (chicken) instead. The dish could also be made with eel, salmon, lamb or turkey but trotters are traditional. Pied de cochon is the local specialty in the northeastern French town that bears the saint’s name, Ste-Ménehould. Whatever meat is chosen for their patroness, the preparation for this saint’s day dish is similar: braising then broiling. This is a flavorful feast day food so try it and make it in memory of St. Ménehould.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking With the Saints by Ernst Scheugraf)

Ingredients

• 3 pounds chicken (we used thighs), boneless or bone-in
• ½ cup white wine
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces
• 1-2 tablespoons onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chives, chopped
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ¼ teaspoon basil
• 1 clove
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1-2 tablespoons cream

Directions

In a baking pan with lid, pour the wine. Add the butter, onion, garlic, chives, thyme, basil, clove, salt, pepper and bay leaf and mix well. Place the chicken on top. Cover with the lid and simmer in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for 45-minutes to an hour until the chicken is cooked through. Baste the chicken with the liquid every 15 minutes. When the chicken is done, remove from the oven and reserve the liquid.

Transfer the chicken to a plate and brush beaten egg yolks all over it. Dredge the chicken in bread crumbs. Place in a baking pan over the melted butter. Broil it until the chicken is browned (or bake the chicken on the top rack at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes), being careful not to burn the bread crumb coating.

While the chicken is broiling/baking, transfer the reserved liquid to a saucepan. Simmer to thicken it slightly. Stir in the cream and mix well. Strain the gravy into a serving boat. Plate the chicken and serve the gravy along side of it. Garnish with fresh parsely leaves, if desired.

Notes

• Not much is known about St. Ménehould except that she was a fifth century nun who, along with her sisters (also saints), are venerated in the Champagne region of France. They were the daughters of Count Sigmar of Perthois. Although they grew up wealthy, they dedicated themselves to serve and live among the poor and sick near the Marne river.
• We halved the original recipe above to feed just the two of us at home. Serve with slices of French bread or baguette, potatoes and a side of salad, if desired.

Miracle of the Sun Liturgical Tea

*Celebrate Our Lady of Fatima and the Miracle of the Sun*

~October 13th~

I thought I'd share a post from our family archives about celebrating the final apparition at Fatima The Miracle of the Sun.

Our family never seems to tire of hearing about the Message of Fatima...and the amazing spinning sun!

 Miracle of the Sun Tea and Lunch

On October 13, 1917, in Fatima, Portugal, Our Lady appeared for her promised miracle.  The sun seemed to revolve about three times within ten minutes, and cast off great shafts of colored light which fell upon the sky and earth, hence the rainbow colors often associated with this miracle of the spinning sun.

Our Menu:

(Based on the rainbow colors of the spinning sun)

Rainbow Pasta Alfredo

Rainbow Fruit Salad

Rainbow punch Tea

Miracle of the Sun Krispy Treats

These Miracle of the Sun Krispy Treats were definitely the hit!  We just followed the instructions for Rice Krispy Treats on the cereal box but used rainbow-colored Fruity Krisp Rice Cereal instead.  After spreading them on to a large cookie sheet, we used a sun-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the shapes.  

We used a squeezable white icing for the spinning, swirling, effect and yellow sparkles were the final effect for the shining sun.  This one (below) didn't have sparkles.  All agreed that sparkles were better!

~Our cookie cutter was large so we decided to share these 3 treats~

Last May, we made the fun Miracle of the Sun Fruit Platter...

But didn't have the chance to do it this time.

How can you resist Rainbow Sherbet Punch tea!

We just mixed Rainbow Sherbet and Sprite!

*Have a blessed celebration*

Our Lady of Fatima, Queen of Peace, may we always profit by your prayers, for you bring us life and salvation through Jesus Christ your Son.  Hear our prayer and give us peace in our time that we may rejoice in God's mercy and praise Him without end.  Amen