Refreshing Glass of Milk to Toast St. Columba

A very simple way to remember St. Columba (aka St. Colmcille) on his feast day today (June 9) is by having a glass of milk. Readily available and easy to serve - no prep or fuss. One of the pious legends of St. Columba's life involved him casting a demon out of a pail of milk. So toast to the grand Irish saint with a frosty glass of milk today. 

St. Columba, Pray for us.

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Sacred Heart Strawberry Brownie Treat

This post was written by Catholic Cuisine contributor, Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda.

I made this for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart which has passed for this year but since June is the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart, I thought I would share it in the event that someone might want to make it before the month ends. I baked this in my Wilton heart shaped pan but there are instructions for turning 1 round and 1 square cake into a heart shape. (This recipe only makes one pan of brownies so if you wanted to use the instructions above, you'd need a double batch.)

One Bowl Brownies
1/2 C. butter
1 C. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour your pan. I also line mine with parchment paper just on the bottom to make sure it turns out of the pan easily.
2. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in eggs, sugar and vanilla.
3. Beat in cocoa powder, flour, salt and baking powder.
4. Spread into pan and bake for 25 - 30 mins. Do not overcook.
5. Remove from oven and run a sharp knife around the edge of the brownies to make sure they release from the sides of the pan. Allow to cool completely on cooling rack before turning out.

To decorate, I used chopped up strawberries mixed with a spoonful of sugar tossed in and spooned onto the brownie.  The crown of thorns was made with melted chocolate chips. I piped them with a plastic baggie onto some wax paper and then set them in the fridge to firm up. If you place it over the strawberries when it's firm but not completely set, you can gently press it to wrap around the strawberries. If you wait until it's too firm and try to bend it, it will crack, like mine did. :D

The flames were made out of clementine slices and extra strawberry slices with two mini-candy bars for the cross. You could also use pretzel rods or graham cracker pieces if you don't have any candy bars.

“Our Lord Jesus Christ desires that we should, for sanctifying ourselves, glorify His all-loving Heart; for it was His Heart that suffered the most in His Sacred Humanity.” ~ St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

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Sacred Heart Cupcakes

Happy Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! 

Similar to my Sacred & Immaculate Heart Cookies that can be found in the archives, I shared these simple Sacred Heart Cupcakes over at Shower of Roses back in 2013 and wanted to add them here at Catholic Cuisine as well. 

Using Wilton Heart Silicone Baking Cups for the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts simply fill and bake with your favorite cupcake batter. We used the red baking cups for the Sacred Heart Cupcake and the pink baking cups for the Immaculate Heart Cupcakes (not pictured). 

 

 

Cover each cupcake with white frosting, add a red heart to the center of each cookie with red frosting, using additional yellow or orange frosting to create a flame, then add chocolate sprinkles to represent the thorns across the center.

Wishing you all a very blessed Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! 

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

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St. Thomas S'Mores

This clever feast day treat, with its play on words and creative symbolism to honor St. Thomas More, was shared by Rebecca Collazo. Rebecca is a homeschool mom to four wonderful kids who shares that she loves reading to her children, having poetry tea times, teaching writing at a Catholic co-op, and traveling to places of literary and Catholic significance. [And I would add thinking up creative liturgical year ideas to her talents.] Thank you, Rebecca, for sharing such a cute idea that is special to your family.

One of our family’s favorite feast days to celebrate is the feast of St. Thomas More. This fact is due partly because we go to the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More and partly because my husband is an attorney and has a special devotion to the patron saint of lawyers. This servant to King Henry VIII knew that service to the King of Heaven was more important than service to any earthly king and so allowed himself to be martyred for the faith rather than sign an oath stating he would honor England’s king as the head of the church. While we remember St. Thomas More for his brave sacrifice to stand up for the Church he believed in, it is said that he was also a man of great humor. It is for that reason that I feel like St. Thomas More would appreciate our family celebrating his feast day by enjoying St. Thomas S’Mores!

S’mores are such a classic summertime treat, perfect for his June 22 feast day. I have realized over the years, with my brood of four, that if I bring my kids to the table with a tasty treat, they are pretty likely to sit quietly and listen to me teach about any number of things. Sticky s’mores keep everyone contentedly occupied while I show them a video like this three-minute one summarizing the life of the saint: St. Thomas More video, read an excerpt from a book, or just regale them with the tale of More’s courage. My eldest daughter is a huge fan of the Ignatius Press saint books and gobbled this one up: St. Thomas More of London. Another great way to introduce the family to the story of this inspiring saint is to watch the classic movie A Man for All Seasons starring Paul Schofield. You can find it on Amazon Prime.

If you are not convinced that clever wordplay alone is enough to warrant this kind of decadence, then perhaps making it into a creative symbolic activity would allay your mommy guilt. Tell your children that the chocolate is like the husband and the marshmallow is like the wife. The heat of the bonfire unites the two just like the sacrament of marriage unites husband and wife. Trying to separate them after they have been bonded through the sacrament is messy and nearly impossible to do. Remember that is what Henry VIII was trying to do by divorcing Catherine of Aragon. St. Thomas More’s disapproval of the king’s divorce and remarriage and breaking away from the Catholic Church ended in his martyrdom. “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” (Mk 10:9) Maybe that’s a stretch. Maybe you do not need an excuse to eat s’mores. I feel like St. Thomas More would approve of a little celebration in his honor either way!

However, if you need to balance it out a bit, how about having some classic English fish and chips? It honors not only St. Thomas More’s English roots, but it recognizes that he shares his feast day with St. John Fisher, another great English saint from the same era. You get bonus points for the pun on the name Fisher! St. John Fisher was also beheaded for not signing the Oath of Supremacy. So, for a complete dinner, dessert, and movie night on Friday night, go for some fish and chips, maybe a pint of cider (the hard variety for mom and dad and apple juice for the kids), and those tasty s’mores, followed by A Man for All Seasons while everyone digests. Happy feasting, friends!


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St. Anthony's Sermon to the Fishes Cupcakes

I thought I shared these cupcakes a couple years ago, but it looks like I only posted them over at Shower of Roses along with a few other ideas for the feast of St. Anthony. I'm planning to make them again today for the children to enjoy after we read St. Anthony's Sermon to the Fishes by Abraham a Sancta-Clara, an Augustinian monk who lived from 1607–1680. You can find the poem here. 

 

These cupcakes are so quick and easy to decorate. I simply used some Fluffy White frosting and created little peaks on the top of each cupcake so the fish and other sea creatures (I used Scandinavian Swimmers from Trader Joe's) could peak out of the whitewater to listen to St. Anthony's Sermon!

They are a great (and artificial dye free) alternative to the "A Multitude of Fish Cupcakes". 

St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us! 

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St. John Mini Grasshopper Ice Cream Pies

At the end of this week, we will commemorate the feast of the birth of John the Baptist. In Matthew's gospel we hear that while he was in the dessert, John the Baptist's food was locust and honey, so those are images we associate with him. In the past the idea of a grasshopper pie or parfait has been suggested here at Catholic Cuisine to associate with St. John the Baptist. There is the traditional grasshopper pie or a modified version with mint chocolate chip ice cream for a frozen alternative.

How did this combo become a "grasshopper" dessert? First came the grasshopper cocktail, a sweet after-dinner drink, whose main ingredient is green (thus the grasshopper) crème de menthe, and also white crème de cacao, and cream. Then in the sixties, using the same flavors, came the green mint pie with a cookie or graham cracker crumb crust. Making an ice cream pie with mint chocolate chip ice cream is a simpler version for the same flavors.

I had seen these mini graham crusts and thought they would be cute for making a couple variations. One is the mint chocolate chip version for the more traditional "grasshopper" flavor. The other is plain vanilla ice cream drizzled with honey. And the plastic grasshopper toy just adds to the effect.

To make the mini ice cream pies, set out ice cream until is softens enough to spoon into crusts and spread evenly. Refreeze. I sprinkled crushed graham crackers on pies to symbolize the sand of the dessert where John lived and preached. And a drizzle of honey was added to the vanilla pies.

As we experience the beginning of summer, long days, and warm evenings, this cool treat would be a refreshing way to celebrate.  Enjoy your John the Baptist desert dessert.

 

St. John the Baptist, Pray for us.

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"Hammer of Heretics" Snack

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua, most frequently called upon as intercessor of all things lost. But the great preacher, St. Anthony was also known as the "Hammer of Heretics" for his exemplary teaching of the truths of the faith among the heretics of his day. He traveled throughout northern Italy and southern France combating abuses in the Church and bringing people back to the faith through his diligent preaching.

While it is short notice (and I apologize for that), I do love a simple way to celebrate the feast day. This simple, but "hard-hitting" snack takes just a few seconds to make - and is easy for the kids to do themselves. And hopefully these common ingredients are even on hand. All you need are pretzel sticks and and cheese sticks (any cheese block could be cut into hammer head blocks as well). Slice a cheese stick into 4ths. Gently insert a pretzel stick into the bottom of the cheese piece to form an edible mini-hammer. [Thinly sliced carrot or celery sticks could be cut as a substitute for the pretzel sticks.]

That is it - enjoy.

St. Anthony, holy friar, Hammer of Heretics, Pray for us.

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Saint Germaine and the Sheep

Last week I baked a batch of twenty-four yellow cupcakes. I decorated the first eight for the feast of St. Columba, eight more for the feast of St. Anthony, and this afternoon I decided to decorate the last remaining eight as sheep to go along with the story Saint Germaine and the Sheep for today's feast of St. Germaine Cousin who was a shepherdess nearly from infancy. You can read more about St. Germaine here. 

Originally I thought I would use miniature marshmallows, similar to our Good Shepherd Cupcakes, but we're out and I didn't want to make a trip to the store so I improvised with the last of the frosting and a round decorating tip. They turned out so cute! 

Saint Germaine's Flock of Sheep Cupcakes

Supplies: 

Yellow Cupcakes

Fluffy White Whipped Frosting

Large Marshmallows

Pink Heart Sprinkles

Wilton Candy Eyeballs

Wilton Decorating Tip #12 

Unwrap each cupcake and frost top with Fluffy White Whipped Frosting. 

Cut the marshmallows to create face and ears for on top of each cupcakes. 

For the face: Cup marshmallow in half across the middle. Use one half for each cupcake. 

For the ears: Cut marshmallow diagonally from corner to corner. Cut one half of the marshmallow again, down the middle, to create two ears for each cupcake. 

Place the marshmallow face and ears on top of the frosted cupcake, sticky side up. 

Add two eyes and a heart shaped nose to each cupcake. 

Using a round decorating tip, pipe dots of frosting around the face and ears, covering the top of the cupcake to create a fluffy sheep. 

You can find additional ideas for celebrating the feast of St. Germaine, including the link to a lovely coloring page, over at Shower of Roses. 

Saint Germaine, pray for us! 

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Sacred Heart Quesadillas

The month of June is dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The following recipe for Sacred Heart Quesadillas was submitted by Tatiana. Thank you, Tatiana! 

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, I made these homemade organic flour tortillas, cut with a cookie cutter, and decorated with what I had on hand...tomatoes. It is much easier to cut pre-made tortillas if in a hurry.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Directions: 

1. Mix 5 tablespoons of soft coconut oil or butter into to 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour until evenly distributed.  
2. Dissolve 3/4 teaspoon salt into 3/4 cup of warm water. 
3. Add water gradually flour until a dough ball is formed. Use your hands to knead. Add more flour or water as needed. 
4. Separate dough into 12 balls. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. 
5. Roll out as thin as possible. Use flour if needed. 
6. Cook on medium until it starts to bubble. Flip over and add cheese, cover with another tortilla that has one side already cooked, then flip over again as cheese starts to melt. 
7. Garnish with tomatoes in honor to recall the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity, have mercy on us!

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St. Anthony "Little Tongues" Linguini

In a recent post for St. Mark's feast day I suggested a penne pasta dish for the pasta shape symbolism of quills. As shared then, there are hundreds of kinds of Italian pastas, and each one has its own special name and the names are usually symbolic to the shapes. I am finding it fun to make a connections for creative dish or celebrations for saints and their symbols.

Linguini is a long flat pasta, (thinner and more narrow than fettucine). Linguine means “little tongues” in Italian due to this shape. It is a versatile pasta and often used with a savory seafood sauces.

 In thinking of the significance of the tongue shape for any saints, I thought of several with a tongue association. St. Anthony of Padua, whose feast is June 13 was known as a gifted preacher. When his crypt was opened, they found that the saint’s body had been reduced to dust and bones, but his tongue was intact and life-like. This was taken a sign from God confirming the ardent gifts of preaching and teaching that Saint Anthony had enjoyed on earth. There are also a couple saints who are referred to as "honey-tongued" doctors - St. Ambrose and St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

Pasta is a great option because it is quick to prepare and can be paired with a prepared sauce or simple seasoning and make an easy feast day meal or side. I decided to pair some linguine with pesto for a light side dish. In addition to being delicious pesto contains basil as a main ingredient. There is a custom in Italy of giving pots of basil away on St. Anthony's feast day and so I have come to associate basil with St. Anthony. Including a basil component to the linguine increased that symbolism, but any Italian sauce or flavoring would be appropriate for this beloved saint, who died in Italy. Thinking ahead to the other possible tongue symbol saints, a honey based pasta sauce seems fitting.

So I hope you consider an easy side for St. Anthony's feast day - "little tongue" linguine in remembrance of his eloquent preaching.

St. Anthony of Padua, Pray for us!

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Baptism of the Lord River Jordan Dessert

The following recipe for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord was submitted by Tamalyn Lawrence. She shares that "It's very simple - blue water, sandy beaches, shells in the sand and blueberries for the river Jordan on top. Super easy and my kids really enjoyed it!" Thank you, Tamalyn!

Baptism of the Lord River Jordan Dessert

Ingredients:

• 1 quart pineapple sherbet or vanilla ice cream
• 8 oz whipped topping like Cool Whip
• 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2-3 individual madeleine cookies (flavored or plain)
• blue food coloring

Directions:

1. Soften frozen ice cream or sherbet and spread in an 8x8 glass pan. Stir in blue food coloring and refreeze. "water"

2. Once ice cream has frozen, spread whipped topping across the top. Return to freezer or go ahead and decorate now.

3. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on the corners to create the "sand", leaving a space in the middle.

4. Dot blueberries through the middle path to create the "River Jordan". Sprinkle white sugar on top of the blueberries.

5. Break madeleine cookies in half to push in the "sand" to make the "shells".

Serve immediately (can be frozen, but blueberries will freeze).


Note: Traditionally, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on January 13, the octave day of Epiphany. In the current liturgical calendar, the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the Sunday after January 6, which will fall on January 10, 2016.

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Honey Sweetened Grasshopper Bars

The Birthday of Saint John the Baptist from Saints: A Year in Faith and Art

There is a great recipe for Grasshopper Parfaits in the archives here at Catholic Cuisine. After making them for the rest of my family, I decided to try and find something that I could enjoy as well for our celebration on the Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist since I've been on a strict Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet for the past four months.  These Honey Sweetened Grasshopper Bars were perfect and tasted amazing! Cocoa Powder is not on the AIP list of approved foods and it had been a while (113 days to be exact) since I had eaten any chocolate, but so far I haven't noticed any adverse reactions and am hoping that it can remain in my diet as an occasional treat.  This recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, seed-free, nut-free and makes a delicious option for those looking for a healthy dessert!

St. John the Baptist, martyred for defending the law of purity, drew strength from his austere and penitential life in the desert. Here is a delicious (and nutritious!) recipe for Honey Sweetened Grasshopper Bars to serve on this Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, recalling Matthew 3:4: “John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.”

Honey Sweetened Grasshopper Bars

adapted from Raia's Recipes

Ingredients:

Mint Layer

• 1 large avocado
• 1/4 cup organic raw honey 
• 6 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 1/2 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (or a few drops of peppermint oil for AIP)
• dash of salt (I used Real Salt.)

Chocolate Layer

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp organic raw honey 
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Rapunzel Organic Cocoa Powder. You could also substitute carob powder for a caffeine-free treat that is AIP approved!)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (I used Frontier Naturals Non-Alcoholic Vanilla.)
• dash of salt

Directions:

Mint Layer
1. Line a 9×9 inch baking dish with foil.
2. Place all ingredients in high powered blender (I used my Vitamix) or a food processor. Blend until smooth.
3. Smooth mixture into prepared dish and stick in the freezer while you prepare the chocolate layer.

Chocolate Layer
1. In small saucepan, melt coconut oil and honey over low heat.
2. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Pour over chilled bottom layer and return to the freezer for about 15 minutes, or until the chocolate layer is hardened.
4. Remove from foil and cut into bars.
5. Store covered in the freezer.

Makes approximately 8 servings

Note: These would also make a healthy green treat for St. Patrick's day in March! 

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us! 

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St. Paul Lunch

The following post was submitted by Lisa, from Catholic Missionary Family, in honor of today's feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. It would also be perfect for the feasts of Sts. Peter and Paul on June 29th. Thank you Lisa!

For the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul today I put together a special lunch for the kids using St. Paul symbols. It was easy, quick, and very kid friendly. Maybe this is what I had for lunch as well, so maybe it's also adult friendly.

Here is what you'll need to put on your shopping list.

"Wait, what is the ice cream for?" you ask. It's for the stormy sea dessert! Let's start there.

St. Paul made many voyages to spread the gospel. On one such trip there was a massive storm that left him shipwrecked. To remind us of this Pauline adventure we mixed Sprite, blue food coloring, and vanilla ice cream to create a stormy sea.

Because St. Paul was a Roman citizen he was not crucified, but rather beheaded with a sword. For this reason the sword is St. Paul's symbol. To incorporate this symbol into our lunch we made hotdog swords with pretzel stick blades. The kids loved being able to dip these into ketchup and eat them in one bite.



As I already mentioned, St. Paul made many voyages, so we made apple and cheese ships for the many boats he traveled on.



Finally, St. Paul is the author of many of the books of the New Testament. In the past the Scriptures were written on and read from scrolls. To remind us of St. Paul's writings we had Fruit by the Foot scrolls.

St. Paul, pray for us!

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On the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

Our family is headed to a local parade and then swimming, but I wanted to quickly share our lunch plans for today repeated from our first unit of the Papal Lap Book:  "The Barque of Peter" Banana Boats with a Fishers of Men Snack!

"The Barque of Peter" Banana Boats

Ingredients:

• Bananas
• 1 bun for every banana
• 2 Tbs of Peanut Butter (or other spread of your choice)
• Optional toppings (chopped nuts, chocolate, or other toppings you might find on a ice cream sundae)

Directions:

Begin by toasting your bun. Let the bun cool a bit before spreading the peanut butter (or other spread) on each side.  Peel the bananas and place them inside each bun. If you are adding addition toppings, drizzle a little more peanut butter over the banana so that the toppings stay put.  Enjoy! 

Additional ideas for these great saints can be found in the archives (St. Peter and St. Paul) or in this post at Shower of Roses. 

O God, whose right hand raised up blessed Peter, when he walked upon the water and began to sink, and thrice delivered his fellow-Apostle Paul from the depths of the sea, when he suffered shipwreck: graciously hear us and grant, by the merits of them both, that we also may attain unto everlasting glory: Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

Sts. Peter and Paul, Pray for Us! 

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Sacred & Immaculate Heart Cookies

In honor of the upcoming feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, here is an updated version of the Sacred Heart Cookies which can be found in the archives.

Sacred & Immaculate Heart Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• White Icing
• Chocolate Sprinkles
• Pearl or Flower Shaped Sprinkles
• Various colors of Sparkle Gel

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into hearts with a heart shaped cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. 

 

Add caption

After the cookies have cooled, cover each heart with white frosting.  

 

Add a red heart to the center of each cookie with red frosting, using additional yellow or orange frosting to create a flame.

For Sacred Heart cookies add chocolate sprinkles to represent the thorns across the center.

For Immaculate Heart cookies add pearl or flower shaped sprinkles and green leaves. 

"In the Sacred Heart every treasure of wisdom and knowledge is hidden. In that Divine Heart beats God's infinite love for everyone, for each one of us individually." 

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