St. Carlo Acutis Nutella Puppy Chow Snack

Blessed Carlo Acutis, the Italian teenager with a devotion to the Eucharist and to the Blessed Mother, will be canonized soon.  An interesting fact about him is that he was a pet lover and his family had 4 dogs (and 2 cats and a goldfish). He was known to make videos of his dogs. It has been shared that one of his favorite foods was Nutella - the Italian hazelnut chocolate spread. A fun melding of the love of dogs and of Nutella would be to make a hazelnut puppy chow snack.  Very simple to make for a low key celebration of his canonization September 7 or on his feast day which will be October 12. 

Puppy Chow, Muddy Buddies, Reindeer Chow, Muddy Munch - whatever you want to call it, is a delicious and simple snack to make. The traditional variation is made with melted chocolate and peanut butter, but a variation substitutes Nutella (or other hazelnut spread) for the peanut butter. 

Ingredients:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Nutella hazelnut spread (or peanut butter for classic puppy chow) 

8 cups rice or corn squares cereal 

1 ½-2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:   

Measure cereal squares and add to large bowl (with lid). Melt together the chocolate chips and butter, either in the microwave or on the stove-top in a double boiler, until smooth. Add Nutella and vanilla to melted chocolate mixture and stir until mixed and smooth.  Pour mixture over cereal and toss to coat. Then add powdered sugar.  Place top on the container, shake again until the Nutella Puppy Chow is well coated with sugar and ready to eat.

St. Carlo Acutis, Pray for us!

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St. Carlo Acutis Canonization Treats

A Millennial Saint and a Gen X Treat 

The first Millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, was born in 1991 and Nutella was invented/marketed in 1964 ushering in the Gen X period.  Nutella was apparently a favorite food of soon-to-be Saint Carlo Acutis. Since he is an Italian and Nutella is an Italian invention - developed by (Pietro and) Michele Ferrero (of Ferrero Rocher fame) an Italian Catholic with a devotion to Our Lady and her apparition at Lourdes - it is a simple and meaningful suggestion to celebrate his upcoming canonization (September 7) or his feast day in October (Oct. 12). 

For more information on the the Catholic connections to Ferrero Rocher and Nutella see our Catholic Cuisine post, Our Lady of Lourdes Candies.

For inspiration there are recipes here at Catholic Cuisine that are made with Nutella:
St Monica's Tears
Cream Puff Cake
Acorn Treats

And for an even more simple approach, Nutella is great as a dip, filling, or topping for many foods, so it is an easy way to celebrate the canonization or feast day. 

Get a jar and use it for dipping:

• Strawberries
• Bananas
• Apple slices
• Vanilla Wafers
• Graham Crackers
• Pretzels

Or for topping:

• Ice Cream
• Cheese cake
• Waffles
• French toast
• Crepes

Or for filling:

• Vanilla Wafers
• Graham Crackers
• Cream puffs

St. Carlo Acutis, Pray for Us!

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Homemade Eclairs for St. Therese

Eclairs are known to be the favorite treat of St. Therese of Lisieux, so after binge watching some early episodes of that British baking show, I decided to try a recipe that I had been admiring for a while but was too afraid to try: Homemade Eclairs with Peanut Butter Mousse from Sally's Baking Addiction. I don't think St. Therese ever had Peanut Butter Mousse eclairs, but I think she would have loved them!

CHOUX PASTRY
1/2 cup (115g; 8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup (120ml) water
1/2 cup (120ml) 2% or whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour

4 large eggs, beaten
egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk or water


Combine the butter, water, milk, salt, and granulated sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted. Bring mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and add the flour all at once. Stir until the flour is completely incorporated and a thick dough clumps into a ball. Mash the dough ball against the bottom and sides of the pan for 1 minute, which gently cooks the flour. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Allow to cool down for a few minutes before adding the eggs in the next step.

Read this step in full before starting: With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the eggs in 3-4 separate additions mixing for 30 seconds between each. The mixture might look curdled at first, but will come together as the mixer runs. Pour in the final addition of beaten eggs very slowly. Stop adding when the choux pastry has reached the desired texture: shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipe-able consistency. Any leftover egg can be used for egg wash. I ended up using all of mine. Dough can be used immediately or refrigerated up to 3 days. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Mist or brush parchment paper with water. You want a nice moist environment for the choux to puff up. Transfer dough to a piping bag and pipe 4 inch long shells 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 20 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN! After 20 minutes, turn oven down to 350 degrees and back for 10 - 15 more minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
8 ounces (224g) full-fat brick style cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (130g) creamy peanut butter*
salt, to taste

Make the peanut butter mousse: Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat heavy cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Transfer to another mixing bowl. Using the same whisk attachment again (you don't need to clean in between), beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until creamy and smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and peanut butter then beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream until combined. Taste. Stir in a pinch of salt, if desired. Transfer mousse to a piping bag fitted with a small round or open star piping tip. Set aside as you make the ganache.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Make the chocolate ganache: Place chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just starts steaming, not boiling.  Pour over chocolate and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. Slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted.

1.  

Let the ganache cool on the counter while you fill the shells with the mousse. I piped them on both ends to make sure they were nice and full. Dip the tops in ganache and leave to firm up. Ganache will set up in about an hour at room temp or about 30 minutes in the fridge. Enjoy! 

FYI... all three components (pastry shells, mousse, and ganache) can be made ahead of time. To assemble, just warm the ganache in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time to soften. 

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St. Sebastian Fruit Skewer Arrows

On January 20 we remember St. Sebastian, early Roman martyr. He was sentenced to be shot to death by archers. His body was riddled with arrows and he was left to for dead, but survived and was later clubbed to death. He is the patron of soldiers, athletes and archers. The arrow symbol is associated with him for this persecution that he suffered.

Other saints who have arrows for a symbol are:

• St. Frances of Rome (March 9) - art depictions of her holding arrows
• St. Thomas the Apostle (July 3) - was martyred by spear, though arrows and stones are also often pictured with the spear as his symbols
• St. Philomena (August 11) - the two anchors, three arrows, palm and ivy leaf found on the tiles of her tomb were interpreted to represent method of martyrdom
• St. Ursula (October 21) - an arrow is the symbol of her method of martyrdom and pictured either holding an arrow or with an arrow in her chest
• St. Edmund (November 20) - symbol is crown this two arrows, symbol of his martyrdom

Readers often ask for healthy feast day options and also ones that are simple. Hopefully this is an idea that fits both those request criteria. Fruit skewers can be made in just a few minutes. A variety of fruit can be used - blackberries, blue berries, raspberries, melon balls or cubes, grapes. And strawberries with their "tipped" ends make a nice pointed end of the arrow, so place it as the final fruit. You can also leave the pointy skewer end free.  We cut feather end (fletching) out of construction paper and taped on the skewer.

St. Sebastian, Pray for Us!

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St. Jude Impossible Pie

The patron saint of impossible causes - St. Jude. What could be better than an "impossible pie" to remind us of St. Jude's intercession for us with impossible causes. This is a pie that does the impossible by making its own crust while it bakes. It was marketed as versatile and crowd-pleasing, as well as quick and easy which is ironically the opposite of impossible.  Impossible Pie is one of the most successful corporate recipe projects in the U.S. food-marketing history.  Americans took to the easy recipe that is adaptable for making both sweet dessert pies and savory meat, vegetable and cheese pies. There were recipes for crustless coconut custard pies that appeared in cookbooks in the south in the mid-century but it first became widely known as Impossible Pie when it was printed on Bisquick baking mix boxes in the 1970s and then adapted for a multitude of variations.  You can find many varieties of pie recipes - from sweet to savory - in this Bisquick booklet from 1982.

The impossible pie is impossibly easy. You don’t need to make a crust for it. Instead, you just mix up all the ingredients together — the ingredients for the filling and the crust — and while it cooks the pie forms its own crust. I have found that the "crust" is more pronounced in the original custard recipe than some of the variations with add ins. But it is defineitly firmer along the bottom and sides and sets up nicely when cooled to form an easily made, but substantial pie. Give it a try in honor of St. Jude today (or St. Rita on her feast, as her patronage includes the impossible, too!)

Since St. Jude's feast falls in October, I went with one of Impossible Pumpkin Pie recipes to fit the season.

Impossible Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

1 cup canned pumpkin
½ cup baking mix
½ cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 9 inch pie plate. Put all ingredients in a mixer and blend until smooth. Pour into pie plate. Bake until knife inserted into centre comes out clean (35-40 min).

Garnish with whipped cream.

One nice aspect of Impossible Pie is that the basic ingredients are probably readily available in most kitchens - just add the extra for the variation of choice. You don't even have to have a baking mix as that is very easy to make at home.

Homemade Baking Mix

1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter or shortening

Combine dry ingredients. Add butter and cut with pastry blender until evenly combined. 

St. Jude Thaddeus, Pray for us!

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Cuban Cuisine on St. Anthony Mary Claret Feast Day

St. Anthony Mary Claret, known as the “spiritual father of Cuba” was a missionary, founder of the Claretians, social reformer, queen’s chaplain, writer and publisher, archbishop, and refugee. He was appointed archbishop of Santiago, Cuba in 1850 and served there until 1856. In his six years there he restored, both materially and spiritually, the languishing Archdiocese of Santiago. Celebrate the October 24  feast of St. Anthony with some tradional Cuban cuisine.

Cuban Mojo Pork Roast

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup lightly packed mint leaves, finely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced oregano 
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• salt and pepper
• 3 and 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder

Directions

Add orange juice, cilantro leaves, mint leaves, and smashed (not minced) garlic cloves to food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add this mixture to a ziplock bag, along with the oil, orange zest, lime juice, oregano, and cumin.

Add the pork shoulder. Place the zipped up bag in a baking dish and marinate in refrigerator at least several hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Place the pork on the rack and discard the marinade. Salt and pepper the pork well.

Roast the pork for 30 minutes. It should be lightly browned. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees F. Roast for another 1 hour and 20-30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160.

Transfer to a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil and let rest 20 minutes. Carve and serve.

Cuban-Style Black Beans

Ingredients: 

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 scallions
2 tbsp red bell pepper
3 tbsp cilantro
15 oz can black beans, do not drain
1/2 cup water (or more if needed)
1 bay leaf
few pinches cumin (to taste)
pinch oregano
1 tsp red wine vinegar
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Chop onion, garlic, scallions, red pepper, and cilantro in a mini chopper or food processor.

Add oil to a medium-sized pot on medium heat. Add chopped vegetables and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Add beans, water, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, red wine vinegar, salt and black pepper and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover, simmer about 15 minutes stirring occasionally (adjust water as needed). Taste for salt and serve over rice. 

St. Anthony Mary Claret, Pray for us!

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Miracle of the Sun at Fatima - 100th Anniversary

This year we have been commemorating the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima.  Now we come to the anniversary of the date of the final apparation - October 13, 1917 - which ended with the miracle of the sun. Over the years, several Catholic Cuisine contributors have posted ideas for celebrating this day and the miracle associated with it.

So to make your celebration planning easier, here is a compilation of the past posts.

Miracle of the Sun Liturgical Tea
This post is complete with a creative menu and the recipe for these Miracle of the Sun Krispy Treats.

Our Lady of Fatima Miracle Morning Breakfast
A great idea to start out your 100th anniversary day of celebration with a healthy breakfast is detailed here.

Miracle of the Sun Cake
This colorful sun cake will brighten any celebration and remind us of the swirling sun.

Dancing of the Sun Cupcakes
These simple to decorate sun cupcakes will be a hit with the kids.

Miracle of the Sun Fruit Platter
A delicious and nutritious choice for the 100th anniversay isthe creative fruit platter.

Spinning Sun Cake
If you are feeling a little adventurous this cake complete with a real spinning fiery cake might be what you are looking for.

Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us!

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Beautiful Cookies for the Feast of St. Thérèse

These cookies, in honor of St. Thérèse, were submitted by LaDawn Wilson. Thank you, LaDawn! 

These cookies work well for St Therese's feast day. She has been by my side, while raising the children and taught me how to use my creativity and work toward being "little." Still working on that part. :)

I painted the roses on the teacup cookies with gel food coloring and lemon extract, to make a watercolor look. Above the cookies are pastel marshmallows I dipped in chocolate and wrapped to look like a rose.

You can find additional recipes and ideas for the feast of St. Thérèse in the archives. 

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St. Simon (& Jude) Saw Cookies

St. Simon, the apostle (who shares tomorrow's October 28 feast with St. Jude) is often pictured with a saw in paintings or on statues.  It is one of his chief symbols since he was said to have been martyred by being cut in half with a saw.  As we recall this feast day of St. Simon the Zealot, sugar cookies decorated like saws are a good way to illustrate that symbol. Use the sugar cookie recipe of your choice or this one published in past at Catholic Cuisine which is the standard one I use.

This is the cookie cutter that was used.

I made a decorator frosting and tinted it brown and grey to replicate the colors of a saw.

Cookies are always a fun way to incorporate saint symbols. Enjoy.

St. Simon, Pray for us!

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Classic Polish Cucumber Salad for St. John Paul II

There are two foods that I associate with going to visit my relatives on the farm where my Polish American father was born and raised - and Mizeria, cucumber in a creamy dill dressing, is one.  It was a staple. From most Polish families you will hear the same. As a classic Polish salad side dish it seems very fitting for the feast day of St. John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła), October 22. And it is super simple to make - a bonus for a busy day.

Mizeria - Polish Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
• pinch of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Directions

Peel cucumber(s).  Slice cucumber very thinly and place in a bowl.  Sprinkle slices with salt and let sit for 30 minutes to pull the liquid. Drain water from the salted cucumbers and gently squeeze to expel any remaining water.  Pat dry with paper towel.  

Mix sour cream, vinegar, sugar, and dill in medium bowl.  Toss cucumber slices in mixture. Allow the salad to marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  Taste, season with salt and freshly ground pepper as needed and serve.  Garnish with dill if desired. Serves 4 but is easily doubled or tripled. 

St. John Paul II, the Great, Pray for us!

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Buffalo Hot Wings - St. Gaspar del Bufalo

Born (and baptized) in Italy on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 1786, Gaspar Melchior Balthazar del Bufalo was named after the three Magi who visited the Christ child.  The feast of the Epiphany is celebrated as a manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi. This was a perfect name for a man who would spend his life to bring the Word of God to others, constantly on the move as a missionary.  St.Gaspar was the Founder of the Missioners of the Precious Blood and his feast is observed October 21.

I confess… whenever I see the name of St. Gaspar del Bufalo, I always think of the bison that roam America’s plains or the hot wings originating in Buffalo NY. So I like the idea of actually having Buffalo hot wings (or buffalo burgers?) on his feast even though St. Gaspar's family name has nothing to do with either of those “buffaloes”.

I have included a typical hot wings recipe or you can cheat like I did and just buy them ready-made from your favorite wing stop.

 

Buffalo Hot Wings

Ingredients
20 -25 chicken wings
2 cups vegetable oil
1⁄4 cup melted butter
1 (3 ounce) bottle Louisiana hot sauce (Frank’s)

Directions
Disjoint and cut the chicken wings into two pieces and discard the tips. Rinse and pat dry. The wings must be completely dry in order to fry properly, since there is no batter or breading.

Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or a large deep pan to 350°F.

Add the chicken wings a few at a time to the hot oil. Do not allow the oil to cool as the chicken is added. Deep-fry for 10-12 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Drain well by shaking in the fryer basket or place on metal rack to drain.

Blend melted butter with 1/2 bottle of hot sauce for medium-hot wings. Add additional hot sauce for hotter wings or additional butter for milder wings.

Combine the wings and the hot sauce in a large container. Let stand, covered. Serve. 

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

Side notes for additional feast days: 

My son thought that wings would also be a great meal for the feast of St. John Paul II because of this well-known quote:  “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.” St. JP II, FIDES ET RATIO Encyclical

Wings (hot or BBQ) are always a good option on the angel associated feast days as well. 

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

St. Gaspar del Bufalo, Pray for us!

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Our Lady of the Pillar Rice Cake Sticks

Our Lady of the Pillar (Nuestra Señora del Pilar) 

First Marian Shrine 

 Patroness of Spain 

Feast Day: October 12

Our Lady of the Pillar is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary from her appearance to the Apostle James the Greater in 40 AD, as he was praying by the banks of the Ebro River in Spain. He was disheartened with the lack of converts to Christianity.  Mary miraculously appeared before him atop a pillar accompanied by angels. She assured St. James that the people would eventually be converted and their faith would be as strong as the pillar she was standing on. She gave him the pillar as a symbol and a wooden image of herself and instructed him to build a chapel on the spot. The wooden image is enshrined at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza. 

Several years ago, Anne shared a beautiful pillar cake, made from a swiss roll cake which is in the archived posts.  It is lovely. I also had an idea for a simpler, no baking involved pillar for her feast day. These rice cake sticks or rolls, make nice pillars - either on their own or as a place to set an image of Mary (as is included in the above photo). It is a snack idea that provides a fun way to open a conversation about our lady under this title and the symbolism of the pillar.

As an added note: In the United States the feast is also tied to Christopher Columbus and our Columbus Day holiday. When Columbus embarked from Spain on his journey, to find a sailing route to India, he placed the three ships under Mary's patronage. As the weeks dragged on with no land in sight, the sailors grew restless. Columbus' journal indicates he invoked Our Lady under this title, declared that if they did not see land by her feast day they would turn back. On October 12, 1492 the navigators spotted indications of approaching land - one of the islands of the Bahamas.

Our Lady of the Pillar, pray for us!
Nuestra Señora del Pilar, ruega por nosotros!

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White Chocolate Rosary Cheesecake

While today's feast celebrates Our Lady of the Rosary, the entire month of October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary.  This idea adds drops of fruit sauce to the top to create a visual rosary. 

White Chocolate Rosary Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 graham cracker crust
12 oz. cream cheese (1 1/2 pkg.), softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
4 oz. white chocolate, chopped or 1 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Fruit sauce (prepared puree or pie filling could be used instead)

1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 cup raspberries (or blueberries, strawberries, etc.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Sauce:
In a small saucepan, whisk together 1 Tbsp granulated sugar and cornstarch . Stir in water and add berries. Cook over medium heat whisking frequently, until mixture reaches a boil. Allow mixture to gently boil about 5 minutes whisking constantly and reducing temperature slightly if necessary to reduce splattering, until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and force sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to remove seeds (skin, etc.), set aside.

Cheesecake:
In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in egg and egg white. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Set mixture aside. Melt white chocolate with cream in a double boiler until melted and smooth, Add melted chocolate mixture to cream cheese mixture and blend until smooth.

Pour cheesecake mixture into the crust and spread evenly. The idea I had seen for adding shapes to the top of a cheesecake suggested using a clean medicine syringe. Fill with fruit sauce and begin to pipe small circles in a rosary pattern over cheesecake. It was more challenging than I thought to get uniform drops. Take a toothpick or sharp pointy move it through the center of each circle to connect “beads”.  Melted chocolate chips were used to make a cross. 

Bake cheesecake for 40 minutes. Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in the oven for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Refrigerate for about 6 hours until fully set.

Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for Us!

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Beautiful Cookies for Our Lady's Many Feast Days

These cookies were submitted by LaDawn Wilson in honor of Our Lady. Thank you, LaDawn!

With Mary's birthday, Our Lady of Sorrows, and soon Our Lady of the Rosary feast days in such close proximity, I could not get her out of my mind. (Thank goodness, right?). I have been working with sugar veil and finally figured out how to get it out of its mold without it ripping. It is true what they say about sugar veil, Find a spot in your home where it works. Trial and error, for sure.

The trinkets are just fondant I sprayed with edible gold. The background on the fleur de lis was stenciled with the same spray.

I highly recommend Sweet Ambs site for sugar veil tutorials and buying information. She also mentions Haniela's tutorials, which have been extremely helpful.

You can find additional ideas for the Blessed Virgin Mary and the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary in the archives. 

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Another Dents de Loup Idea for St. Francis Feast

Dents de loup, wolf’s teeth in French, is a culinary decorative cut used for fruits or vegetables. It is called dents de loup because the pointed teeth-like shapes of the outer surface or rind looks like the sharp teeth of a wolf.   Last year I shared a recipe for a French cookie/biscuit also called Dents de loup as an option for the feast of St. Francis of Assisi because of his connection to the wolf of Gubbio story.  But it is also really simple to add a dents de loup option to a meal or snack for the feast day by using this cut on an orange, watermelon, cantaloupe, kiwi, grapefruit, lemon, tomato, or bell pepper.

How to Cut a Fruit or Vegetable in Dents de Loup 

• Cut thin slice off both ends of the fruit so it will hold steady in the plate or platter.
• Start at the middle of the fruit.  Insert a sharp knife at an angle, going deep enough to reach the center.  Remove the knife and insert again at an angle but in opposite direction to form a triangle (or pointed dent de loup/wolf tooth).
• Continue with same pattern around the fruit.  When you reach the beginning cut, separate the two halves.   

It is now ready to serve or to decorate any plate. Watermelon boats/baskets are frequently decorated with this cut.  Lemons that are cut in dents de loup are often served with fish to decorate.
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World Cake for St. Therese

The following cake was submitted by Julie Machado, from Marta, Julie e Maria, for the feast of St. Therese. Thank you, Julie!

Seeing as St Therese is the patroness of all foreign missions, here is an idea for a world cake. I used this chocolate cake recipe and glaze from RealSimple minus the strawberries. Then I printed out a world map outline and roughly cut out the continents. I gently rested the paper on the cake and sifted powdered sugar on it, then lifted off the paper. I used a pastry brush to wipe of excesso sugar. Voilá!

A blessed St. Therese day!

Additional ideas and recipes for the feast of St. Therese can be found in the archives. 

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St. Thérèse the Little Flower Cake

The following cake was submitted by Anna, from Regina Coeli Baker, to celebrate the Little Flower! This was her daughter's 10th birthday cake. "It was a white and red velvet cake with raspberries and buttercream. Accents and topper were made in fondant (and totally edible)." You can find additional cakes decorated by Regina Coeli Baker here. Thank you, Anna! 

O Little Flower of Jesus, pray for us!

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12 More Saint Themed Guessing Jars

I originally shared this post over at Shower of Roses, but thought I would add it here as well for anyone who is looking for All Saints' party game ideas!

The All Saints Guessing Jars were such a hit at our annual All Saints Party last year that we will be including them again this year with 12 MORE Saint Themed Guessing Jars!

I always have so much fun looking through the aisles at the grocery store and trying to connect some of the goodies to saints and their symbols!



"Bit-O-Honey" candies for St. Ambrose (the "Honey-Tongued Doctor") and Polish Candy for St. John Paul II are a couple of my favorite additions for this year. Once again I used my Wide Mouth Mason Jars with White Storage Lids for each jar.

Here are some pictures of this year's All Saints Guessing Jars all filled and ready for the party:    

 

St. Ambrose ::  St. Ambrose is also known as the "Honey Tongued Doctor." Any type of honey candy would work for this saint. I picked up three 4.2 oz bags of Bit-O-Honey at a local store to fill the jar. You can also purchase 16 oz. over at Amazon.



St. Bernadette of Lourdes :: Pretzel Sticks are perfect for St. Bernadette, since she was out collecting firewood when Our Lady of Lourdes appeared to her at the Grotto. Twix candy bars would also work!

St. Gertrude the Great :: Saint Gertrude the Great had a deep empathy for the Church suffering, the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Our Lord shared a special prayer with St. Gertrude the Great and told her that the prayer would release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is prayed.  The GhostMallows in the jar represent the "Holy Souls."  I used one 8 oz bag to fill the jar and had a few left over.



St. John Paul II :: I had to find a way to incorporate the newly canonized St. John Paul II! Polish candy works, right? :)  Ours came directly from a Polish friend, but it can also be found on Amazon if you aren't able to find any locally.

 

St. Kateri Tekakwitha :: This saint, who belonged to a Native American Indian Tribe, is also known as the "Lily of the Mohawks." We have made Indian Corn Cookies in honor of St. Kateri in the past, but for the jar I just filled it with one 21 oz bag of Candy Corn. (Though it probably could have used just a little bit more.) Lily candies would also work. If you have a mold you can make your own!



St. Marianne Cope :: HI-Chews are actually a Japanese Candy, but since my family was first introduced to them when my sister brought us some from Hawaii (along with the fact that they have "HI" in the name, the abbreviation for Hawaii) I thought we could get away with using them for St. Marianne Cope, who cared for the sick in Hawaii for 35 years.  I bought a big bag at Costco when they were on special for less than $5.00 and only used about 2/3's of the bag. You can also find them on Amazon.

 

St. Matthew :: My husband thought it might be a little offensive to St. Matthew to fill his jar with "Payday" candy bars, but after I told him that St. Matthew is the patron of accountants he agreed that it was okay. :) I probably should have purchased "fun size" candy bars, but I ended up using about 2/3's of a 20.3 oz bag of the "snack size."

 

St. Nicholas of Myra :: It's a little difficult to find candy canes quite yet, but JoAnn's just put out their Christmas supplies this week so I picked up a box of miniature candy canes. Be super careful not to drop them when you take them out of the box… They don't just break, they shatter! ;) 

  

St. Patrick of Ireland :: Pious legend credits St. Patrick with banishing snakes from the island of Ireland, chasing them into the sea. Regardless of whether or not this legend is true, St. Patrick is the patron saint against snakes, fear of snakes, and snake bites. Gummy Worms look like snakes.

St. Peter :: Butter Snaps Pretzels make yummy little Fisherman's Nets for St. Peter, the patron saint of Fisherman.  Fish also would have worked, but I saved those for the next saint on the list. 

 

St. Raphael ::  There are so many saints that are symbolized in some way with a fish. This year I decided to focus on St. Raphael, the healer, who is recorded as having helped Tobias make balms and ointments from fish to cure Tobit's (Tobias's father) blindness.

St. Thomas Aquinas :: Even though St. Thomas Aquinas' classmates called him "The Dumb Ox" he became a great Doctor of the Church and Patron of Academics. I filled a jar with a 12 oz. bag of Smarties in his honor!  (After I made my jars for this year I clicked back over to Catholic Inspired, since I couldn't remember what she included in her jars last year, and she used Smarties for all the Doctors of the Church and "Dum-Dums" for St. Thomas. They would have worked too.) 

To keep each person's guesses secret I also created little sheets of paper for each contestant to write their name and guess, before folding it in half and dropping it into an empty jar or bag with a matching label.

It's all ready to go and I can check this off the to-do list…
Now to start working on the rest of the party plans!

Printable Guessing Jar Labels
Printable Guess Slips

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