Chai Cupcakes for Mother Teresa's Canonization

Chai Cupcakes topped with Vanilla Buttercream and sprinkles... Our girls tested the recipe last Sunday and they'll be making them again this weekend for the canonization of Mother Teresa!

Download FREE printable Mother Teresa Cupcake Wrappers & Toppers over at Shower of Roses.

Chai Cupcakes

(recipe: How Sweet It Is)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 egg white
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup whole milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Set it aside.

Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat it until creamy. Add the sugar and beat with the butter on high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. Add in the oil and vanilla extract, beating on medium speed for another minute. With the mixer on low speed, add in half of the dry ingredients. Pour in the milk. Add in the other half of the dry ingredients and mix them on medium speed until the batter is combined.

Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way full. Bake until the tops are set, about 16 to 17 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

How Sweet It Is shares a recipe for Brown Butter Chai Icing, but this was the first time my girls had made buttercream on their own so they decided to make a simple Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and sprinkle additional Chai Spice mixture on top.

Vanilla Buttercream with Chai Spice Sprinkles

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions:

In a bowl combine butter, sugar and salt. Beat till blended.

Add the milk and vanilla and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.

For the sprinkles: Combine 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice. Sprinkle on top of frosted cupcakes.

You can find additional ideas for celebrating the canonization of Mother Teresa over at Shower of Roses or by scrolling through the archives here.

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Crock Pot Pineapple Curry Chicken

 

For the Feast of  Blessed Mother Teresa on September 5th, we honored her and her work with the poor in India with this curry dish. It is very easy and takes very little time away from your little ones. It's also a great dish to have children help make because it is so simple. On her feast day I usually read Blessed Mother Teresa's speech for Nobel Peace Prize. It is filled with such beautiful words.

"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, 

but how much love we put in the action that we do. 

It is to God Almighty - how much we do it does not matter, 

because He is infinite, but how much love we put in that action. 

How much we do to Him in the person that we are serving."

Blessed Mother Teresa

Crock Pot Pineapple Curry Chicken

Ingredients:

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or as many as your family needs)
2 white or sweet onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of the jarred minced garlic
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt
1 package steam bag peas
1 can of pineapple chunks in its own unsweetened juice
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup toasted cashews or peanuts (I actually didn't use these, but I imagine they would be delicious)
large package of yellow saffron rice (prepare as directed on package)
Directions

In a 5-quart slow cooker, toss chicken, onion, pineapples and juice, garlic, ginger, curry powder, coriander, and cumin to coat. Season with 2 teaspoons salt. Cover, cook until chicken is fork-tender, about 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low (do not uncover while cooking).

Microwave steam bag of peas as directed on package.  Stir in coconut milk and peas; cover, cook until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a large bowl; shred with fork. Return to pot;  toss with sauce.

Prepare yellow saffron rice per package instructions.

To serve, spoon rice onto serving dish. Spoon chicken and sauce mixture on top of rice. Garnish with 1/2 cup toasted cashews or peanuts if desired.

Blessed Mother Teresa, Pray for Us. 

"There is a terrible hunger for love. 

We all experience that in our lives - the pain, the loneliness. 

We must have the courage to recognize it. 

The poor you may have right in your own family. 

Find them.

Love them." 

Blessed Mother Teresa

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Mother Teresa Tea

This post was written by past Catholic Cuisine contributor Amy.

Today is the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa's birth! This incredible woman was and is a true inspiration for all people. Her generosity and selflessness affected the lives of people all over the world.

So today, go Indian and celebrate this wonderful Godly woman with a special and very simple tea.

Indian Fried Bread

courtesy of All Recipes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 2/3 cup water 
• 1/4 cup white sugar 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt and water until a soft dough is formed. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Divide dough into golf ball size pieces and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. 
2. Select a ball of dough and roll out until very thin but not torn. Sprinkle lightly and evenly with sugar. Fold up dough into a small square and roll out again until thin. 
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat. Place the rolled dough onto the pan and cook for 1/2 to 1 minute on each side until golden. Serve immediately. Repeat until all dough balls have been rolled and cooked. 
4. Drizzle these bad boys with honey! They are terribly yummy!

Chai Tea Smoothies

courtesy of Food Network

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk 
• 1/4 cup unsweetened instant tea 
• 1/4 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 
• Ice cubes 
• Fresh mint leaves, optional

Directions:

In a blender, combine all ingredients but the ice and mint. Process until blended. Gradually add enough ice to make a thick consistency. Pour mixture into tall glasses and serve. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired.

The recipe above is unsweetened, so we added some sugar! About a spoon per glass. Also, honey would probably be very yummy!

This is really simple and the kids really enjoy it! Just make sure you have some napkins handy for all that gooey honey!

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Happy 100th Birthday Mother Teresa!

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

August 26, 1910- September 5, 1997

 Mother Teresa's 100th Birthday is being honored worldwide on August 26th.  There are many resources to follow a long but be sure to watch Donna-Marie's blog.  You can check over at my place for a craft idea too!

We thought we'd make a special dessert to celebrate this occasion of love!

This is a really easy No-Bake Vanilla Jell-O Pie

We used fresh blueberries and whipped cream to represent Mother Teresa's blue and white Sari
*This post is an update since the first pie we made*
If you used food coloring or made a chocolate pie, it might look like this:

~We tried our best to get the skin color just right on this one but it turned out a little dark than expected~
(See Instructions)

Ingredients:

2 Small Boxes of Vanilla Jell-O Pudding 

(You can buy the non-cooking if you would like to avoid heating on the stove!)

4 Cups of Milk

Large (9oz) Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Approximately 2-3 Cups Fresh Blueberries

Whipped Cream

Red, Yellow, & Blue Food Coloring(Optional)

**Note:  Alternately, you could use Chocolate Pudding mix or Banana Creme if you don't want to use vanilla.  We ended up making a Banana Creme for our Associate Pastor**

Instructions:

Follow the instructions on the Jell-O Pudding Mix Box

(Basically just whisking the pudding mix with milk)

The first time, we added red, blue, and yellow food coloring to the vanilla pudding, attempting to get an olive skin tone, which was very hard to do!  We ended up with a tan skin color.  The photo in the beginning of the post shows the Vanilla option and the Banana Creme looked much the same. 

Pour into Graham Cracker Crust 

Use fresh blueberries and whipped cream to design Mother Teresa's Sari and face.

"Everything depends on how we love each other."

~Mother Teresa~

Happy 100th Birthday, Blessed Mother Teresa...Please pray for us! 

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Feast Day Plans

We love Blessed Mother Teresa. We used to attend Mass at the home parish of a group of Missionaries of Charity who always showed up for the earliest Mass radiating love and charity. My girls would race across the church plaza to receive big hugs and smiles from these beautiful ladies.

Last year's celebration was remembered fondly by my kids so this year will be more of the same with a few exceptions. Albania is located just northwest of Greece, so the food is very similar to Greek cuisine. Since the walnut cake was more complicated than I liked, I am thinking of Baklava this year. And my children are demanding requesting more homemade naan. They like it served with cheese cubes and fruit, but I still plan on making some hummus for the grown ups. Chai tea lattes are still on the menu and loved by everyone especially with a scoop of whipped cream on top! We brew our own chai tea, but here is a recipe for an instant version if you want to try it.

Lastly, here are two coloring pages I made for the girls to choose from.

Blessed Teresa 1
Blessed Teresa 2

Have a lovely day and stay dry if you can!
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