"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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Christ the King Cookie Crowns

The Feast of Christ the King is a moveable feast. It is celebrated on the final Sunday of the liturgical year, which is the last Sunday before Advent begins.

Decorating crown shaped cookies is a fun activity for children to celebrate this feast! You can use store bought cookie dough, or make your own, and if you don't happen to have a crown cookie cutter, just cut out your own crowns freehand or using a printable template. Here is Charlotte's simple recipe from her Cookie Masks for Mardi Gras:

Cut-Out Cookie Dough

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C. butter
• 3/4 C. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 Tbl. Vanilla or almond
• 1/4 Tbl. butter extract
• 1 3/4 C. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and flavorings and mix well. Stir flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to batter and mix well. CHILL 3-4 hours or overnight before using.

Roll cookies out approximately 1/4 inch thick. Bake cookies at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes. This dough keeps well in a covered container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

Decorate with Cookie Icing and sprinkles.

You can find additional recipes for the feast of Christ the King in the archives. 

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Easy No-Bake Brown Scapular Treats

Here is a fairly quick and easy no bake treat that I made for my children today, to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, inspired by one of my brown scapulars.  These would be perfect for any of the Carmelite Saints and Blesseds as well. 

Supplies: 

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Candy Bars
Just Mango Slices
Cocomels Coconut Milk Caramels (or use regular caramels, these are what I had on hand) 

Directions: 

Break each Hershey's bar into 4 sections. Use 2 sections to make each scapular, placing them top down on a plate. Cut a cross out of the dried mango for each side of the scapular. Create the cord by cutting the caramel into sections, rolling it into a rope (2 per scapular), and placing it under each corner of the scapular. 

You can see the rest of our celebration over at Shower of Roses. 

Holy Virgin of Mount Carmel, Our Lady of the Scapular, pray for us!

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A Simple Treat for the Feast of Sts. Louis & Zélie Martin

Happy feast of Sts. Louis & Zélie Martin!  Today is the first time we celebrate their feast as canonized saints! I had hoped to have time to bake another French Vanilla Cake and Cupcakes in Honor of the Watchmaker and Lace Maker but our schedule was too full and I had to simplify. After searching through the pantry I decided to simply twist open some Oreo cookies, decorate each as a "watch face" using some melted chocolate, and then serve them on top of small rose covered lace paper doilies.

Tip: After twisting open the cookies, scrape off any cookie crumbs with the smooth side of a knife.

I just cut off the corner of a snack baggie and squeezed the melted chocolate through the small hole to decorate each cookie. Not perfect by any means, but my little ones loved them!  You can see the rest of our celebration over at Shower of Roses. 

Sts. Louis & Zélie Martin, pray for us! 

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Viking Shield Cookies for the Feast of St. Magnus

The feast of St. Magnus, Earl of Orkney, is celebrated on April 16th. To celebrate his feast this year I made some quick and easy Viking Shield Cookies with a few ingredients I happened to have in my cupboard. You can find additional photos, prayers, and book suggestions over at Shower of Roses. 

Ingredients:

• Fudge Stripes, Dark Chocolate 
• White Candy Melts, melted
• Hershey Kisses

Directions:

Unwrap the Hershey Kisses and place one over the center of each Fudge Stripes cookie. 

Place the melted candy (or melted white chocolate chips) into a baggie and clip off the corner with a pair of scissors leaving a small hole. Squeeze some melted candy onto the bottom of each Hershey kiss to attach them to the cookie.

Add additional dots of melted candy around the outside of the shield. Let dry. 

Happy Feast of St. Magnus! 

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St. Clement's Sweets - Chocolate Sea-Salt Clementines

Pope St. Clement, disciple of St. Peter and St. Paul, is mentioned in Philippians 4:3, "I ask you also, true yokefellow, help these women, for they have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life." He was consecrated a bishop by St. Peter and is listed as the 3rd or 4th pope (depending on listing). He is considered to be the first Apostolic Father of the Church. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Clementines in the name given to the curious religious romance which has come down to us in two forms composed by Pope St. Clement I. The Greek form is preserved only in two Manuscripts and consists of twenty books of homilies. Pope St. Clement was exiled to the Crimea and was martyred in the persecutions of Trajan around 100 AD, being thrown from a ship with an anchor around his neck. He is depicted in papal robes and his primary symbol is the anchor. Among his many patronages are sailors and blacksmiths.

St. Clement's Day was a big celebration in many places, with metal workers and blacksmiths getting the day off. There are many traditions associated with it, including "clementing" or "clemening" - a custom of children going door to door asking for apples or other treats in exchange for singing.

When I learned in my reading about his writings being referred to as Clementine literature, the tasty little citrus fruits immediately came to mind as a great connection to this papal saint.  It is perfect timing as the clementine cuties are just starting to become abundant in the stores - this is the beginning of their peak season - right as we celebrate St. Clement's feast!

Here is a snack idea to make to celebrate his November 23 feast day. The recipe comes from The Food Network blog (contributor Dana Angelo White). It is a tasty, unique blend of sweet and salty, and I have always loved the combination of citrus and chocolate. In addition to the clementine name similarity, the use of the sea salt recalls his connection to the sea, place of his martyrdom and receding sea miracle associated with that. They are so pretty, too. It is a simple snack to prepare so great for a busy day when you want to celebrate the feast but don't have a lot of time. And so easy to make that it is a good cooking with kids project.

Ingredients:
3-4 clementines
2 ounces dark chocolate, shaved
fleur de sel (sea salt)
~amounts can be adjusted as desired

How to:
Peel clementines and separate into sections. Melt chocolate in microwave (or in double boiler). Dip each wedge in chocolate. Set on wax or parchment paper. Sprinkle chocolate with pinch of sea salt flakes while chocolate still soft. Let set to cool and solidify chocolate. Serve when set. Can be placed in the refrigerator to speed the setting of chocolate.

Pope St. Clement, Pray for us!

[NOTE: This year November 23 falls on a Sunday, which also happens to be the Solemnity of Christ the King, so a major feast which takes precedence.  St. Clement could also be recognized in your domestic church or you may opt to celebrate him on a different day this weekend. One other idea I had was that these citrusy chocolate nuggets look a little like succulent jewels - fitting for a royalty - the King of the Universe. ] Pin It

St. Luke's Artist Palette Cookies

There is a great article, which was shared over at Catholic Culture today, about St. Luke, Evangelist and Artist written by Jennifer Gregory Miller. She begins by saying that "the month of October is filled with many memorials and optional memorials of saints, but the only two feasts during the month are for St. Luke, Evangelist on October 18, and ten days later Saints Simon and Jude, apostles." She goes on to say that in her family she likes to "emphasize the various "levels" of feast days, and since feasts are higher than memorials and optional memorials, St. Luke will be honored in a special way."

Jenn's article inspired me to plan something extra for the feast of St. Luke this year. I was just telling a friend yesterday that I really need to get started on Tract B of our Art Program for this school year. What better day to kickoff art than on the feast of the patron saint of artists?!  So we are going to get started with "A Little Art Study" as suggested by Jenn, after reading about St. Luke in Lives and Legends of the Saints from our October Book Basket.

I'm especially looking forward to learning a little more about Our Lady of Czestochowa, the "Black Madonna,"which my girls and I were blessed to see and venerate (the pilgrim icon) at my brother-in-law's parish during our recent road trip.

To go along with our art study I looked through my cupboards to see if I could come up with a special treat with the supplies I had on hand. In less than ten minutes I had a little platter of "St. Luke's Artist Palette" cookies all ready for the feast. They are far from perfect, but they were quick, easy, and still turned out cute. My children are going to love them!

St. Luke's Artist Palette Cookies

Supplies:

• Sandwich Cookies (I used Trader Joe's Joe-Joe's, Oreos would work great too.)
• M&M's in Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, and Blue (I used what I had in my cupboard: a mix of regular red, orange, blue M&M's, yellow Reese's Pieces, and green Pumpkin Spice M&M's…) 
• Pretzel Sticks
• White Heart Shaped Sprinkles (like these)
• White Icing 

Directions: 

Twist open cookie. Place an M&M of each color on the white filling. Break a Pretzel Stick in half and attach the Heart Sprinkle to the broken end with a dab of white icing. (Note: If you don't have icing you can use a little of the cookie filling.) Place the pretzel "paintbrush" on the cookie. All done!

St. Luke, Patron of Artists, Pray for Us! 

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St. George and the Dragon Veggie Platter

With the feast of St. George falling on Easter Wednesday this year, following a weekend filled with Easter and Birthday cakes in our home, I decided to make a Veggie Platter for the feast of St. George instead of a dragon cake or our Saint George Cookies. Our veggie platter was inspired by a couple snake themed veggie trays I found through a google image search, with the addition of some lettuce wings at the suggestion of Charlotte's oldest son.  I thought it turned out great and my children love it! We will devour the dragon this evening with dinner, after reading a couple new books (Saint George & the Dragon by Jim Forrest and The Saint Who Fought the Dragon: The Story of St. George - affiliate links) that one of our boys discovered in his Easter Basket! You can also read The Ballad of St. George by Eliana Murphy over at Shower of Roses.

St. George and the Dragon Veggie Platter

Ingredients:

• Cucumbers - I used 2 for the head and body
• Carrots - I used baby carrots
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Olives - 1 can of black olives
• Lettuce - 2 leaves for Wings
• Veggie Dip of your choice

Directions: 

Using the end of one of the cucumbers and some carrot slices, create a dragon head.

Slice the rest of the cucumbers and shape into a body on a platter, wrapping around the dip bowl.

Add the broccoli, carrots, tomatoes and olives, along with the two leaves of lettuce for the wings.

Happy Feast of St. George! 

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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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Saint Felix and the Spider :: Spider Web Snacks

In honor of the memorial of Saint Felix of Nola which is celebrated on January 14th, and inspired by the newly published picture book Saint Felix and the Spider, yesterday afternoon we made Spider Web Snacks.  These delicious sweet and salty snacks were easy to make and so much fun!

Spider Web Snacks

adapted from Mom Endeavors

Ingredients: 

• pret­zel sticks 
• white chocolate/bark candy coat­ing (I used white candy melts)
• milk choco­late (baker’s, candy melts, or chips would prob­a­bly all work)
• raisins
• bag­gie or pas­try bag
• wax or parchment paper

Directions:

Lay out your pret­zels on the wax paper in “star­burst” arrange­ments of 6 or 8 pretzels. (You can place the paper on a cookie sheet for transport stability, but I just made ours on the counter.  The candy melts set up pretty quickly.) 

After melt­ing your white chocolate/bark coat­ing, place in a pastry bag or bag­gie and cut the cor­ner off. Start pip­ing your choco­late in the mid­dle of the pret­zel arrange­ment, mak­ing sure to coat all the pretzels.

Con­tinue pip­ing out­ward around the pret­zels, until you have a web. Then, place two raisins in the mid­dle for the body of the spider.  Melt your milk chocolate and pipe over the raisins. On some of the spiders I used a toothpick to add the legs from the chocolate on the body.  

Note: On the second batch I piped the legs of the spider first before adding the body and these spiders turned out the best.

Let set on the counter, or place in the fridge for a few minutes, until the choco­late is hard.  Gently peel back the wax paper and serve. 

I posted a few additional pictures over at Shower of Roses. 

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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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St. George and the Dragon :: A Sugar Cookie Story Quilt

I just realized that I never shared our Sugar Cookie Story Quilt, inspired by our much loved picture book,  here at Catholic Cuisine!  Our children had so much fun creating this last year on the feast of St. George. You can find my original post over at Shower of Roses.

"A story quilt is an ideal whole-class extension project that works at all grade levels. Quilt squares feature chapters, characters, or significant scenes from the literature circle book. They can include a border with a repeated design or symbol that represents a key idea. Quilt squares can incorporate visual as well as written components (e.g., an important quote or brief summary). Effective adaptations are possible for all grade levels." ~ Source

Our Supplies:

St. George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges

Study Guide from Catholic Mosaic: Living the Liturgical Year with Children

Sugar Cookie Dough

Marble Rolling Pin

Square Cookie Cutters (I love that these are plain on one side and fluted on the other!) 

Green and White Candy Melts

Dragon Candy Mold

Castle Candy Mold

(From Captain's Medieval Knights, Dragons, and Castles Birthday Party)

Cookie Icing

Gel Decorating Icing

Food Writers

Sprinkles

The completed cookies for our St. George and the Dragon Story Quilt:

The Path traveled by the Young Knight and Princess by Rascal

"In the Days when monsters and giants and fairy folk lived in England, a noble knight was riding across a plain...   The Red Cross Knight had never yet faced a foe, and did not even know his name or where he had been born.   But now he was bound on a great adventure, sent by the Queen of the Fairies to try his young strength against a deadly enemy, a dragon grim and horrible."

The Dragon by Rascal

"He was laying waste to her land so that many frightened people had left their homes and run away. Others had shut themselves inside the walls of a castle with Una's father and mother, the king and queen of the country. " 

The Castle by Captain

"Now we have come to my own country," said Una. "Be on your guard.  See, there is the city and the great brass tower that my parents built strong enough to stand against the brassy-scaled dragon."

St. George's Shield by Captain

"He wore heavy armor and carried an ancient silver shield marked with a red cross.  It was dented with the blows of many battles fought long ago by other brave knights."

St. George Pray for Us by Mom

"He called your George, which means 'Plow of the Earth' and 'Fight the Good Fight.' For you were born to be England's friend and patron saint, Saint George of Merry England." 

St. George's Sword by Chiquita

"And the knight's bright weapon, taking advantage of that open jaw, ran it through with such strength that the dragon fell dead, breathing his last in smoke and cloud."

The Battle by Chiquita

"Then they heard a hideous roaring that filled the air with terror and seemed to shake the ground.  The dreadful dragon lay stretched on the sunny side of a great hill, like a great hill himself, and when he saw the knight's armor glistening in the sunlight, he came eagerly to do battle."

Defeating the Dragon by Twinkle Toes

"Like a mountain he fell, and lay still.  The knight himself trembled to see that fall, and his dear lady did not dare to come near to thank her faithful knight until she saw that the dragon would stir no more."

The Victory Celebration by Twinkle Toes

"Trumpets sounded the news that the great beast had fallen...  And Una and the Red Cross Knight were married and lived together joyfully." 

Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten. ~G. K. Chesterton

   

Happy Feast of St. George!

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