Triumph of the Cross Cookie Hunt

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


Today we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. From the Women for Faith and Family website...

On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (or Triumph of the Cross) we honor the Holy Cross by which Christ redeemed the world. The public veneration of the Cross of Christ originated in the fourth century, according to early accounts, beginning with the miraculous discovery of the cross on September 14, 326, by Saint Helen, mother of Constantine, while she was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem -- the same day that two churches built at the site of Calvary by Constantine were dedicated.

A friend of mine put this idea in my head many, many moons ago and I always think of it when this feast day rolls around, especially when it rolls around on a water soaked day like today!

Make some simple cutout sugar cookies in the shape of a cross. Any cut-out cookie recipe will do although, it might be fun to try a chocolate version to simulate the wood of the cross. Frost all of the cookies white except for one. Frost that cookie red. Now, go hide the cookies all over the house during rest time or while the children are distracted. The red cross represents the True Cross that everyone should be hunting for and at the end of the hunt you should have a plate of cookies to enjoy together.


Now, if the idea of cookie crumbs all over your house just sends your spine a tremblin', never fear... you can wrap the cookies in cellophane or use paper crosses instead, maybe even craft stick crosses! Surprise your little hunters with a plate of cookies after they have hunted for and found the True Cross like St. Helena.

Also... this is a coloring page I made for St. Helena's feast day, but it could also be used for today. This link will take you to a short YouTube video on the church of Santa Croce and the story of St. Helena and the True Cross. And for more ideas for celebrating today, click here and stroll through the lovely posts from last year's blog fair.

*I think the wet weather outside kept my frosting from setting up and drying, so we ended up hunting for craft stick crosses!

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St Rose of Lima Cookies

I had left over cookie dough from our cooking for St Augustine and St Monica's double feast, so I wondered what I could create with such a small amount for St Rose's feast tomorrow. I naturally was thinking about St Rose's symbols of a crown of thorns and roses...

Here is a lovely image of St Rose wearing a crown of thorns, which was part of her penitent life...

Which were really mystical roses in the eyes of her Heavenly Bridegroom...

I knew that I had a cookie cross cutout to use, so I decided on cross cookies with a wreath of thorns and roses encircled within.

The cookie recipe I used was this one:

Heat the oven to 315F (160C)
Beat together 4 oz (125g) cubed butter and 1/2 cup (125g/4oz) caster sugar until creamy.
Add 1 egg and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence and beat well.
Sift 1 cup (125g/4oz) plain flour & 1 cup (125g/4oz) self-raising flour & fold to form a soft dough.
Roll out dough and cut out cookie.
Bake for 10/15mins until lightly golden. Cool on wire rake until firm.

I saved a bit of dough for each cross cookie and rolled out a very thin strip to use for making the crown of thorns, I wanted them to have a lovely three dimentional look.

Here is my cooked cookie, the crown of thorns turned out well.

Here is a close up above and below is the little iced roses I made with a small icing tube of red icing, any floral color would do.

All dished up on favourite my 'Peirre de Ronsard Roses' serving plate!

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Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Since today is the feast of St. Helena, I thought I would share another recipe containing basil since tradition says that sweet basil grew all over the hillside where Saint Helena discovered the Holy cross on which our Lord died.  This salad could also be served on September 14th, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

I made it a couple weeks ago for a family get together and it was SO delicious!

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

adapted from Pioneer Woman

Dressing:

• 8 oz extra moist sundried tomatoes  (or 1 jar of sundried tomatoes, drained)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Salad:

• 2 - 16 ounces bags of pasta
• 1 jar Kalamata or assorted olives
• 1-2 pints ripe cherry tomatoes, halved  (I used 1)
• 15-20 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare dressing by blending sundried tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar until tomatoes are chopped. Blend while drizzling in olive oil; continue blending until mixed together.

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water until no longer hot. Pour  dressing over the pasta, add olives, and toss together. Add remaining ingredients, tossing together and adding more dressing until the salad is coated to your liking. Serve on a big platter with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Note:  To make a smaller salad, use just one bag of pasta and pour the extra dressing over a block of cream cheese.  Serve with crackers. 

Enjoy!!

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Monkey Bread Cross

Our family has a tradition of eating monkey bread, sweet, gooey and delicious, on Easter morning. Usually I make it in a bundt cake pan, but this year I wanted to try making it in a cross shaped pan to honor Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross. I bought the cross cake pan for $5 on ebay. It took me a couple trial runs to figure out how to change the recipe for the different cake pan, but no one in my family minded eating monkey bread twice this past week.

Cross Monkey Bread

• 4 packages of standard size biscuits
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons cinnamon
• 2 sticks margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut each biscuit into four quarters. Mix all dry ingredients above in a bowl.

Spray surface of cross cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Dip each individual biscuit quarter into the cinnamon sugar mixture and then into the cake pan.

Pour half of remaining sugar mixture evenly over biscuits. Melt margarine in microwave and pour all of it evenly over biscuits.

Then pour remaining sugar mixture over biscuits especially in pools of melted butter. Place cake pan on foil covered cookie sheet because it will spill over and be messy. Bake for 35-40 minutes depending on your oven. We like our monkey bread a little undercooked so we cooked it in that range. If you like it really cooked or even a little crispy, then maybe cook between 40-45 minutes. Immediately after taking out of the oven, carefully flip cake pan onto platter and let stand until cool enough to eat.

(please note the above picture was taken on a practice round when I didn't cook it long enough so that is why there is margarine and melted cinnamon seeping out when I flipped the cake pan)

If you want to make it in the traditional circle bundt cake pan, follow the same recipe as above but only cook it for 30 minutes and you don't need the cookie sheet under the cake pan. One idea for being creative with the circle monkey bread would be to put toothpicks in it and have it resemble a crown of thorns. This would be more appropriate earlier in Holy Week. Another idea on Easter Sunday would be to put a white candle in the center symbolizing Christ being the light of the world.

This post was written by Robina, at Motherly Loving, and submitted for publication here at Catholic Cuisine. Thank you Robina!

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From Thy Bounty Fair -Feast of The Triumph of The Cross

Learn more about this Feast here, here and here.

Wow – What a Feast!

You know, I have always celebrated this Feast during Mass in the years past. But, teaching it and living the liturgical year is new to me. This is only my second year homeschooling, so learning the liturgical year has been a tremendous gift to my family. I have learned so much and now I am able to teach my children more about our faith through incorporating the gifts of our church traditions in our home and with our meals.

I feel so special to be a contributor to this blog! I am so impressed by all the women who post here…they are truly the help and resources I needed to get started on this new journey my family is on. Thank you Jessica for this blog!

First we will start with Jessica. Of coarse, she will blow your socks off! Have you seen her new painted wooden saints? So cute!! She claims she is not an artist – but I think she is just being humble. She has really done a great job. Her St. Helena and the most Holy Cross will be so memorable to her kids.

She is always letting her kids learn hands on. Her daughter looks like she is having fun helping make the cross shaped cookies. Yum! Speaking of yummy, her pasta recipe and tomato basil mozzarella salad are definitely going on my list of recipes to try! They ended the evening watching a lovely family movie together. God, please bless this family!

Now let’s visit Mary. She also has a wonderful blog! She explains to us how Basil is an herb we associate with this Feast. Her Focaccia Dough Recipe turned out great! I love that she added the sun-dried tomato (for the 5 wounds). Mary also shared with us a great craft idea. I love the woven cross kit. Lord, please live among them always!

Join me in swinging by Marci’s place. Like my blog, hers is new this year. Go check it out, she has some great post and resources. Take a look at the pic of her Basil, tomato and mozzarella pita sandwich, it looks so refreshing! She shared her plan to light a candle and read with the kids about St. Helena and then to color pictures of the cross. What a cozy memory for them, especially when they topped it of with piece of cake that was baked in the form of a cross – with chocolate sprinkles. Holy Spirit, please dwell with this family.

Follow me over to Eileen’s. She has so many great ideas! Her family loves her Good Friday meal and her crown of thorns. (we do this to, it is a great reminder for the kids) This is a great way to bring those ideas into the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. To recall his sufferings from Good Friday and to merge those reflections to this Feast is a wonderful idea. I bet her kids really “get” what this Feast is about. They started with a procession using the crucifix singing “Lift High the Cross”….how wonderful! Every part of her meal had a wonderful meaning. Her Onion-Basil Foccacia with Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Slices make me hungry just looking at it. For dessert – Exchanging the Crown of Thorns for a Crown Cake. Wonderful!!! What a faith-filled Feast! Mother Mary, pray for Son's blessing for them.

Now we check out Suzanne’s trusty blog – ( have you ever seen her homemade diaper wipes and solution. Inspiring!) I love how she had the kids make their cross and physically bring it to the foot of the cross at church. That will be stick with them for years to come.
Her idea to make snacks in a cross shape is a fun way teach about this Feast! Her girls were also able to enjoy a memory together braiding bread into cross shapes. What a lovely bread basket they made together as a family. Togetherness – what a gift! Jesus, hold them close to you.

As for mine I have posted it, but I have had trouble uploading my pics -- so it looks a bit boring...LOL Check back soon to see if I have my pics uploaded yet. Lord please grant my family your strength and grace.

Have you been by Heather’s blog lately? Her blog is full great stuff. She shares a great pic of her cutie and the fun cookies they made last year!

Lord Jesus, please bestow your blessings upon them.

We all know Dawn and how awesome her blog is! We look at her post from last year. Have you ever seen her family handprint cross? Priceless!You can't buy memories like that. Her family shares so many fun memories making crafts and baking together. She made a cross shaped cake also, with sprinkles in the middle in the shape a heart shape. Simple and beautiful ideas for sharing this feast with the children.

God, please grant them your peace.

Thank you to you all for sending me your submissions! You are all inspiring to me and have so many great ideas for teaching our kids how to Glorify our Lord in all that we do -- even cooking!

Now we get to look forward to the next fair coming at the end of September. Look for it over at Jenn's, she will be hosting.

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An Easy Pesto Recipe...

...For the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross!

In addition to the wonderful list of suggestions that Mary shared earlier this week, I wanted to share a couple simple recipes using Basil.

In one of my favorite Catholic cookbooks, A Continual Feast, the author tells us that "This holy day is one of strict fasting among the Eastern Orthodox. In Greece, the priest distributes sprigs of sweet basil to his congregation, because tradition says that basil grew all over the hillside where Helena discovered the cross. " The author, Evelyn Vitz, goes on to suggest the following recipe for Pesto (a wonderful sauce for pasta made with fresh basil) since, "With this dish you can keep the spirit of the day as one of abstinence from meat and still serve something delicious and symbolic."

I just made the recipe in preparation for tomorrow, and not only is it quick and easy, it is DELICIOUS!!

Pesto

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tespoons finely chopped garlic
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1-1 1/2 cups olive oil (I found one cup to be plenty)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (I left the cheese out of a portion of ours, since a few of us have dairy intolerances. It still turned out very yummy!)

Directions:

Combine the basil, salt, pepper, garlic, pine nuts, and 1 cup of oil in the blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth; stop the blender every few seconds to stir the mixture slightly, and to press the leaves down. (If you happen to have a Vita-Mix, this won't be necessary and use the lowest speed.)

The mixture when pureed should be slightly runny; if it is still too thick, add more olive oil. Pour the sauce into a bowl, and stir in the grated cheese.

Serve hot on pasta.

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Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad

Tradition says that sweet basil grew all over the hillside where Saint Helena discovered the Holy cross on which our Lord died.

Here is a recipe for one of my favorite ways in which to use basil:

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad

Ingredients:

Tomatoes, sliced
Fresh Basil, carefully chop leaves to prevent bruising
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Assemble the salad with slices of tomatoes, basil leaves, and mozzarella slices. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the salad. Then add a dash of vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

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Looking for ideas for the Triumph of the Cross?

September 14 marks the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. In order to get you thinking about ideas to share with us for next week’s From Thy Bounty Fair (Monday, Spet. 15), we wanted to offer a few ideas to get you started.

In Cooking for Christ, Florence Berger discusses this feast. And while she indicates it was traditionally a day spent in fasting – as “it seemed like a day set apart from all the gay harvesting, preserving, and brewing” [of late summer and fall], we can also celebrate by incorporating the cross into our cooking.

As a symbol, the cross, is very easy to incorporate into many culinary methods. Any recipe that uses dough that can be shaped (cookies, breads) could easily be made into a cross. Hot Cross Buns are traditionally a food associated with Good Friday, but would be appropriate for this day as well.

There are many forms for making cross shaped or imprinted foods (cake pans, cookie cutters, candy molds, cookie press). And if you don’t have a mold, a cross shaped cake could easily be made from a rectangular one. Cut the cool cake in half, length wise. Then cut one of these sections in half width wise. Lay the long section on a serving plate. Set the two small sections next to the long section forming a cross. Frost and decorate.

Other ideas:

• Crosses can also easily be cut into pie crusts or carved it fruit.
• Pancake or waffle batter can be poured in a cross shape.
• Loose food (like grated cheese, bread crumbs, sprinkles) could be sprinkled on in cross shapes on the desired food.
• Any long, thin foods (carrot/celery sticks, pretzels) can be laid across each other to form a cross (and held together with cream cheese, peanut butter, etc.)
  

Catholic Culture mentions the tradition that sweet basil grew over the hill where St. Helena found the Holy Cross. In Greece the faithful are given sprigs of basil by the priest. A suggestion is to cook a basil pesto, tomato basil or some other type of recipe that includes basil, and explain the meaning to the family.

Remember - submit your fair links to Michele by this Sunday. Looking forward to seeing them as part of the From Thy Bounty Fair here on Monday!

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