Golden Peach Coffee Cake for Easter

Back in 2008 I shared the recipe for our favorite Cherry Cheese Coffee Cake.  It is always one of the first things requested, especially by my husband, every holiday!  This year my aunt asked me to include it in our Easter Menu and so I decided to try a variation as well, incorporating the liturgical Easter colors of "white" and "gold!"   The cherry is still my personal favorite, but the peach was  also very good!  

Golden Peach Coffee Cake

adapted from Cherry Cheese Coffee Cake

Ingredients: 

Cake & Filling
2 (8 oz. each) pkgs. refrigerated crescent rolls
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
21 oz. can peach pie filling

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-3 teaspoons milk

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Unroll crescent dough and arrange 12 of the triangles in a circle with wide ends toward the outside edge of the Large Round Stone or Baking Sheet - the points will not meet in the center.  Lightly flour and roll out the seams making a 14" circle with a 3" hole in the center. 

Note:  I use my Pampered Chef Large Round Stone, though any 16" stone or pizza pan will work.  You may need to reduce the bake time by a couple minutes if you are using a metal pan instead of the stone.

Combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg & vanilla and spread over dough. Top with pie filling. 

Cut each of the 4 remaining triangles into thirds (starting at the wide end opposite the point and cutting lengthwise to the point). Arrange over filling evenly in spoke-like pattern. Press ends to seal at center and outer edges. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly. 

Mix powdered sugar and milk until glaze consistency and drizzle over coffee cake.

Enjoy! 

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A Paleo Strawberry Coconut Trifle

This post was written by past Catholic Cuisine contributor Amy.

It is a little late for this Easter, but I wanted to share this with you anyway.  It would be a great dessert for many feast days, including Valentine's Day or Pentecost.  Add some blueberries and it would be a fun dessert for Divine Mercy Sunday as well!

In our family we have people with gluten intolerance and one poor little muffin who is lactose intolerant.  So I generally have to get a bit creative with our holiday treats. 

All I could think about was the fact that I wanted to have that wonderful trifle here at Catholic Cuisine we have every year on Easter.  So I searched the net, but nothing looked very good (well to me, that is, I was being picky).  Then I found, on Pinterest, a link on how to make whip cream from canned coconut milk.  With that and a gluten free cake mix from Pamela's I knew I had it!

A Paleo Strawberry Coconut Trifle

• 1 package Pamela's Vanilla Cake Mix
• 3-4 pounds strawberries (you can do less, but we went for it)
• 1/2 to 1 cup almond or coconut milk
• 1 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice  (you could use agave or another sweetener I am sure to your taste)
• 2 cans Native Forest unsweetened FULL FAT coconut milk

Bake the cake according to directions.  Do this the night before and let it cool completely.  I had to hide mine on top of the fridge.  In the morning cut up into 1 inch cubes.  Poor the almond or coconut milk over the cubed cake till it is moist but not soaked.  Cut the strawberries and sprinkle with coconut and sweetener, mix.  Make the coconut whipped cream.  Follow these directions.  They work and it is AMAZING.  I didn't have enough whipped cream for the top because one of my cans got shook up, which was a huge disappointment.  So we only had one layer of the coconut whipped cream instead of two.  I ended up drizzling the other can a little over everyone's servings instead.

On the bottom of your trifle or glass bowl, put half the cake.  Put half the strawberry mixture on top of that, then half of the 2 cans worth of whipped coconut cream.  Repeat.  On top place a decorative strawberry and some toasted coconut.



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Pascha: Easter Sweet Cheese Spread, Updated

In 2009 I posted about Festive Easter Breads and Cheese. My cookbooks are full of margin notes, so I thought I would update my notes on the recipes. This is crossposted with my food blog, Family Food in Feast and Feria.

We enjoy spreading Pascha, the Easter Sweet Cheese Mold on the Paska, just like in one of our favorite children's books, Rechenka's Eggs by Patricia Polacco. At first I was a bit confused, as the name for the dessert cheese is Pascha (or Pashka), very close to the Ukrainian name for the bread. And “Pascha” is the Orthodox name for Easter. Once I got the names sorted out, I was convinced I had to try the cheese. I didn’t have an “official” mold, so used the clean clay unglazed flowerpot. Be sure to make ahead (the recipe says 2-3 days. Wednesday or Holy Thursday is probably the latest). I omit the candied fruit and the almonds, as I want a smoother, creamier texture. My husband always requests this so I have been working on improving this every year.

The recipe I use is from A Continual Feast: A Cookbook to Celebrate the Joys of Family and Faith Throughout the Christian Year by Evelyn Vitz. I’ve had the pleasure to meet her and some of her daughters (and even go on retreat with her and her daughter in law this month!). But I digress…

This is an absolutely beautiful and delicious dish; versions are prepared in Poland, Russia, the Ukraine, and Latvia. It is made in a tall mold (or flower pot), then turned out onto a large platter and decorated. Cool and rich, it tastes like a cross between ice cream and cheesecake. It goes wonderfully with other the sweet Easter breads, such as Kulich, or Paska Or Easter Sweet Bread or with various Easter cakes.

There was some discussion of the "farmer cheese" from the previous post. This is a more difficult ingredient to find. My grocery store carries this, the brand is "Friendship", but you can try ethnic grocery stores. Some people have had success with Mexican queso fresco. It is NOT an aged hard cheese, but a soft and crumbly, almost like ricotta, or a softer version of feta. It is usually found near the yogurt, cottage cheese and/or sour cream, but not in the cheese section. 

If you cannot find farmer's cheese and need to use large curd cottage cheese or ricotta, rinse the cheese with cold water and drain well in a fine colander. Ricotta might need to just be drained. Then take a fine mesh strainer and press the cheese through to make it finely sieved and ready to mix. 

I’ve had trouble over the years having the mixture drain well so it becomes firm. Last year was my most successful year. The flowerpot that works well for me is an 8″ clay flowerpot. But I have found the shorter and wide flowerpot drained better than the tall pot. The picture below shows the two 8″ pots, but the one on the left is the one I use for both the bread Paska and the cheese spread. These are just clay pots made in Italy that I found in my local gardening store. I cleaned well before using.

After covering with cheesecloth, I place a small plate on top, then used a weight (literally, one or two of my husband’s free weights) and then put the pot in a large bowl. Last year the bowl was shaped that the pot was suspended above a few inches, instead of flat on the bottom. This allows more draining.
For decorating I just keep it simple. And face it — no matter how beautiful the presentation, after one small serving it never looks "pretty" again. But that doesn't matter, because it is super delicious and everyone will keep coming back for more.

Pascha
1 whole egg
4 egg yolks
2 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 pounds farmer cheese (see comments)
1/2 pound sweet butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fruit: raisins and/ or dried currants, mixed candied fruit peel (I omit)
1 cup blanched almonds, chopped (I omit)
2 tablespoons freshly grated orange or lemon rind (I use both, enough zest from one orange and 1 lemon)
For decorating:
Candied fruit peel, maraschino cherries, or nuts
Fresh strawberries to place around the base and on top

Beat the egg and the yolks until thick and lemon-colored. (NOTE: Using a stand mixer, this is about 5 minutes.) Gradually add the sugar, and beat until the mixture is thick and creamy. Pour into a saucepan and add 1/2 cup of the cream. Heat over medium-low heat, beating constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken. Do not boil. Remove the pan from the heat and continue beating until the mixture has cooled to lukewarm.

(NOTE: I use a wire whisk to beat while heating. I have a gas stove, and using fresh cream from the farmer the mixture is already very thick. On the heat this takes about 10-15 minutes. You will know it's getting thicker when you see the sugar dissolving. At the beginning it's very grainy. After removing from the heat I either put back in the stand mixer and just beat until cooled to lukewarm, or keep in saucepan and stir with the whisk. I don't do it constantly, but very regularly, while I'm beating the other ingredients.)
In a mixing bowl, combine the cheese, butter, the other 1/2 cup of cream and the vanilla. Cream until the mixture is smooth. Add the egg mixture, then the fruits, almonds, and orange or lemon rind. Blend thoroughly. (NOTE: At this point the mixture is very soupy.)

Line a flower pot or Pascha mold with 2 thicknesses of cheesecloth. Place the pot over a bowl (to catch liquid), and pour the Pascha mixture into the pot. Put a layer or two of cheesecloth over the top, set a plate on it and something heavy on the plate. (The purpose is to press the extra liquid out of the Pascha and into the bowl below.) (NOTE: After pouring into the mold, I put a plate and then weigh it down. I gradually add more weights, my husband's free weights, after the mixture has chilled longer. Try to place a plate that covers the whole top. There will be oozing over. Do not panic.) Chill overnight or for a day or two.

Remove the top cheesecloth. Unmold the Pascha onto a large platter, and remove the rest of the cheesecloth.

Decorate the Pascha with the candied fruit peel or maraschino cherries or nuts to form the letters XB or CR (Christ is risen) on one side, and on the other side a cross. You may use the Western cross form or the Orthodox cross, or any other cross design that you prefer. In Russia, Pascha is often decorated with an angel and a lily, as well as the cross.
Around the base and on top of the Pascha, place fresh strawberries. Serve chilled.
Yield: 14 to 16 servings

The best part after making these goodies, was arranging the Easter basket for a blessing at our parish by the pastor. I included our Easter eggs, pysanky, ham, wine, butter lamb, paska and pashka. This year I bought a simple Easter basket cloth made by some Catholic ladies in Johnstown, PA, which I can't wait to use.

Update 2016: After struggling for many years on my molds not draining, a friend suggested I use true
Pascha molds. I got two red plastic ones. The symbols did not leave an imprint on the molds, but they did drain well! I highly recommend going this route.

A blessing on the Paschal feast, and your celebration!


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St. Patrick's Day Pudding

Last year my boys had their final Hockey game of the season followed by a potluck for the families, on St. Patrick's Day! In an effort to tie in the feast day in addition to a few morning treats along with Cinnamon Shamrocks I decided to take a Green Pudding dessert!  This delicious dessert only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and it was one of the first things gone at the potluck.  My kids have already asked if we can make it again this year.

St. Patrick's Day Pudding

adapted from McCormick

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes (4-serving size each) vanilla instant pudding (or you can use pistachio pudding and eliminate the green food coloring} 
• 3 1/2 cups cold milk
• 1 teaspoon green food coloring
• 1-8oz. tub of Whipped Topping 
• 1-18oz pkg. Oreos, coarsely crushed
• Shamrock candies, cookies, etc. for garnish

Directions:

Pour milk into large bowl. Stir in food coloring. Add pudding mixes and beat with a wire whisk 2 minutes or till well blended. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir in Cool Whip.

In a trifle bowl layer the crushed cookies and pudding mixture, beginning and ending with the crushed cookies.

Garnish as desired. (I used Shamrock Candies to represent the Trinity!) Refrigerate for at least an hour or until ready to serve.

Additional recipes for the feast of St. Patrick can be found in the archives! 

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Lemony Sunshine Cupcakes (easy peasy!)

photo source


Today is the feast of Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marta, visionaries at Fatima.

A few years ago I created these Lemony Sunshine Cupcakes for the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima and they were so easy and yummy, I am creating them again today.

As you know, it was at Fatima, during Our Lady's apparitions, that the miracle of the sun occurred, and thus images of the sun are often used as symbols of Fatima.

I saw the recipe for these Sunshine Cupcakes made on the Food Network as the winner of a recipe contest. We all love lemon desserts at our house, so I knew these cupcakes would be well-liked. I hung on to the recipe and the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima seamed like the perfect opportunity.

The cupcakes did not disappoint. They are very lemony, and though I'm a huge cake snob, they tasted pretty darned good for a doctored box mix. I love the lemon curd in the very center, and the shortbread cookie crust. They are really sort of a mini cake tart, if ever there was such a thing. The cake is moist and tangy, but perfectly complimented by the gooey lemon curd and the sweet, crunchy crust. I altered the recipe only in that I used all the crumb mixture for the crust because I wanted the tops to be bright yellow and sunny, with the spot of curd unobstructed.

Lemony Sunshine Cupcakes

makes 18 cupcakes

Printer version

1 1/3 cups shortbread cookie crumbs, (I used one bag Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies or you could use Lorna Doone)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

4 T. unsalted butter, melted

For the batter:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 

1/2 cup sour cream

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup vegetable oil (or canola or sunflower or safflower)

1/4 cup water

1 small box (3.4 ounce) instant lemon pudding

1 (18.25 ounce) box lemon cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Super Moist)

1/3 cup lemon curd (store bought or homemade)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 standard muffin tins with 16 cupcake liners; set aside.

Place shortbread cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a medium bowl; stir until well combined; set aside. Place a slightly heaping tablespoon of shortbread cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use your fingers or the bottom of a small glass to firmly pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Reserve remaining shortbread cookie crumb mixture for topping. (I used all of it in the bottoms.)

In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time and mix just until combined. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Add vegetable oil, water, and the box of lemon pudding. Mix until combined. Add cake mix and beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Batter will be thick.

Use a 1/4 cup spring loaded ice cream scoop and place a level scoop full of batter into each muffin cup.

Scoop the lemon curd into a small sandwich-size resealable bag. Squeeze the curd to 1 corner of the bag and use scissors to snip a 1/4-inch piece from corner of bag.

With a damp finger or the end of a wooden spoon dipped in water, make a shallow indentation into the center of each cupcake. Pipe 3/4 to 1 teaspoon lemon curd into each indentation. Sprinkle tops of cupcakes evenly with remaining shortbread cookie crumbs (if desired).

Bake for 21 to 23 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking, until edges of cupcakes are lightly golden brown.

Serve cupcakes warm from the oven or at room temperature.

Source: Food Network

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A Partridge in a Pear Tree Pie

When I saw the Partridge in a Pear Tree Pie over at Taste of Home, I knew I had to try making it for our Twelve Days of Christmas Dinner Party on Twelfth Night!    I didn't have a partridge cookie cutter so I just hand cut a design with a butter knife.  I also added some little leaves and cross shapes as well.  It was pretty simple and turned out so cute and delicious.

Partridge Pear Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 ounces) pear halves, drained  (I used a larger jar of pears)
• 1 package (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple (I used about 1/2 of a large can)
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pastry of double-crust pie (9 inches)
• Additional sugar, optional

Directions:

Set aside five pear halves; chop any remaining pears. In a large saucepan, combine the chopped pears, cranberries, pineapple and sugar.

Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until some cranberries have popped. Cool for 30 minutes, stirring several times. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt and cinnamon. Stir in cooled cranberry mixture.

Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom pastry; trim and flute edges. Spoon cranberry mixture into pastry shell; arrange pear halves on top.

Bake at 400° for 35-40 minutes or until bubbly and crust is golden brown (cover edges with foil for last 15 minutes of baking if necessary). Cool on wire rack.

Roll remaining pastry. Using cookie cutters (or a knife), cut out small leaves, little crosses (optional), and a partridge. Place on an ungreased baking sheet; sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake at 400° for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Place partridge in center of pie with leaves near each pear, and crosses along the edge.

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Gluten Free Twelfth Night Rum Cake

I wanted to make Jessica's Twelfth Night Rum Cake this year but my husband is eating gluten free right now for some digestive health reasons and I felt bad for not making more treats that he could enjoy with us over this Christmas season. So, turning to The Cake Mix Doctor's new gluten free cookbook, I decided to try her Bacardi Rum Cake recipe, just making a few alterations. Here is the recipe as I made it:

Gluten Free Twelfth Night Rum Cake

Cake:

Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pan
1 package (15 ounces) yellow gluten-free cake mix (Betty Crocker)
1/4 cup (half of a 3.4-ounce package) vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbl. rum extract
1/4 cup water
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Glaze:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
2 Tbl. water

1 tsp. rum extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with GF vegetable oil spray.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, rum extract, water, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are just incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter until smooth, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula, and place the pan in the oven.

3. Bake the cake until it is golden brown and the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 40 to 45 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Place the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted. Add the brown sugar and water, and stir to combine over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from the heat, stir in the 1 tsp. rum extract and let the glaze cool.

My cake was so pretty and puffed when it came out of the oven and then it collapsed. Sad, but still yummy!

5. Transfer the Bundt pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 10 minutes. Shake the pan gently, and invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Carefully put the cake back in the pan. Using a wooden skewer, poke a dozen holes on the bottom of the cake, about 1/2 way through. Very slowly spoon about 2/3rds of the cooled glaze over the warm cake letting it soak into the holes in the cake before adding more. Insert chocolate coins at this point by slicing into the bottom and inserting an unwrapped chocolate coin into the slit. When the bottom of the cake has absorbed most of the glaze, flip cake back over to a serving plate and spoon the remainder of the glaze over the top.

6.  Let the cake cool to room temperature, 20 minutes longer before slicing and serving.

Happy Twelfth Night!

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St. Jogues - Huron Indian Blueberry Crunch Cake

SAINTS ISAAC JOGUES, JOHN DE BREBEUF, AND THEIR COMPANIONS

Martyrs

 

September 26 – Extraordinary Form ~ October 19 – Ordinary Form

 

DOUBLE, SECOND CLASS / RED
These eight French Jesuit missioners, the first canonized saints of the North American continent, labored and died among the most barbaric of red men in the most impenetrable fastnesses of the 17th-century New World. After struggling with unbelievable privations and hardships, they were severely tortured and martyred by the Iroquois Indians between the years 1642 and 1649. Fathers Isaac Jogues and Anthony Daniel and the two lay oblates, John Lalande and Rene Goupil, gave their lives in what is now New York State; Fathers John de Brebeuf, Gabriel Lalemant, Charles Garnier, and Noel Chabanel in central Canada.

~~~

My children’s interest led us to this impromptu Saintly treat.  We imagined that St. Isaac Jorgues, St. John De Brebeuf, and their companions would have eaten something similar while on their mission among the Huron Indians since the Huron Indians supplemented their diets with wild blueberries. 

Although agriculture was important in the economy of the Huron, it was not the only source of subsistence. Berries, particularly strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, were plentiful. Fruits were fried for winter use, to be used as preserves for the sick, to give taste to sagmite, ad to put into the small cakes that were baked in the ashes. ~ An Ethnography of the Huron Indians, 1615-1649

The ordinary meal of soup was sometimes supplemented with unleavened cornbread baked under the ashes.  This bread occasionally hand beans of wild fruits added to it.  To make bread, corn was first pounded into flour in a wooden mortar and the hull removed by fans made of tree bark.  The corn was boiled for a short time in water and wiped and dried a little, then crushed and kneaded with warm water, shaped like cakes or tarts (an inch long), and baked in the ashes.  To the dough might be added beans that been been boiled separately.  Sometimes dried or fresh fruits, such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries were added. ~ An Ethnography of the Huron Indians, 1615-1649

~~~

Additional resources on St. Jogues and the First American Martyrs are listed here.

This recipe is modified from Paula Deen’s  Pineapple Blueberry Crunch Cake

Sweetie and Sparkles collected the ingredients.

Sweetie crushed our pineapples while Sparkles melted the butter.

 

They took turns adding the ingredients.

Dad and I consider our family to be modified Paleo -- we do what we can, within the means that we have been provided.  Here’s an example of what I mean.  We don’t keep the traditional treats handy in our home but being the sugar addict that I am, I will send Dad to the nearby store for a quick fix.  (I like to think that pregnancy hormones have something to do with my attempted binges but I’m not so sure.)  In order to avoid such scenario I opt to store some quasi healthy treats.  In this case it’s gluten-free cake mix.  The blueberry pie filling was bought after a saw a pin from Melody for a blueberry cake recipe.  I was unable to locate a gluten-free pie filling but I did search for a filling that did not contain high-fructose corn syrup.  Again, it’s not the ideal snack but it beats the alternative for us.  

The kids are always thrilled when the get to “enjoy” a mom-approved treat.

First went the crushed pineapples.  Sweetie was in charge of using the emulsion blender to crush the cubed pineapples that we had on hand.

Together, they layered the blueberry filling and covered it all with boxed yellow cake mix.

Then I drizzled the warm butter over the top.  Note that all the cake should be covered with some amount of butter.

Forty-five minutes later, we enjoyed a yummy treat!

~~~

Recipe: St. Jogues - Huron Indian Blueberry Crunch Cake

Prep Time: 10 min. | Cook Time: 35-45 min.| Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 8-12

INGREDIENTS: 

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, with juice
• 1 (20-ounce) can blueberry pie filling
• 1 box gluten-free yellow cake mix

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
• Butter a 9x13 casserole dish
• Pour the pineapple with juice in the casserole dish
• Evenly spread the blueberry filling over the pineapples
• Cover with dry yellow cake mix
• Drizzle with melted butter over the cake layer
• Bake for 35 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees

~~~

"To maintain it, and see what can be done for the instruction of these tribes, it is here deemed expedient to send some Father. I have reason to think I shall be sent, having some knowledge of the language and country. You see what need I have of the powerful aid of prayers, being amidst these savages. I will have to remain among them—almost without liberty to pray; without Mass; without Sacraments —and be responsible for every accident among the Iroquois, French, Algonquins and others. But what do I say? My hope is in God, who needs not us to accomplish His designs. We must endeavor to be faithful to Him, and not spoil His work by our shortcomings. I trust you will obtain for me this favor of Our Lord, that, having led so wretched a life till now, I may at last begin to serve Him better.” ~ St. Isaac Jogues

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St. Anne's Day Dessert Fruit Pizza

Through the ages she {St. Anne} has been depicted wearing a green mantle and a red dress, colors symbolic of immortality and divine love.  Rev. Edgar Schmiedler in "Your Home: A Church in Miniature" mentions the custom in Louisiana of children of French extraction named Anne wearing red and green ribbons in her honor. These are colors to bear in mind for party decorations on her feast. There is no need to look "Christmasy" by using equal amounts; rather, use cool green for the main color scheme with accents of red. ~ My Nameday - Come for Dessert

This year, in honor of today's feast of St. Anne, we my oldest daughter made a Dessert Fruit Pizza covered with "Red and Green Fruit Ribbons" to celebrate, just like Lisa made last year!  Here's our recipe, adapted from Pampered Chef:

Dessert Fruit Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 cups assorted red and green fresh fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, green grapes, etc

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place dough on round baking stone and cook 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. For topping, combine cream cheese and sugar and spread over cookie dough, then start placing on the fruit.

Family Prayer on the Feast of St. Anne:

Father: We all rejoice in the Lord, 

As we keep holiday in honor of blessed Anne, 

Of her whose feast fills angels with joy, 

And sets them praising the Son of God. 

All: Amen. 

Father: Spotless Anna, Juda's glory, 

Through the Church from East to West 

Every tongue proclaims thy praises, 

Holy Mary's mother blessed. 

All: From thy stem in beauty budded 

Ancient Jesse's mystic rod; 

Birth from thee received the Mother 

Of the almighty Son of God 

Father: Let us pray. O God, You were pleased to bestow Your grace upon Anne so that she might fitly become the mother of her who was to bear Your only-begotten Son; grant that we who keep her feast will be helped by her protection. Through Christ, our Lord. 

All: Amen. Christ conquers, Christ reigns!

Sts. Joachim and Anne, Pray for Us! 

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Cherry Turnovers for the Feast of St. Mark

A few years ago Barbara posted a recipe for St. Gregory's Cherries and shared the legend of Pope Gregory the Great and his longing for cherries on St. Mark's feast day.  You can read more about the legend in her post. Since today, April 25, is the feast of St. Mark, I thought I'd share another recipe using cherries.  This is a very easy recipe to make, and perfect for any children that like to help in the kitchen.  My girls made these last month, when studying the state of Virginia, and everyone agreed that they turned out scrumptious!  

Cherry Turnovers 

recipe adapted from Macaroni Kid

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of Frozen Puff Pastry (2 sheets)
• 1 Can of Cherry Pie Filling
• 1 Egg

Directions:

Unfold the thawed puff pastry sheets and cut into 4 squares each.

Fill each square with about 2 Tbsp of the cherry pie filling.

Fold over the pastry dough and seal with fingers.

Beat egg and add a tsp of water to make egg wash, then brush top of pastry with the egg wash.

Bake at 375 until golden brown and allow pastries to cool.  Enjoy!

Be sure to check the archives for additional recipes for the today's feast of St. Mark.  And if you end up making something special, be sure to take pictures to share in this week's link up! 

O Glorious St. Mark, through the grace of God our Father, you became a great Evangelist, preaching the Good News of Christ. May you help us to know Him well so that we may faithfully live our lives as followers of Christ. Amen. 

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