Refreshing Glass of Milk to Toast St. Columba

A very simple way to remember St. Columba (aka St. Colmcille) on his feast day today (June 9) is by having a glass of milk. Readily available and easy to serve - no prep or fuss. One of the pious legends of St. Columba's life involved him casting a demon out of a pail of milk. So toast to the grand Irish saint with a frosty glass of milk today. 

St. Columba, Pray for us.

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Saint Benedict Farmhouse Ale

Happy Feast of St. Benedict! 🍻 

"In the ordinary form of the Roman rite, the feast of St. Benedict of Nusia is today, the date on which his relics are believed to have been translated to Fleury Abbey in St. Benoît-sur-Loire in France. In the traditional or extraordinary form of the Roman rite, his feast day is March 21, the day of his heavenly birthday. We don't blame you for wanting to celebrate the founder of Western monasticism twice in one year. After all, given all the drinks the Benedictines developed, you'll need far more than one sitting to appreciate them." - Drinking with the Saints

While we were in Oregon this past weekend, for my little sister's wedding, we were able to stop back by Benedictine Brewery to purchase a couple more glasses and some more of their great beer. Unfortunately our options were pretty limited following the 4th of July rush!

SAINT BENEDICT
Farmhouse Ale

A session ale in the farmhouse tradition, this beer gets its name because it was first brewed on March 21 and first served on July 11, the two annual feasts of St. Benedict. Bears the fresh aroma of yeast. Complex flavor for a lighter beer, with a slightly tart and peppery finish. Stands well as a cold beverage on a summer day. ABV about 4.7%.

This will be perfect to go along with the Benedictine Pizza found in the archives!

You can browse through all the different beers they have available at Benedictine Brewery here.

Saint Benedict, Ora Pro Nobis!

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Saint Brigid's Lake of Beer

Lake of Beer

I should like a great lake of beer for the King of Kings.

I should like the angels of Heaven to be drinking it through time eternal.

I should like excellent meats of belief and pure piety.

I should like the men of Heaven at my house.

I should like barrels of peace at their disposal.

I should like for them cellars of mercy.

I should like cheerfulness to be their drinking.

I should like Jesus to be there among them.

I should like the three Marys of illustrious renown to be with us.

I should like the people of Heaven, the poor, to be gathered around from all parts.

Happy feast of St. Brigid of Ireland! 

This picture was from our 2015 All Saints Party. You can find recipes and ideas for celebrating the feast of St. Brigid in the archives here at Catholic Cuisine and over at Shower of Roses.

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Clementine Margaritas

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 is also considered one of the first apostolic fathers. 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.  So each year I try to find new clementine recipes that would be fitting for his feast. This year the feast day falls on Thanksgiving Day in the US and I thought a festive but different citrus margarita would be fun. 

Clementine Margaritas
(makes 2)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh-squeezed clementine juice (5-6 clementines)

4 tablespoons lime juice

4 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons agave nectar 

5 ounces tequila 

course sea salt

clementine and lime slices (for garnish and juicing rim)

Directions:

• Rub a wedge of lime around glass rim and dip into coarse sea salt. 
• Dissolve agave nectar in water to make a simple syrup. 
• Combine all ingredients together and mix well. 
• Pour over ice in glass.

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St. Helena Wine

The following drink suggestion in honor today's feast was submitted by Kim Loney from Texas.

"We remember Saint Helena today not only because she found the True Cross, but because, although she was an Empress, she was still God's humble servant..." 
Saints for Girls by Neumann Press.

*Santa Helena Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

*Saints for Girls: A First Book for Little Catholic Girls

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La Croix to Celebrate the Triumph of the Cross

On this day of the Feast of the Exultation of the Cross, we celebrate the discovery of the true cross by St. Helena and the dedication of the bascilica built on Calvary by Constantine.   It is a celebration and commemoration of God's greatest work: his salvific death on the Cross and His Resurrection.

Need an easy yet memorable idea to commemorate the day? Pick up some La Croix sparkling water to add to your meal or snacktime. The name Croix is French for "cross" so it can be a reminder of that great saving work of Christ for us.

Christ, through your holy cross save us. 

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Sancta Lucia Martinis

This recipe in honor of St. Lucy was submitted by Kim Loney. Thank you, Kim! 

Here is my non alcoholic version of the SANCTA LUCIA MARTINIS!

The idea came from Drinking with the Saints: The Sinner's Guide to a Holy Happy Hour by Michael P. Foley. The book contains "saintly" alcoholic drinks for every day of the liturgical year.

Sancta Lucia Martinis 

Ingredients:

• bubbly of your choice
• wood skewers
• ribbons
• jingle bells {left over from the Jesse Tree idea over at Shower of Roses}
• green olives {we like to think her eyes were olive ;) }
• Martini glasses {from the Dollar Store}

You can find additional recipes for the feast of St. Lucy in the archives.

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Blackberry Mint Sparkler

As you can tell, I love the legend of blackberries associated with the Feast of St. Michael. It makes for so many fun ideas for foods and treats to celebrate the feast of the Archangels, September 29. I have included beverage ideas for feast days before, as I think they are a simple and generally healthy way to celebrate the feasts. Sparkling water always adds a flair of festivity to the mix. So here is a refreshing blackberry infused sparkling water recipe that would be a great way to remember St. Michael this year.  And if you want to go even simpler, just use a lime flavored sparkling water and add blackberries. So easy!

Blackberry Mint Sparkler

Ingredients

20 ounces chilled sparkling mineral water

1/4 cup blackberries

2 sprigs mint leaves

1 lime, 1/2 sliced plus juice of other 1/2

2 T. agave sweetener (or adjust to suit your taste)

ice

Directions

In a small bowl mix together lime juice and agave.
Muddle a few mint leaves in liquid.

Pour into 2 glasses.
Add lime slices and blackberries to each glass.
Top with ice.
Add sparkling water, stir, and serve. 

St. Michael and all the Archangels, Pray for us!

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St. Agnes Lamb's Wool Drinks

On January 21 we celebrate the feast of St. Agnes, 4th century martyr, known for her consecrated virginity. She is often depicted holding a lamb as her name, Agnes, means lamb or victim in Latin, and pure in Greek. In Rome on this feast day, two lambs are placed on the altar of the Basilica where her relics lie and are then blessed. The wool from these lambs is used in making the pallium, the symbols archbishops wear as sign of their authority. These are given to the new archbishops on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, June 29.

There are so many beautiful details associated with this tradition, as specified in this article from the Vatican News Network:

The small lambs, traditionally less than a year old, are carried to the Pope in baskets, as per tradition, by the Canons Regular of the Cathedral of St John Lateran. To symbolize St. Agnes’ purity, one of the lambs wears a crown of white flowers, while the other wears a red floral wreath to recall her faithful witness even unto death.

Reared by religious sisters in the Saint Lawrence convent in Panisperna, Rome, come Summer these same lambs will be brought to the Saint Cecilia convent in Trastevere.  There, in a custom that has remained in tact down through the centuries, they will be shorn to supply the wool from which the religious sisters will weave the Pallium.

The Pallium are white woolen stoles, decorated with six black crosses worn by metropolitan archbishops around their necks as a symbol of their authority and unity with the Pope. Once woven they are custodied in an urn at the tomb of St Peter until the Holy Father presents them to newly-appointed metropolitan archbishops on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

St. Agnes Lamb's Wool Drink Ideas

With the connection of lamb's wool, St. Agnes feast day lends itself to anything fluffy and white. Whipped cream seemed a fun way to try to replicate the look of wool and with this mid-winter feast, a perfect topping for a warm drink.  It's easy too!  Whether it be hot chocolate, chia latte, or a cappuccino, make it St. Agnes festive with a "woolly" topping. 

And if you are looking for some specific drink recipes with woolly names here are a few that would be fitting as well. 

Lamb's Wool - a type of Wassail ale dating from medieval times, traditionally served on Twelfth Night celebrating the end of the Christmas season. It is so named as the frothy apple mixture resembles wool. It would make a fun drink for St. Agnes feast celebrating as well. Florence Berger has a recipe for Lamb's Wool in her Cooking for Christ cookbook.  There are other versions of this wool-named ale including this one from Miss Foodwise blog.  Can be made as either an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink.

Warm Wooly Sheep - a sweet, creamy, warm drink for the grown ups. It is made from Scotch, Drambuie, and warm milk. Recipes abound on various mixed drink websites.

St. Agnes, Pray for us!

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Honey Arnold Palmer - Refresher for St. Bernard Feast Day

The "Arnold Palmer" drink is a mix of half tea and half lemonade served chilled over ice. It is also called half-and-half. It is one of our family's favorite drinks, especially in the summertime. I came across a honey sweetened version on the National Honey Board Website. The inclusion of honey seemed a natural to add to the mid-August feast of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, as he is a patron of bees and beekeepers. There are other beekeeper patron saints but this one falling on August 20, seems particularly fitting since this time of year we are looking for ways to beat the summer heat and add refreshment.

I have adapted the recipe as follow:

Ingredients:

1 part - lemon juice

1 part - honey
2 parts - water

4 parts - unsweetened tea

For honey-lemon syrup/lemonade:

1 part - honey
2 parts - water
1 part - lemon juice (fresh squeezed or concentrate)

Combine ingredients in sauce pan over low heat. Stir until dissolved. Cool.

Mix honey-lemon mixture with 4 parts tea for the half and half.  Add more tea or water to taste.  Stir, refrigerate, and serve over ice. May need to stir again while drinking as honey settles to bottom if left too long. Garnish with lemon or mint if desired. Relax. Enjoy.

ETA: Apparently, August 20 is also National Lemonade Day - I had no idea. How convenient to have suggested a lemonade drink already. The honey-lemon/lemonade portion of this recipe is very tasty on its own and I recommend it as well. 

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Infused Water - Refreshing Drink for Summer Feasts

Infusing your water with fruits, herbs, or veggies not only adds flavor to the water, but also adds essential vitamins and nutrients that help your body.  It is a great way to quench your thirst and keep you hydrated on a hot, late summer day. They can be helpful for getting children to increase their daily water intake. And they are pretty, too. 

Making your own is more cost friendly and healthier than purchased waters. So join in making some feast day themed waters with a hint of summer flavors for our August saints. 

Making infused water is very simple. Just add desired fruit, veggie, or herb or combination to a pitcher of water with ice. Muddle mixture a bit if you want to increase flavor and let steep for at least several hours, up to 24, depending on how strong you want the flavors.  For some mixtures you can pour directly from pitcher, for others you may want to strain ingredients first to remove small floaters. As long as you keep the water refrigerated, the fruit should stay fresh. And you can keep refilling the pitcher as you drink the water but, it will dilute the flavor each time you refill.  It should last several days before you need to remake with fresh fruit.

One way to make infused water is with a single ingredient. Citrus is a great, no lose option for adding a touch of flavor to water, so it can be a good one to start with.

St. Dominic – Orange

In her recent post for Catholic Culture, Jenn Miller alerted me to the connection of St. Dominic (August 8) to the orange. So orange infused water would be perfect for his feast day.  

You can also make infused waters that combine a variety of fruits, veggies or herbs.

St. Maximilian Kolbe – Coconut Strawberry or Blueberry Orange

Infused waters are simple, no frills refreshers and considering that St. Maximilian Kolbe (August 14) died in a concentration camp it is a simple, non-extravagant treat for an austere remembrance. St. Maximilian had a vision of Mary – she offered him two crowns – red for martyrdom and white for purity and asked which one he would accept.  He chose both. Making a coconut strawberry infusion represents the colors of the two crowns that he was shown and accepted.

Blueberry orange infused water incorporates blue for his Marian devotion and formation of the Militia of the Immaculata movement of Marian consecration. Orange trees and their blossoms are symbolic of purity, chastity and generosity so the addition of oranges for St. Maximilian represents three strong characteristics of this saint who gave his life to take the place of another prisoner.

Assumption – Blueberry Lemon

As mentioned since blue is a universal color associated with Mary, the blueberry is a great fruit to use on Marian feasts. The lemon is a symbol of fidelity in love, and, as such, is often associated with the Virgin Mary in art. A lemon blueberry infused water would be a refreshing addition to this Marian solemnity.

Saint Rose - Raspberry, Rose, & Vanilla

The rose is closely associated as a symbol for St. Rose of Lima (August 23) but could be used, too, for St. Clare (August 11) as she has a rose story. The vanilla bean and raspberries of this recipe don't necessarily represent anything about the saints but were a infused water combination I found with rose that sounds delicious.

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St. James - Santiago Peregrino Drinks

During a visit to Compostela, Spain a couple years ago I became more familiar with the images and symbols of the Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James, the pilgrimage routes to the cathedral where his remains are buried. St. James, Santiago in Spanish, is the patron saint of Spain and of pilgrims, particularly the pilgrims on the Camino.

St. James is usually depicted in one of two ways: a fighter or a pilgrim. 

As a fighter, he is Santiago Matamoros or St. James the Moor Slayer. It is in this guise that he appeared to the local armies who were trying to drive the Moors out of the Iberian peninsula.

He is also portrayed as a pilgrim, Santiago Peregrino. He is dressed in robes with the traditional cockleshell on his hat, a bag with supplies, a gourd for carrying water and a staff, which are traditional symbols of the pilgrim. 

A pilgrim is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. The English word for pilgrim derives from the Latin peregrinus which means foreigner. The Spanish word for pilgrim is peregrino while in Italian is is pellegrino.  It was there that I made that connection that a favorite sparkling mineral water from Italy, San Pellegrino, shares this pilgrim name.  The sparkling water is named for the town in Italy where the water is bottled, which in turn was named after a French bishop - St. Peregrine which comes also from the Latin peregrinus.

Since St. James is the patron saint of pilgrims, what better way to toast St. James than with a glass of "pilgrim" water.  San Pellegrino waters are a refreshing drink - whether the natural sparkling water or one of their flavored varieties. Our family loves these and looks for any excuse to celebrate with them. It is a great last minute idea because there is no preparation, just buy a bottle or a six-pack and you are ready to go. Particularly for this feast day the blood orange flavor, Aranciata Rossa, seems fitting since St. James was a martyr and shed his blood for the faith.

"O God, who brought your servant Abraham out of the land of the Chaldeans, protecting him in
his wanderings, who guided the Hebrew people across the desert, we ask that you watch over us,
your servants, as we walk in the love of your name to Santiago de Compostela.

Be for us our companion on the walk,
Our guide at the crossroads,
Our breath in our weariness,
Our protection in danger,
Our albergue on the Camino,
Our shade in the heat,
Our light in the darkness,
Our consolation in our discouragements,
And our strength in our intentions.

So that with your guidance we may arrive safe and sound at the end of the Road and enriched
with grace and virtue we return safely to our homes filled with joy.

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Apostle Santiago, pray for us.
Santa Maria, pray for us."

~A St. James Pilgrim's Prayer 

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Golden Easter Punch

"White and Gold - These are the festival colors and denote happy times. They are used at Christmas and Easter, on many of the greatest saint’s days (except when red is considered more suitable) and on all occasions of great significance to individual Christian people such as Baptism, Confirmation, Weddings or Ordination."   WCDT

Speaking of punch recipes, I thought now would be a great time to share the "Golden Easter Punch" our family enjoyed last Easter Sunday, since Easter is coming up in just two weeks!

Golden Easter Punch

Ingredients:

1 (46 ounce) can pineapple juice
1 (12 ounce) can orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 (6 ounce) can lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 (2 liter) bottle 7-up (or other carbonated lemon-lime beverage)
1 quart pineapple sherbet

Directions:

Mix juices and vanilla in a large punchbowl.   Add 7-up, stirring well. Add sherbet just before serving.

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Pure White Punch for Celebrating the Sacraments

This past January our family celebrated the Sacraments of First Confession and First Holy Communion for two of our daughters, immediately followed by our new baby boy's Baptism.

I wanted to make a white punch to serve along with the Baptism and First Communion Cakes at the reception, since white is a symbol for purity.  I ended up modifying a recipe for White Holiday Punch from Food.com, cutting back on the amount of ice cream.  It was perfect!

Pure White Punch

Ingredients:

1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 tablespoon almond extract
6 (2 liter) bottles carbonated lemon-lime beverage
2 (½ gallon) carton vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Over medium heat, mix the sugar and water in a saucepan, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat, add the evaporated milk and almond extract.   Chill until you are ready to serve your punch.  (I did this step the night before the big day.) 

When you are ready to serve the punch, combine the milk mixture and lemon-lime drink (I used 7-up) in a punch bowl.  Add the scoops of ice cream, and stir to break up the ice cream, incorporating it into the punch.

Note:  This makes a lot of punch, enough to fill my little punch bowl about 6 times.   It would have been easier to have a much larger bowl, but instead I just filled it with one liter of 7-up at a time, adding 1/6th of the milky mixture, and then finishing it with 1/3 of a carton of vanilla ice cream.  

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St. Valentine's Day Cocoa with Sprinkles

This isn't really a recipe, more of just a fun tip for decorating glasses for St. Valentine's Day Cocoa. I already posted about it at Shower of Roses, but I thought I'd go ahead and share it here too.

Supplies:

Glass Coffee Mugs (mine are very similar to these ones, though handpainted by a friend)
White Chocolate Chips or Candy Melts, melted
Sprinkles
Your Favorite Hot Cocoa or Coffee Drink
Whipped Cream (I made mine in a couple minutes with some heavy cream, my iSi Easy Whip and some Chocolate Liquid Stevia) 

Directions:

Dip the rims of the coffee mugs into the melted chocolate.
Dip again into a bowl of sprinkles, coating the rim of the mug.
Let sit for a minute or two to harden.
Fill mug with hot cocoa.
Top with whipped cream and additional sprinkles.

*As Sarah mentioned in the comments at Shower of Roses, these could easily be modified for St. Patrick's Day using green sprinkles, or for Christmas uisng red/green... the options are endless!

I hope you all have a very happy feast of St. Valentine!

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Champurrado por Nuestra Dulce Madre!

…Champurrado for Our Sweet Mother!

On this beautiful feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe we will be celebrating with a few books, coloring pages and food.

I think I've mentioned before that in our family food is a BIG part of the way we celebrate. So, after a conversation with a sweet friend on facebook the other day, I decided to make Champurrado to go with tonight's dinner of shredded chicken burritos and tacos.

Champurrado is a thick Mexican hot chocolate drink. It is traditionally made during Las Posadas (the Christmas season) and other festive Mexican holidays. Mexican chocolate, finely ground corn flour, milk and cinnamon are combined to make this frothy treat. I thought it would be perfect to make this drink in honor of Our Lady's sweetness. :)

Here is a recipe for Champurrado that I found on Foodnetwork.com --

Ingredients:

1/4 cup masa harina

 (You can usually find this in the Hispanic aisle of your supermarket. We bought ours at Walmart.)

3 1/2 cups cold water

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups of milk

1 (3 oz.) tablet of sweetened Mexican chocolate, flavored with cinnamon

(Again, you can usually find this in the Hispanic aisle of your supermarket. We bought ours at Walmart.)

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl combine the masa harina with 1/2 cup of water mixing by hand to form a paste. In medium saucepan add the paste and the remaining 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Cook slowly for 20 minutes, the mixture will thicken.

While this mixture is simmering, in another saucepan add the milk and bring to a boil. Add the chocolate and cook for about 10 minutes until the chocolate has completely dissolved. Pour the chocolate into the masa harina mixture stirring until well incorporated. With a milinillo or an eggbeater, whisk until a foam forms on the top, about 3 minutes. Serve in a large bowl, spooning some of the foam on top.

Serves 4 

Nuestra Dulce Madre Santa Maria de Guadalupe, 

ruega por nosotros!

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Carmel Iced Milks and Coffee

This post, in honor of the upcoming feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, was written by Robina, at Motherly Loving, and submitted for publication here at Catholic Cuisine. Thank you Robina!    A few other drink ideas for this feast can be found in the archives including: Granita di Caffe, Mystic Monk Coffee, and Mount Carmel Steamers!

In honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel which falls in the heat of the summer, make some easy and yummy refreshing iced drinks for your family for morning or evening. I decided to make these drinks because I wanted to make something special for my husband who faithfully wears his Our Lady of Mounat Carmel scapular medal daily. He loves Starbuck's Carmel Frappuccinos, so I decided to make a homemade version for him for to take on his way to work on the morning of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

For the children, make Carmel Ice milks by blending milk, carmel sauce and ice in a blender. Top with whipped cream and carmel sauce.

For a refreshing start to your morning make a Carmel Iced Coffee by blending chilled strong coffee (4 times stronger is what I like), milk, carmel sauce, milk and ice. Pour into a glass and for a sweet addition top with whipped cream and carmel sauce.

Or make it a Carmel Coffee piping hot with carmel melted in it.

Add a shot of coffee liquor and serve it in a wine glass for an after dinner treat.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us!

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Saint Patrick's Day Peppermint Candy Shake

Here is a fun and yummy "green" drink I like to serve on the feast of St. Patrick, and sneak a bit of spinach into my children at the same time! ;)

Saint Patrick's Day 
Peppermint Candy Shake 

2 cups vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup spinach (optional) 
1/2 cup Peppermint Patties

♣ Place candy pieces and place into the freezer for 15 minutes.
♣ Blend milk and spinach until smooth.
♣ Add vanilla ice cream and candy and blend on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Stir with a spoon and blend for 30 more seconds.
♣ Repeat until desired consistency is reached.
♣ Top with whipped cream.

I hope you all have a very Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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Our Lady of Altagracia Orange Smoothies

January 21st is the feast of Our Lady of Altagracia! Since we are still adjusting to having a new little baby in our home once again, I've had to keep our feast day cooking extremely simple.Our plans for tomorrow are to read and discuss the lovely book A Gift of Gracias: The Legend of Altagracia, and then make Orange Smoothies.  We recently made them during "O" Week, as my daughters learn Along the Alphabet Path, and they were so delicious!

Here is our recipe:

Our Lady of Altagracia Orange Smoothies

6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8-9 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients except ice cubes in blender.
Blend for about 1-2 minutes, adding ice cubes one at a time.
Pour into glasses and serve.

O Sweetest Mother of Altagracia, Admirable Mother, who in your little house of Nazareth, served as a model for Christian mothers and wives. We ask you to bless our homes so that the sanctity and holiness of marriage will flourish in them.

~ Excerpt from the Novena to Our Lady of Altagracia

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Mount Carmel Steamers

Here is a simple morning treat I made for my children today, in honor of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Mount Carmel Steamers

• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup Hershey's Caramel syrup

I used our Cocoa-Latte Hot Drink Maker(this is such a fun machine!) which heated, mixed, whipped, and frothed our caramel milk perfectly.

Update: Ours is no longer available. You can find a similar model or a milk frother here.

Other options:

• Prepare one serving at a time by adding 2 Tablespoons syrup to 8 oz. of heated milk.
• Make a delicious cold Caramel drink by using cold milk.
• Add instant coffee to make a café-style Caramel Latte (This is how I made mine this morning. Yummm!!)
• Top with a "Mount" of whipped cream and then a bit more caramel. (Which I intended to do and then totally forgot!!)

Enjoy!

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