Mary's Crown - Queenship Salad

Bachelor's Button, or Cornflower, is an annual flowering plant in the aster family, with florets that are edible and may be used fresh in salads.  Its jagged frilly petals remind one of an ornate crown and because of that it also has a Marian connection – often called Mary's Crown. Traditionally blue, they also come in many different color variants. The blue ones especially are a Marian color.  

Because of these connections, the flowers make a beautiful and symbolic addition as a garnish to a Marian summer salad.  Its name as Mary's Crown is particular fitting for a salad on the Feast of the Queenship of Mary (August 22).

Use any available salad greens and fresh summer vegetables. Garnish with freshly picked Mary's Crown flower heads. Serve with a light vinaigrette dressing. Regina Red Wine Vinegar, in addition to being a common vinegar, easy to find - has a name that means queen, so perfect for this Queenship of Mary summer salad. 

If you don't have access to fresh Bachelor Button flowers, make sure to plant some for next year. These hardy and easy to grow flowers, make a great addition to a liturgical year and Marian garden.  And other edible late summer Marian flowers or flower petals (daisy, lavender, rose, calendula, nasturtium, chive, marigold) could be substituted though they don't have the same crown significance. 

Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, Pray for us. 

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Heavenly Garden Apple Rose Pastries

My girls and I enjoyed baking Apple Roses in preparation for the feast of St. Thérèse!  There are many variations of Apple Roses that can be found online, including pies, tarts, cakes and more, but we decided to use the puff pastry sheet we had in the freezer to make the following Apple Rose Pastries.  Happy Feast of St. Thérèse! 

Heavenly Garden Apple Rose Pastries

adapted from here and here

Ingredients:

• 1 Puff Pastry Sheet 
• 3 Apples - I used a combination of Fuji and Pink Lady
• 5 Tablespoons Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 pinch Nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
• 4 cups Water
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• Powdered Sugar for dusting (optional)
• Parchment Paper

Directions:



Wash and core the apples. Slice in very thin slices, slightly smaller than 1/8 inch.  Place the sliced apples in a saucepan along with the 4 cups water, 3 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 2 minutes, or until the apple slices soften and can easily bend. 



Strain the apples and let cool in the colander.  Line a plate with paper towels and nicely arrange the apple slices so that they can dry and cool completely.

While the apples are cooling, mix the 5 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest.  Prepare you work surface by lightly sprinkling it with some flour (or just use a silicone mat) and unfold the sheet of puff pastry (it is easiest to work with if it is not completely thawed).  Using a pastry (or pizza) cutter, cut long strips approximately 1/2 inch wide.  Spread the cinnamon mixture over the dough and slightly press it down.

By this time your apples should be cool and almost dry.  Take a few slices and place them on the first strip of pastry dough, overlapping them so they do not fall out and will create a rose-like design (petals) once completed.  Now start rolling, making sure it is fairly tightly rolled.  Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Repeat until you have create all of the Apple Roses.

Bake at 425˚F for 25 minutes, or until nicely golden.

Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

St. Thérèse, the little flower, please pick me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me with a message of love; ask God to grant me the favor I thee implore and tell Him I will love Him each day more and more. -Rose Novena

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Fiori Rosé

Last year, on the feast of St. Therese and inspired by Charlotte's post for Penne Rosé, we made Fiori Rosé for dinner!   It was quick and easy, and the perfect dinner after a day spent in town.    

I didn't get as far as trying her actual recipe, and ended up just mixing two jars of sauce - one alfredo and one marinara - and serving it over "Fiori" pasta noodles. They nearly jumped off the shelf at me when I was looking for the sauces! How perfect are they for the feast of St. Therese?!

My children loved it and are requesting the same this year.  Whether you will be celebrating her feast on October 1st (her new feast day) or October 3rd (her traditional feast), I hope you all have a very blessed day!

St. Therese, flower of Carmel, Pray for us! 

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The Flowers of Wreath III Cupcakes

"Little Flowers Girls' Club® is a Catholic program for girls ages 5 and up based on learning Catholic virtues through the lives of Catholic saints, Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Developed by a Catholic mom of nine, Rachel Watkins, and based on Fr. Lasance's Catholic Girls' Guide, the Club strives to bring the Catholic faith alive and inspire the girls to become authentic Catholic women..." Read more here.

For the past three years I have been leading a Little Flowers Girls' Club, a  for my girls and some of their friends.  It has been such a rewarding experience and my girls have absolutley loved being Little Flowers.

In addition to the suggestions in the Leader's Manuals, I started creating a series of Notebook Pages to go along with each virtue/saint, and also have really enjoyed coming up with snacks (or "Catholic Cuisine!") that  tied in the Saint and/or Flower for each meeting.

This past year, for Wreath III, I ended up sticking with a flower theme, and was able to come up with a cupcake for each of the 9 meetings.   Sometimes I would have all the supplies ready for the girls to decorate their own cupcakes (which the girls loved) and other times I had the cupcakes pre-decorated.  I've posted about them in my individual posts about each meeting, but I thought I would consolidate them all into one post as well, to share with you all here.  Now to finish up my plans for this coming year, including "Saintly Symbols Cupcakes for Wreath IV" before our first meeting later this month!

Meeting One :: Mary & Martha,  Eutrapelia, Dandelion

Dandelion Cupcakes
Our Complete Meeting for Eutrapelia

Pumpkin Cupcakes topped with Cream Cheese Frosting

 and decorated as Common Dandelions

Served with "Dandelion Yellow" Punch

Meeting Two :: Ruth & Naomi, Friendliness, Morning Glory

Morning Glory Cupcakes

Our Complete Meeting for Friendliness

Cupcakes decorated with white icing, Blue and Yellow Sparkle Decorating Gel, and yellow Skittles

Meeting Three :: St. Margaret of Scotland, Initiative, Black Eyed Susan

Black Eyed Susan Cupcakes

Our Complete Meeting for Initiative

Orange Muffins topped with Cream Cheese Frosting, to be decorated by the Little Flowers with homemade Black Eyed Susan Chocolates (using this candy mold and candy melts) and the options of green mint meltaways, green color mist and/or green glitter gel.

Meeting Four :: St. Zita or Proverbs 31 Woman, Orderliness, Cranberry

Cranberry Cupcakes
Our Complete Meeting for Orderliness

To make these delicious cupcakes, I used a package of Yellow Cake Mix, replacing the water with Orange Juice and added 1 cup of frozen cranberries and 1 cup of white chocolate chips.  We topped them with some Cream Cheese Frosting, homemade Sugared Cranberries (Craisins would be a simple alternative), and served them with Sparkling Cranberry Juice.  

Meeting Five :: St. Felicity and Her Seven Sons, Self-Control, Amaryllis

Pink Amaryllis Cupcakes
Our Complete Meeting for Self-Control

I started with Pink Cupcakes, with the help of a Strawberry Cake Mix, topped with Frosting.  Using this Lily Mold I then topped the cupcakes with Pink (the color for this virtue) Amaryllis Flowers (the flower for this virtue) homemade with Pink and Yellow Candy Melts.  

Meeting Six :: St. Anne, Mother of the Blessed Mother, Responsibility, Mum

Mum Cupcakes
Our Complete Meeting for Responsibility

These cupcakes were inspired by a recipe in What's New, Cupcake?: Ingeniously Simple Designs for Every Occasion.   They would be great to make this coming weekend for Mother's Day, anytime this month for our Blessed Mother during her month of May, or in July for the feast of St. Anne.  You can find the directions in the archives!

Meeting Seven :: St. Bathildis, Patience, Lily of the Valley

Lily of the Valley Cupcakes

Our Complete Meeting for Patience

Chocolate Frosted Cupcakes, decorated with White Chocolate Chips and green frosting or Sparkle Gel.  

Meeting Eight :: Mary Mother of God, Cheerfulness, Blue Phlox

Blue Phlox Cupcakes

Our Complete Meeting for Cheerfulness

I wasn't sure how I was going to decorate the cupcakes this month. . . After looking at various images online of Blue Phlox Flowers I ended up making a little bit of blue frosting.  Using a round frosting tip, I put five drops (my kids said they looked like hershey kisses) on each cupcake, then, using the tip of a knife, I pulled the frosting drops towards the center, creating the flowers.   I am a total amateur at this sort of thing, but I thought they turned out nicely!

The Blue is for Our Blessed Mother and the Five Petals represent the five dimensions of Cheerfulness:  Marian, Courageous, Heroic, Consistent, and Contagious.

Meeting Nine :: St. Julie Billiart, Fortitude, Hyacinth

Pink Hyacinth Cupcakes

Our Complete Meeting for Fortitude

When I was looking for ideas, Charlotte mentioned that Pink Popcorn came to mind.  I thought that was a perfect idea, but since I didn't have all the ingredients I opted to make the pink hyacinths using some pink Smooth & Melty Petite Mints (I had purchased a few bags at 75% off in January from Hickory Farms and had one left) along with a little green frosting for the leaves.  I also sprayed the white base frosting with a little green, before adding the candies.  I thought they turned out cute, and they were very yummy despite the fact that my six year old pointed out that "the chocolate cake even looks like dirt!"

You can view all of my posts for Wreath III here. 

St. Therese, the Little Flower of Jesus, 

Pray for Us!

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Mum Cupcakes

Since the month of May is dedicated to our Blessed Mother, and with Mother's Day coming up this weekend, I thought I would share the directions for these cupcakes, which we recently made at our last Little Flowers Girls' Club Meeting based on the virtue of Responsibility and St. Anne, Mary's Mum!   They were very easy to make, though they did take a little bit of time to assemble.  The girls all had so much fun making each of their cupcakes.  I thought they all turned out beautiful and were worth the time!  

Mum Cupcakes

inspired by What's New, Cupcake?: Ingeniously Simple Designs for Every Occasion

Ingredients:

Cupcakes
Light Colored Frosting (I used a cream cheese frosting)
Colored Sanding Sugars
Mini Marshmallows (you can use the pastel colored ones or plain white)
Licorice Pastels (I couldn't find this candy so I skipped these)
Green Licorice Twists (I used a couple packages of Rainbow Twizzlers)

Directions:

Bake the cupcakes and allow them to cool completely before topping each with a thin layer of frosting.

Use a separate bowl for each color of sanding sugar you plan to use (this will also allow you to save any extra for future use). Make the petals for the cupcakes by cutting mini marshmallows in half on the diagonal. The authors suggest 22 mini marshmallows for each cupcake. Depending on how big your marshmallows are and how closely you space the petals, you may need more or less. I used white mini marshmallows, but depending on the colored sugars you are using the pastel colored marshmallows would be very pretty as well. Once you've cut the marshmallows, press the cut side (it will be sticky) into the sugar to coat.

Starting along the outside edge of the cupcake, arrange like-colored marshmallow petals with the sugared sides up. Go all the way around the outside edge then move in and create another row of the same colored marshmallows inside the first. Continue until you've almost completely covered the cupcake. Repeat to cover all of your cupcakes with the marshmallows.

I skipped this step, but if you are using the licorice pastels, insert 5 like-colored ones into the center of each cupcake as stamens. I just used extra marshmallows to cover the entire cupcake since I forgot to buy the licorice pastels. Arrange the flower cupcakes on a serving platter and trim the green licorice twists to look like stems for the flowers.

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Sugared Flowers for Mary's Month of May

Flowers are symbolically linked to Mary in many ways - through their Marian names and the various legends. Edible flowers are a delightful garnish or adornment for cakes, desserts, salads to celebrate Our Lady during her Month of May, or at any feast day or tea time in her honor during the year. The life of a fresh flower is fleeting so their preservation by crystallizing with sugar will make them last much longer. As a decoration for an iced cake or a garnish for a dessert fresh, crystallized edible flowers bring color, fragrance and flavor to any recipe. Meredith, at Sweetness and Light, has posted about making candied violets for a Marian tea cake.

You can make your own candied flowers for your Marian treats. Use edible flowers for this project – and make sure they are ones that haven’t been treated with pesticides. The flowers in the Violas family (pansies, johnny jump ups and violets) are perfect for crystallizing. Other edible flowers that could be used include daisies, lavender, roses, calendulas, cornflowers, and blossoms from fruit trees--apple, peach, plum, orange and lemon.

Supplies/Ingredients
Edible flowers
Egg white or meringue mixture
Baker’s sugar (super-fine sugar)
Smallpaintbrush
Spoon or sifter


Choose fresh flowers. Cut flower, leaving approx. 1-2 inch stem to hold while sugaring. Gently wash the flowers under a gentle stream of water or in a small bowl with cool water. Place on paper towels and let dry completely before continuing. Remove pistils and stamens from flowers before sugaring. The egg white or meringue mixture is used to coat the petals and to adhere the sugar. We used a meringue mixture of 1 tablespoon water to 1 teaspoon meringue powder. Sprinkle powder on water and let sit for awhile before stirring to avoid the powder clumping. If using an egg white, whip until frothy before using.

Apply a thin layer of egg white or meringue mixture on each side of each petal with a small paintbrush in a thin, even layer.


Hold the flower over a bowl, sprinkle or shake super-fine sugar over the entire flower. Tap to remove excess sugar and repeat on reverse side.



When coated, place on waxed or parchment paper to dry. Allow approximately 24 hours to dry and harden completely. Carefully place flowers on cake or other dessert to garnish.

Flowers and their Marian names:
Pansy (Viola tricolor) -Our Lady's Delight

Johnny-Jump-up (Viola tricolor) -Trinity Flower

Violet (Viola odorata) -Our Lady's Modesty
Cornflower (Centauria cyanis) -Mary's Crown

Rose (Rosa) -Mystical Rose

English daisy (Bellis perennis) -Mary-love

Lavendar (Lavendula) -Flight into Egypt

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) -Mary’s Bud

[Edited to add that sugared violets would be a great addition for the feast of St. Frances Cabrini (November 13) as there is the story of her dropping violets in paper boats as a child to represent the missionaries she hoped to send out to the world]

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Rice Krispie Flower Crown for May Crowning

Early in the month of May it is tradition to have a May Crowning to honor Mary, the Blessed Virgin Mother, as the month of May is dedicated to her. This is often done as a procession with a ceremony of placing a crown of flowers onto a statue of Mary and flowers at the foot of the statue. Hymns honoring Mary are sung and prayers such as the Haily Mary, Hail Holy Queen, and Memorare are said. For more information on how to have a May Crowning in your home and the history of May Crownings go here and here.

To celebrate this event with food I came up with this yummy idea of making an edible replica of the floral crown for Mary with Rice Krispies using this recipe. Decorate it however you like with blue and white icing flowers, sprinkles, jellybeans in the shape of flowers. The possibilities are endless. I used blue food coloring to symbolize the blue in Mary's mantle but you could keep it the basic color too. Inside the crown you can display your Mary Candle.

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows

- OR -

4 cups miniature marshmallows

1 teaspoon blue food coloring

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

frosting, sprinkles, jelly beans etc.

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows & stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in food coloring.

2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Transfer cereal mixture to wax paper. Using buttered hands shape mixture into wreath approximately 8 inches in diameter. Decorate with frosting, sprinkles, candies, powdered sugar. Best if served the same day.

Note: This picture above is only a half recipe because someone got a hold of the marshmallows and ate half the bag. Also, I had planned on using the blue and white jelly beans left over from Easter as the center of the flowers, but they got eaten too before I could use them.

So I made a buttercream frosting with butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. I use a simple ziploc bag for piping the frosting out. I am not a very good frosting decorator but I think you can tell that the crown is decorated with flowers.

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

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Rosy Treats for the Feasts of St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe

Kathleen from ADMG Academy shares some wonderful ideas for the feasts of St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe this week!

Going with a rose theme, since Our Lady miraculously gave St. Juan Diego precious roses as a sign for the bishop, Kathleen suggests picking up some Pepperidge Farm Verona Cookies that look very similar to roses!

How easy is that?! I picked some up today myself! :)


Last year, Kathleen also made a beautiful rose cake using just a Silicone Rose Pan and a Strawberry Betty Crocker cake mix! Thank you so much for sharing Kathleen!

I also want to remind you all of the Chocolate Roses, Rose Cake and Rosy Punch in the archives, which would also be very appropriate for these feasts!

I myself plan to make a batch of Rose Cupcakes using this awesome pan, a strawberry cake mix and a bit of powdered sugar, for our Little Flowers meeting this week! Our theme for this month is Love of Neighbor and the Rose. What perfect timing!

Our Lady of Guadalupe, mystical rose, intercede for the Church, protect the Holy Father, help all who invoke you in their necessities. Since you are the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the true God, obtain for us from your most holy Son the Grace of a firm faith and sure hope amid the bitterness of life, as well as an ardent love and the precious gift of final perseverance. Amen.

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Chocolate Roses for St. Thérèse

Seeing Mary's adorable Angel Candy Favors the other day reminded me of the Chocolate Roses my sisters and I made years ago. What a perfect craft they would make for the feast of St. Thérèse! My children agreed!

They are quite fun and very simple to make.

Materials:

• Hershey's Kisses
• Pink or Red Cellophane, cut into 4 1/2" squares
• Florist wire (cut in half with wire cutters, or leave as is to make long-stemmed roses)
• Green florist tape
• Silk leaves (optional)

Instructions:

1. Remove the tags from the candy. Take a 4 1/2" square of cellophane. Place two Hershey kisses together, as pictured.

2. Place the tip of one of the kisses in the center of the cellophane square, then wrap the cellophane around both kisses, gathering the corners together around the tip of the other kiss.

3. Using florist tape, wrap the gathered corners together as tightly as you can without tearing the tape. Insert a florist wire into the gathered cellophane until it meets the tip of the Hershey's Kiss, and wrap with tape. Do not insert the wire into the chocolate, since it is not food safe. If you'd like, you can use bamboo skewers instead of the florist wire, and then you could stick it right into the chocolate. (I was going to use those, but I am out of them right now.)

4. Continue taping down the length of the wire until it is completely covered with florist tape.


5. If you'd like, tape silk leaves onto the stem.


6. Place in a vase, wrap as a bouquet, or display however you'd like. Enjoy!


You can see a few other ideas I posted, for celebrating the feast of St. Thérèse, over at my other blog, Shower of Roses. Have a wonderful feast!

St. Thérèse of Lisieux ~ Pray for Us!

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