Our Lady of Sorrows AND The Exaltation of The Holy Cross

I always get so nervous to post something here on Catholic Cuisine,
I'm in the presence of such holy and creative women and
I think things like "Will I get in trouble for posting 2 feast days in 1 post?"
I hope not.
Today for Our Lady of Sorrows, we plan to bake some brownies.

 I got the idea of putting pretzels in the heart shape cake from Barbara.

We also plan to do 7 almonds, which represent 7 tears. (tear shaped nut) Picture 5 kiddos putting these nuts under their eyes to pretend they are tears....The coloring sheet is from Mathilda.



The Blessed Virgin told St Bridget of the seven graces given to all who honor her daily by saying seven Hail Mary's and meditating on her tears and dolors.


Here are the seven graces:

1. I will grant peace to their families.
2. They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
3. I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.
4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.
7. I have obtained (This Grace) from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

Seven Sorrows

1. The prophecy of Simeon.
2. The flight into Egypt.
3. The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple.
4. The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.
5. The Crucifixion.
6. The taking down of the Body of Christ from the Cross.
7. The burial of Jesus.

Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the  Holy Cross, or the Triumphant Cross

by making a cross cake.  This year, I didn't make a poke cake, (since not everyone likes wet cake) but decided to make a regular white cake and  then I set aside some of the batter and added red food coloring gel, enough to make it a good red, then added it to the top of the cake batter in the pan.  I had no idea how it would turn out, and, well, it didn't turn out as good as I thought it would, I should have poked it down with the end of a wooden spoon or something. (make a mental note of that Jamie, for next year)

 (next year, remember at this point to poke the batter down)

 My kitchen helper...especially when there are bowls to be licked!

 We made the pudding frosting:

1 pkg any flavor pudding (we used chocolate fudge)

1 cup milk

1 small container of cool whip

The heart and glow things are Starburst rolled out and cut into shape.

 I did like the vibrant colors the red batter made, this would work for the 

Feast of Divine Mercy too....or Christmas, add a little green...

(See?  Should have poked that red batter down)

We also enjoyed the Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad.

I used grape tomatoes and added cucumbers and 

cut up the Mozzarella into bite size pieces.

(the cucumbers were from Christine's garden!)
It was delicious!

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Seven Sorrows Of Mary Cookies

Remembering the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

throughout the month of September...

I thought I'd share this idea since I found these tasty heart-shaped treats at our local Trader Joe's market.

I know that I appreciate a "quick tip" for the days that we fall short with our time to bake or cook something for a liturgical celebration.

Being heart-shaped, I can think of a few occasions to use these!

I also found these to be a bit lighter on the calorie and sugar content!

I like the idea of using cocktail swords for the seven sorrows but I didn't have those on hand.  Toothpicks served as a nice alternate visual learning tool.

In honor of Our Lady of Sorrows, let us offer an extra Hail Mary for those who need the intercession of Our Lady, Comforter of the Afflicted.

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Our Lady of Sorrows

September 15 is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. I have a great dedication to this devotion of Our Blessed Mother. We can learn so many virtues by knowing Our Lady of Sorrows and her great sufferings: her compassion, her fortitude, her faith, hope, and temperance. What can we not learn from Our Mother in heaven?

For this feast day I make a heart-shaped caked and insert seven "swords" as the heart of Our Lady of Sorrows is depicted. No special recipe here -- make any recipe for cake you like -- a box cake is just fine. Bake the cake in one round pan and one square pan. Use this method to arrange the cakes in the shape of a heart. Frost with your favorite frosting -- you can use pink or red -- or whatever flavor you like. Then take cocktail toothpick "swords" or even just long stick pretzels, as I did, and place the swords in the heart -- four on the right and three on the left.



You can certainly take the time to decorate this cake intricately, but it definitely isn't necessary. Your children will remember this dessert without any fuss at all. Pin It

Candlemas Crepes

I would like to thank Jessica for extending me the invitation to be a contributor of this lovely blog. I admire all of the women who contribute here, and appreciate being invited to offer my own family's traditional recipes for honoring all of the celebratory days on the Catholic liturgical calendar.

February 2 is the Feast of Candlemas -- the Presentation of Our Lord, traditionally known as the Purification of Mary. According to Catholicculture.org, "In obedience to the Old Law, the Lord Jesus, the first-born, was presented in the Temple by his Blessed Mother and his foster father. This is another 'epiphany' celebration insofar as the Christ Child is revealed as the Messiah through the canticle and words of Simeon and the testimony of Anna the prophetess. Christ is the light of the nations, hence the blessing and procession of candles on this day. In the Middle Ages this feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or 'Candlemas,' was of great importance."



To celebrate Candlemas, my family enjoys these cream-filled crepes. Crepes are traditionally eaten on Candlemas and Shrove Tuesday "to celebrate renewal, family life, and hopes for good fortune and happiness in the future," according to Catholicculture.org. I think that the crepes look like a swaddled baby, and visually remind us of Mary's First Sorrow, when she and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the Temple and Simeon prophesied that Mary's heart would be pierced by her love for her Son. As we enjoy these sweet cream and berry crepes, we can remember Mary's sweet sorrow as she both loved her infant Son, yet knew that the future would bring great sorrow.

Candlemas Crepes (Sweet Cream and Berry Crepes)
serves 6 (12 filled crepes -- two for each)

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. milk
1/2 c. lukewarm water
4 large eggs
4 T. butter, melted
3 T. sugar
pinch salt
baking spray or a bit of butter for the crepe pan
1 bag frozen mixed berries, thawed
4 T. sugar
1 1/2 c. whipping cream
4 T. powdered sugar
4 T. juice from the sweetened berries

Sprinkle thawed berries with 4 T. sugar.
Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

Make crepes:
Place flour, milk, water, eggs, butter, 3 T. sugar,
and pinch salt in blender.
Blend until well whipped.
Pour batter into a container with a pouring spout (if your blender doesn't have one).
Heat non-stick crepe pan (omelet pan) over med. high heat.
Spray with baking spray or lightly butter.
When pan is hot, pour two tablespoons batter into pan
and rotate pan until the bottom is coated with a thin, but not paper thin, layer.
Cook until the top is set and the bottom is lightly golden browned.
Flip, using your fingers, or a spatula.
This might take a few times to get it right,
if you've never made crepes before.
Just sacrifice a few for practice.
After turning, cook until the other side is lightly browned.
Remove from pan and cool on wax paper.
Place wax paper between each finished crepe.
You may have a little more batter than you need for this recipe,
depending on the size of your pan.
You can make them and freeze them or just pitch the extra batter.

Crepes can be made hours, or even days ahead,
refrigerated, and then assembled at the last minute.
Or you can make them just before assembling, like I did.

Whip whipping cream with mixer,
adding powdered sugar and berry juice until soft peaks form
(the berry juice is really just for pink color -- this step can be omitted if you don't care about the color).

Place two crepes on each plate.
Place 2-3 T. whipping cream down the center.
Roll crepe, and place the seam on the bottom.
Repeat with other crepe.
Spoon several spoons of berries and juice across both crepes.

Repeat with five more plates.

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September Dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows

A reader commented that she did not have a chance to do the "Tears of Our Lady" lemon drop activity with her family on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. I wanted to point out that the entire month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. Any time this month that you choose to remember Our Lady under this title and make a special observation of that, would be very fitting.

Here is another idea that I have seen mentioned in many places, but was never posted here. Make a cake (or brownie, bread, cornbread, rice krispie treat, etc.) in the shape of a heart. Then pierce the heart with cocktail swords. You could reflect on the 7 sorrows of Mary either while inserting the swords or removing them. It is another very visual way to think about her sorrows. Pin It

Tears of Our Lady

In keeping with the theme of simple yet symbolic ideas for feast day observance, I want to share one for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, September 15. The feast follows the Triumph of the Cross which is celebrated the previous day. Our Lady's sorrow was bittersweet. There is the great sorrow she felt as she watched her Son suffer and die on the cross. Yet there is sweet joy in the conquering of sin and death by His Death and Resurrection.

Images of Our Lady of Sorrows usually depict Mary with tears falling on her face. I associate her image with tears as much as will the heart pierced seven times. I wanted to incorporate something that was a tangible representation of the tears and 7 sorrows of Mary - lemon drops came to mind. They are composed of two extreme sensations- sweet and sour. They are sour like the sorrow yet also sweet like the joy of salvation. And the shape itself is somewhat reminscent of the a tear drop. You could also go with something bitter or salty. One option I though of would be to use almonds which also have that tear drop shape and are salty, like tears.

Give each child or family member 7 lemon drops (or salted almonds, etc.). With each morsel reflect on a sorrow of Christ's suffering mother before eating.

1. The prophecy of Simeon

Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." (Luke 2: 34-35)

2. The flight into Egypt

When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. (Matthew 2: 13-14)

3. The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple

After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. (Luke 2: 43-45)

4. The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross

A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. (Luke 23: 27)

5. The Crucifixion

There they crucified him. Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." (John 19: l8, 25-27)

6. The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross

Joseph of Arimathea, a distinguished member of the council, who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God, came and courageously went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus…Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down, wrapped him in the linen cloth. (Mark 15: 43, 46)

7. The burial of Jesus

Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by. (John 19: 41-42)

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