A Lenten Dinner on Holy Thursday

I just realized that even though our family has been enjoying Lenten Dinners for the past six years (originally inspired Alice's Lenten Teas) I have never posted any of the pictures here at Catholic Cuisine!  It's a little late for this year, but at least next year this post will be in the archives! :)  It really isn't very hard to pull together this symbolic meal and it can be modified in so many ways, as you can see from the changes I've made from year to year.  You can find my posts from our 2012, 2011, 2010, and 2009 Lenten Dinners/Teas on Holy Thursday over at my other blog Shower of Roses.  (Updated to add: In 2015 we had this Lenten Dinner on Holy Thursday.) 

Removing a thorn from our Lenten Crown of Thorns 

Note: This Post Contains Affiliate Links

Here are the pictures from this year's Lenten Dinner on Holy Thursday:

~ Palm on the Road ~

Like I did a couple years ago, I decided to add another book to our collection for this menu item. When I ran across a bargain priced version of The Donkey and the Golden Light I thought it would be perfect for this year.

"And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields." Mk. 11:8

~ Costly Oil ~

One of the boys made a salad and I pulled out the vinegar and some "costly oil" to use as dressing. 

"And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her." Mk. 14:9

~ Thirty Pieces of Silver ~

I happened to have 30 Chocolate Coins left over from St. Patrick's Day so I used these for our "silver" this year.  Only a few of the children gave up candy this year so those few are saving their few coins (and Hershey Kiss) for Easter and put another sacrifice bean in the jar. 

"Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, 'What will you give me if I deliver him to you?' And they paid him thirty pieces of silver." Mt. 25: 14-15

~ Unleavened Bread ~

I kept it extra simple this year and picked up a package of Naan since my husband loves it, although technically it is a leavened bread...  Don't tell the kids! 
It was perfect for with either the Chicken Curry Soup or the Fig Butter. 

"And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the passover lamb, his disciples said to Him, 'Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the passover?'" Mk. 14:12

~ The Mount of Olives ~

This year's Mount of Olives was a mix of Black Olives and Garlic/Jalapeño stuffed Green Olives

"And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." Mk. 14:26

~ The Cock Crows Twice ~

This year we had Chicken Curry Soup and Baked Chicken.

"Mom, did you just put the chicken in the baking pan so that it looks like it is homemade?!  Genius!!" 

Um, no.  I put it in the pan so that I could heat it up! ;)  And I should have washed and dried my hands before touching the little sign with my greasy fingers... The Chicken Curry Soup was homemade though, using my mom's recipe. YUM!!! 

"And Jesus said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.'" Mk. 14:30

~ Gethsemane Figs ~

Fig Butter representing Gethsemane Figs to spread on the "unleavened bread." 

"And they went to a place which was called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, 'Sit here, while I pray.'" Mk. 14:32

~ Sleepy Apostles ~ 

Not all of the children like herbal tea, but a few of us enjoyed some Sleepytime Tea after dinner. Thanks again Jennifer for the suggestion!

"And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep?  Could you not watch one hour?" Mk. 14:37

~ Judas' Kiss ~

One Hershey Kiss each to represent Judas' Kiss. 

"And when he came, he went up to him at once, and said, 'Master!' And he kissed him." Mk. 14:45

~ The Clouds of Heaven ~

Since we were traveling on the solemnity of St. Joseph this year I still had a package of Cream Puffs in the freezer that I had purchased for our annual feast day celebration.  They made perfect little "Clouds of Heaven" for our Holy Thursday Dinner. 

"And Jesus said, 'I am; and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.'" Mk. 14:62

~ Peter's Tears ~

Roasted and Salted Almonds were perfect for Peter's Salty Tears.

"And immediately the cock crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, 'Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.' And he broke down and wept." Mk. 14:72

I'm adding this last picture to give you a peek at the supplies for this year's dinner. (The soup and salad are not pictured, and we ended up not using the Fig Bars.)  It really isn't that difficult at all to pull together these symbolic meals!  The girls set the table, the boys helped prepare the soup and salad, and I printed off some new little card stock signs. (You can still download my document over at Scribd or Dropbox.)  

I hope you all had a very blessed Holy Thursday!

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Tomato, Avocado and Hearts of Palm Salad

Here is a recipe that our family enjoyed during one of our Lenten Tea/Dinner's during Holy Week last year.   It would also be perfect for Palm Sunday! 

Tomato, Avocado and Hearts of Palm Salad

Source: Diets in Review

Ingredients:

2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
2 fresh avocados, sliced
8 pieces fresh hearts of palm, chopped diagonally (or 1-2 cans since fresh might be hard to find)
1 C. mayonnaise
1/4 C. ketchup
1 Tbs. white sugar
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 pinch ground black pepper
olive oil
sun-dried tomatoes for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, ketchup, white sugar, lemon juice, paprika and pepper together.

Slice tomatoes and avocados to desired thickness and arrange around your serving plate. Sprinkle avocado with lemon juice to keep fresh. Chop hearts of palm diagonally and arrange on plate with tomatoes and avocados.

Pour dressing into a small serving bowl (for dipping sauce) and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with sun dried tomaroes if desired, and serve!

Note: You may make the dressing ahead of time, but I wouldn’t slice the vegetables until just before serving, to keep them fresh.

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Fig Bibles and Palm Sundaes

A couple weeks ago I decorated some Fig Newtons to look like Bibles/Books and placed them on top of cupcakes as a snack for my Little Flowers Girl's Club.

Those little cookies got me thinking about Palm Sunday (Palm Sunday is also known as Fig Sunday since tradition says that Jesus ate figs after entering Jerusalem.) and planning the following dessert to serve my family.

(Update: You can find step-by-step pictures for creating the Bible Cookies here.) 

Fig Bibles and Palm Sundaes

Shopping List:

Fig Newtons
Cookie Icing
Coconut Ice Cream
(Or ice cream of choice. I choose coconut, since coconuts also grow on palm trees... Our favorite is Coconut Bliss.)
Whipped Cream
Chocolate or Caramel Syrup
Maraschino Cherries

Place a scoop (or two) of ice cream in each serving dish. Drizzle syrup over the ice cream.  Place a small dollop of whipped cream over each scoop and top with a cherry. Serve with Decorated Fig Newtons.


Here is a picture of the "Palm Sundaes" made by Sara at A Shower of Roses.  I love the Palm Frond Cookies she cut out to go with the Sundaes!

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Carling and Fig Sunday

Hosanna to the Son of David,
the King of Israel.
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

In the Traditional Calendar, the Fifth Sunday of Lent was known as Passion Sunday, and the following Sunday was Palm Sunday, the beginning of the Holy Week. In the current calendar the liturgy of these two Sundays are combined into Palm Sunday of Our Lord's Passion. And so I'm combining the foods associated with both Sundays into the one Palm Sunday.

Peas or carlings were traditionally consumed on Passion Sunday particularly in northern England and Scotland, so it became known as Carling Sunday (or Car-Sunday in Scotland). Recipes varied according to region, including Pease Porridge, or split pea soup. Liturgically there is no connection with the peas (or pease); it's just a traditional food served on this day.

And what fun to sing together:

Pease porridge hot,
Pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot
Nine days old.

Split Pea Soup is a traditional Southern dish, and growing up our house was no exception. My grandmother and great aunts used to use a pressure cooker to make a quick batch of split pea soup.

I use Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux? by Marcelle Bienvenu as a basis for my recipe. Some grocery stores sell a Mirepoix which saves that step of cutting and dicing the onions, carrots, and celery (the trinity in French cooking). It's a luxury I take when I need to save time. You could make this an abstinence recipe by removing the meat, but Sundays in Lent are not a fasting or abstaining day.

Split Pea Soup (serves 8-10)

1 pound dried split peas
1 ham bone, 2 ham hocks, or 2 cups diced ham (I didn't have a large ham bone or lots of ham, so in the last step of adding the wine I added chopped kielbasa into the soup.)
3 quarts chicken broth and water (I used 2 quarts broth, 1 quart water)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon ground thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and black pepper to taste
a few dashes Tabasco sauce
1 cup sherry or dry white wine

Put all ingredients (except wine/sherry) into a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 hours. Add white wine or sherry (and sausage) and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Serve with crusty French bread, Southern biscuits, or cornbread, perhaps a salad to round it all off.

The soup always seems to be better the next day, so great for leftovers. My son likes to help in the kitchen, but his question every time we make this is "What happened to the peas?"

Palm Sunday is also known as Fig Sunday because tradition maintains that Jesus ate figs after his entry into Jerusalem, and the withered fig tree that Jesus cursed is also associated for this day. I admit I don't have any recipes of my own that incorporate figs, but a quick search can find Fig or Figgy Pudding, Italian Fig Cookies, Fig Cake to name a few ideas. And when I'm planning this menu, the tunes keep rolling in my head for "Pease Porridge" and "Bring us some figgy pudding".

I remember eating fresh figs as a little girl from my grandmother's tree in her backyard. That taste and texture is so seared into my memory that I've always been disappointed when I have tasted any other fig that isn't freshly picked. For dessert, I'm going to serve some store-bought fig cookies. Pin It