A Lion Lunch for St. Mamas

I first learned about this obscure, to me, saint when we visited Spain a couple years ago. In the Basque region, near my relatives' town, there is a cave containing prehistoric paintings – Santimamiñe Cave. These cave paintings date from about 13,000 BC and include a range of animals such as bison, horses, deer, goats and brown bears.

The cave's name comes from a nearby chapel of Santimamiñe, which in the Basque language means San Mamés or St. Mamas (also St. Mammes), to whom the chapel is dedicated. I had not heard of him before, but the guide shared that he was a 3^rd century martyr, often pictured with a lion. 

He was orphaned at a young age – his parents killed for being Christians. He was a shepherd who was known to preach to the animals in the fields. It is told that St. Mamas was tortured for his faith by the governor of Caesarea and was then sent before the Roman Emperor Aurelian, who tortured him again. An angel then freed him and ordered him to hide himself on a mountain near Caesarea.  St. Mamas was later thrown to the lions, but managed to make the beasts docile. A lion is said to have remained with him as companion and protector. Accompanied by the lion, he visited Duke Alexander, who condemned him to death.

In Cyprus, there is the legend that he was a hermit and when soldiers were sent out and captured him, while on the way back to town, St. Mamas saw a lion attacking a lamb, escaped the soldiers, saved the lamb, jumped on the lion's back, and rode it into town. That is how he is often depicted in icons. 

He is the patron of Langres; babies who are breastfeeding; protector of sufferers from broken bones and hernias.

Pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela brought his cult into Spain and he is more well known there. A statue depicting San Mamés and a lion can be found in the Casa de la Misericordia in Bilbao, which was once the convent of San Mamés and whose current chapel holds a relic of the saint. The stadium that is home to the Athletic Club de Bilbao is called San Mamés Stadium, and players of that club are called the "lions of San Mamés" because their stadium was built near there.

So his feast day (August 17) can be a time to learn a little more about a saint that might be new to your family, too. Since St. Mamas is closely associated in pictures with a lion it is a feast day idea. Additionally, it was a medieval belief that the lion slept with its eyes open. For this reason, they also became a symbol of watchfulness. I came across this lion themed recipe and thought it would be a fun, savory lunch idea for children to add the the other lion themed recipes on Catholic Cuisine. It is made from spiral noodles in a red sauce, surrounding a circle of colby jack cheese. Add olives for the eyes and nose, with cheese triangle ears and pepperoni strip whiskers. Who can resist a pasta lion?

Other saints who are depicted with a lion are St. Mark, St. Jerome, St. Mary of Egypt, St. Paul the Hermit, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Onuphrius, so this idea could be used at other feast days.

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A Lion Cake for St. Mark's Feast Day

This Lion Cake was submitted by my friend Jacinta. She made it for her son's birthday, on the feast of St. Leo, but it would also be perfect for the upcoming feast of St. Mark, since he is often symbolized as a lion.  Thank you Jacinta!

Lion Cake

(recipe from Parenting Magazine)

Ingredients:

1 (9-inch) round cake
1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
Orange food coloring*
1 can (5 oz) crunchy chow-mein noodles
2 Junior Mints
1 small tube brown decorating icing
3 red Starburst or Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews
6 brown M&M's Minis
2 gummy peach-flavored rings [Note: there's no official name for this]

What you'll need:

A bread knife
A resealable sandwich-size bag (Ziploc)
A serving platter

*If you can't find orange food coloring, use a mixture of red and yellow food coloring to achieve the right color.


Trimming the cake:

1. Place the cake on a clean work surface. Using the bread knife, trim a 1 by 5-inch long piece on an angle from opposite sides of the cake to create the lion's jawline (see picture). Discard scraps. 

For the frosting:

1. Spoon 3 Tbsp of the untinted vanilla frosting into a resealable plastic bag. Add the food coloring to the remaining frosting to tint it orange.

Assembling the cake:

1. Place the cake on a serving platter. Spread the cake evenly with the orange frosting.
2. Poke the chow-mein noodles into the sides of the cake for the mane; insert more chow-mein noodles into a widow's-peak shape into the top 2 inches of the cake to create the lion's forehead.

For the face:

1. Snip a small corner from the bag of untinted vanilla frosting. Pipe two 1 ½-inch circles for the lion's eyes.
2. Place the Junior Mints onto the circles for the irises. Pipe a small dab of vanilla frosting on each Junior Mint to add sparkle to the eyes. Place a chow-mein noodle above each eye for the lion's eyebrows.
3. Using the brown decorating icing, pipe a W shape for the lion's mouth, as pictured.
4. Microwave the red Starburst for 2 to 3 seconds to soften slightly. Knead the Starburst together to make a 1 ½-inch triangle and place it in the center of the cake for the nose.
5. Add the M&M's Minis for freckles. To finish, lay the gummy peach rings on the upper left and right corners of the cake for the lion's ears.

You can also find the directions for making Lion Cupcakes and other foods in honor of St. Mark in the archives! 

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St. Mark Lion Pizza

Feast of St. Mark Lion Pizza

We made this pizza for the Feast of St. Mark but it would be great to use for St. Leo the Great or any other "roaring" occasion!

This was lion was very easy using a Take-N-Bake pizza.
Ingredients:
Take-N-Bake Cheese Pizza
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 C cooked sausage (for mane)
sliced mushroom (for nose)
8 slices pepperoni (for ears and eyes)
Small sliver of red bell pepper (for mouth)
2 sliced olives (for center of eyes)
Assemble ingredients like the picture below:
(Add shredded cheddar cheese over the mozzarella first)

Happy Feast of St. Mark!

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Memorial of St. Jerome, September 30

This is a busy week for popular feastdays, but I didn't want the memorial of St. Jerome to fall by the wayside. St. Jerome is a Doctor and Father of the Church, a very important saint in our Church history. He is most remembered for his translation of the Bible into the Latin Vulgate, which is still used today. His patronage list is more bookish in nature: archeologists, archivists, Bible scholars, librarians, students, and translators.

From My Nameday Come for Dessert by Helen McLoughlin:

Father: This is the faithful and wise servant whom the Lord has set over His household.

All: His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth; the righteous
generation shall be blessed.

Father: Let us pray. O God, may blessed Jerome intercede for us in
heaven as he once instructed Your faithful on earth and directed them in the way of eternal salvation. Through Christ, our Lord.

All: Amen. Christ conquers, Christ reigns!

The symbols of St. Jerome include a lion, a skull, and a book or scroll would also be appropriate.

As we're reading Margaret Hodges St. Jerome and the Lion and also Rummer Godden's book by the same title, lions will be roaring today. The cute lion cupcakes for St. Mark's feast day would be perfect for this feast. I think I can transform Devil's Food Cupcakes into a few lions.

My Nameday, Come for Dessert also mentioned making a lion cake for this feast. Her idea is based on the Cut-Up Cakes from Baker's Coconut, which I mentioned previously on St. Mark's feast day.

Book Cakes are also appropriate for Doctors and Fathers of the Church (for their writings), and Genoise Book Cake is a delicious sponge cake recipe. One could also use cake pans in the shape of a book. The white chocolate cake used for St. Gregory the Great can also be used for other book cake inspiration.

As far as the skull symbolism, you might not have time today, but it's a good reminder to order the materials to make Mexican Sugar Skulls for the Day of the Dead (All Souls Day) feasting, since it's in one month. Our family personally can't make these, unless someone has a substitute for meringue powder and egg whites. That is the glue to hold the sugar together, so it's indispensable. Please leave a comment if you know another way that we can avoid egg and still make those fabulous sugar skulls!

Enjoy the feast of St. Jerome. Think of him today and read a bit of Scripture, write those overdue thank-you notes or write a letter to a far-away friend.

St. Jerome, pray for us! Pin It

Cupcakes for St. Mark's Feast Day

It is very exciting to be part of this blog - which is a fabulous resource for celebrating the liturgical year in our homes and kitchens. Thank you to Jessica for making this idea a reality and thank you for inviting me to contribute.

Jessica mentioned the lamb cupcakes for the Annunciation being part of an "in like a lion out like a lamb" set from Martha Stewart. So to keep the set together here is another chance to convert it to a liturgical year theme. How about some lion cupcakes to celebrate the Feast of St. Mark - evangelist, apostle, martyr (April 25).

St. Mark is often pictured with a lion, particularly a winged lion. Tradition has long connected the authors of the Gospels with the four creatures in Ezekiel and Revelation. St. Mark is represented by the winged lion because Mark's gospel begins with the description of John the Baptist as a "voice of one crying out in the desert" and because he presents the Lord as the unconquered King. So to incorporate this symbol into a feast day celebration you could try some lion cupcakes. You could use the lion paired with the lamb from Martha Stewart , but we opted for these caramel corn lions since we are not big coconut fans. The cupcake lions could also be used for the Feast of St. Jerome (Sept. 30) or if reading Daniel and the lion's den.

Make cupcakes in the flavor of your choice. We used butter cream frosting with a slight tint of brown food coloring for a golden colored frosting. Molasses could also be used to achieve the coloring. Frost cupcakes and pipe on eyes and mouth with a darker brown or chocolate frosting. Circle each cupcake with caramel corn to make the mane.

You can purchase pre-made caramel corn or use this easy (and delicious) recipe to make your own. I was thinking the recipe could be used again for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (okay, it's a stretch, I admit).

Caramel Corn Recipe

2 1/2 qts. popped corn

1/4 c. corn syrup

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. butter

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. vanilla

Cook syrup, brown sugar, butter, and salt in microwave, on high for 2 minutes, stir once. Add baking soda and vanilla. Stir well. Place popcorn in a large brown bag; pour syrup mixture over popcorn, stir a with wooden spoon. Roll up top of bag and put in microwave. Cook on high for 1 minute. Shake and repeat (but shake after first 30 seconds).

HT: Michaela

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