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.

Pin It

Feta Cream Cheese Olive Appetizers on St. Lucy Day

I know there are many cultural recipes and lovely baked sweets traditions associated with St. Lucy's feast day. Many have been posted here in past and recently for St. Lucy day celebrations. I saw these appetizers on Pinterest (from blog Diethood) and in my mind made a link to St. Lucy. Wanting to make sure I wasn't stretching it, I asked my son to look at the picture, too. "Hey, what do these look like?" "Eye balls," he replied and he knew if I was doing a post for Catholic Cuisine, it was for St. Lucy. So if a 15 year old sees it, they must look like an eye.

St. Lucy is often pictured in paintings holding a plate with two eyeballs. One of the legends associated with her indicates that as part of her torture, Diocletian had her eyes put out. According to those stories her sight was later restored to her by God.

These are a simple appetizer and actually quite tasty. They may be a more grown up fare as mine were never fond of feta when they were younger. I assume the recipe could be modified to exclude the feta and just use the cream cheese.

Ingredients & Directions:

1 can medium olives
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup crushed nuts

Drain olives and dry with paper towel.  Mix cream cheese and feta at room temperature.  Crush nuts and place in shallow bowl. Mold about 1 teaspoon of cheese mixture around olive.  Shape until rounded. Roll each in chopped nuts until covered. Set on plate and refrigerate 1/2 hour until chilled. Cut in half, through olive, making sure to leave the circle of black intact - looks like the iris of the eye and the hole looks like the pupil. Pin It

Santa Lucia Leves (St. Lucy Soup)

The following recipe, adapted from Cooking with the Saints, was submitted by Hi Cookery for the feast of St. Lucy on December 13th. Thank you Highlander and Islander!

December 13: Feast Day of St. Lucy

Warm up during the winter weather with a saintly soup! On those darker, depressing December days in the northern hemisphere, we like to lighten up with leves (soup) of Santa Lucia.

St. Lucy, whose name means “light” in Latin, was a third-century saint from Sicily, Italy. Legends state that she was tortured to death by having her eyes gouged out and being burned at the stake for her Christian faith. St. Lucy is the patron saint of the blind and those with eye problems, as she gives hope to see the Light and Savior of the World—Jesus!

Santa Lucia Leves is a Hungarian recipe. This soup can be served during the season of Advent and Christmas and on the Feast Day of St. Lucy.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking With the Saints by Ernst Scheugraf)

Ingredients

• ½ cup rice, uncooked
• 8 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• ¼ cup onion, minced
• 1 cup fully-cooked ham, chopped
• ½ cup flour

Directions

Boil the rice in salted water until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain the rice-flavored water into a large bowl. Save the rice for another recipe, if desired (see Notes).

Mince the onions and chop the ham into tiny pieces. In a large pot, melt the butter over low heat.

Saute the onions and ham until shiny. Mix in the flour until smooth. Pour in the rice-flavored water and simmer to thicken. Stir and ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with parsley flakes (optional). Serve hot with bread or crackers.

Notes

• Use the leftover boiled rice to make Italian-style arancini (recipe is posted on National Rice Month in September). These Sicilian rice balls are normally filled with a tomato or meat sauce, mozzarella cheese and/or peas. But on the Feast Day of St. Lucy, Sicilians celebrate with sweetened rice arancini filled with chocolate.

Pin It

The 2012 Santa Lucia Day Link-Up

Our 2012 Saint Lucia Braided Bread

If any one would like to share recipes and/or pictures from your St. Lucia Day celebrations, please add the links below! 

Prayer to Saint Lucy

Saint Lucy, your beautiful name signifies light. By the light of faith which God bestowed upon you, increase and preserve this light in my soul so that I may avoid evil, be zealous in the performance of good works, and abhor nothing so much as the blindness and the darkness of evil and of sin.  By your intercession with God, obtain for me perfect vision for my bodily eyes and the grace to use them for God's greater honor and glory and the salvation of all men.  Saint Lucy, virgin and martyr, hear my prayers and obtain my petitions. Amen.

Pin It

St. Lucia Chocolate Chip Cookies

"To God's servants the right words will not be wanting, for the Holy Ghost speaks in us. Yes, all who live piously and chastely are temples of the Holy Ghost.” ~ St. Lucia

Saint Lucy
Virgin & Martyr
December 13 ~ New & Traditional Calendar

~~~

Lucy, patron of Sicily, and one of the saints of the Canon of the Mass, was martyred at Syracuse in the persecution of Diocletian about the year 304. The legend of her martyrdom says that she was denounced as a Christian by a rejected suitor. Refusing to apostatize, she was condemned to a brothel, but a mysterious force prevented the persecutors from moving her from the tribunal. After an unsuccessful attempt had been made to burn her to death, her neck was pierced with a dagger.

 

~~~

This is a late addition for this feast day since it was a surprise from my eldest daughter, Rose. Because of her surprise, they will forever be referred to us as St. Lucia’s Cookies.

~~~

"O virgin Lucy, why do you ask of me what you yourself can procure for your mother? For your faith too has come to her aid and therefore she has been cured. By your virginity you have indeed prepared for God a lovely dwelling."

~St. Agatha’s words of consolation to St. Lucy, in a dream

 

Recipe: St. Lucia Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 8 min. | Cook Time: 13 min.| Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 24 small cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 tablespoons refined coconut oil
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup dark chocolate (or semi-sweet) chocolate chips

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

• Whisk the coconut flour and the baking soda together in a med. bowl.
• Mix together the coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl.
• Add the the dry ingredients into the wet, mix.
• Add the dark-chocolate chips.
• Bake at 350 for 13 minutes.

NOTES:

The consistency of these cookies are a bit flakey and soft. However, they are a fine replacement to the traditional version.

Pin It

Gluten-free St. Lucy Cinnamon Buns

The following recipe was submitted by Jeannine, from Grace and Peace. Thank you Jeannine!

These are gluten-free cinnamon buns, and they are, in my opinion, easier to make than ordinary cinnamon buns!  No rising time!

I think I found a link to the original once when I was poking around Sarah's charming Amongst Lovely Things, which is, indeed, lovely!

They may be refrigerated overnight in the pan, and then baked up the following morning! Sometimes we must toy with the plan and have them for dessert rather than breakfast, but my daughter always gets to carry them in on a tray. We stick candles into the buns rather than atop her head!

Gluten Free Cinnamon Buns

- with dairy-free options!

Dough:

2 tbsp. butter (I have used shortening with success)
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk, warmed gently (I have used almond milk with success)
1 tbsp. rapid rise yeast
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

a couple extra teaspoons sugar for sprinkling the plastic wrap

Filling:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Frosting:

I usually just make a glaze with two tablespoons of soft butter or shortening and about a cup of confectioner's sugar, thinned with a few drops of milk or almond milk. Add a sprinkle of salt (yes!) and a few drops of pure vanilla. It would be easy to use commercial vanilla frosting from a can, too.

1. Oven to 375.
2. Grease a round pie pan.
3. Add yeast to warm milk, plus a couple of spoonfuls of sugar from your measured 1/4 cup sugar. Combing thoroughly and let it bubble a bit.
3. In a medium bowl, combine sugar and butter.
4. Add yeast/milk mixture to sugar/butter mixture.
5. Add remaining ingredients. Dough will be very, very soft, but the xanthan gum will work its magic and make it stretchy enough.
6. Lay down a 14" long strip of plastic wrap on your counter. Sprinkle a couple spoonfuls of additional white sugar on the wrap. Lay the ball of dough on the sugared wrap. Lay another 14" strip of plastic wrapover the dough. Pat the dough down to make a rectangle that fills the plastic wrap almost to the edges. I use a rolling pin, too. Lift the top wrap periodically to reposition if necessary. The dough is incredibly sticky, but the plastic wrap tames it magically. Remove the top piece of wrap when you are satisfied with your rectangle.
7. Combine the filling ingredients. Sprinkle evenly over dough. Use the plastic wrap to roll the dough. Slice the log into 10-12 slices. Lay the slices touching in your greased round pie pan. Bake 20 minutes. Frost while warm.

Sprinkling the additional sugar on plastic wrap.

Using the plastic wrap to roll the dough.

Here they are unbaked, tucked into the pan. Sorry I don't have a luscious baked picture...we will bake them early tomorrow morning, for the feast of St. Lucy. Then we'll spread them with frosting, too! Kids are having carrot sticks, poached chicken, and celery for dinner to balance all the sugar coming in the morning!  (Updated to add additional pictures of the baked cinnamon rolls. Thank you Jeannine!) 

These are heavenly. The whole family will appreciate them, but especially your gluten-free loved ones. I do hope you try them.

Lovely for St. Lucy, or for any time during the Christmas season!

Additional recipes for celebrating Santa Lucia Day can be found in the archives.

Pin It

Easter Nest Bread

A friend of mine told me about her family's traditional Easter breakfast of braided bread with a colored egg nested inside and I decided to try it last year. It was delicious! The recipe I used is one Karen Edmisten posts over on her blog as Braided St. Lucia Bread with only a few alterations to the instructions. (Recipe below.)

First, the eggs must be raw eggs that have been colored in non-toxic food coloring or better yet, dye them using a natural vegetable dye like red cabbage or onion skins. Prepare the dough according to the directions all the way through the first rise on Holy Saturday night. Then, shape the dough into small braided rounds inserting the colored egg in the center. Place the dough nests into the refrigerator overnight. That will stall the second rise. When you are ready to bake on Easter morning, let the dough have a short second rise in a warm oven (maybe 30 minutes). Finish by baking according to recipe directions. I made a light drizzle frosting and decorated them with colorful sprinkles. The egg will cook along with the bread and can be eaten as well. Some of the food coloring will bleed onto the bread which is why you want to make sure you use a non-toxic coloring substance.

Many different cultures have some version of Easter bread with or without the decorative eggs in it. A quick search yielded many different varieties. I chose Karen's recipe because it was familiar to me and one I knew my family would like. Feel free to search for your own variety and let us know if you try it!

Saint Lucia's Braided Bread used for Easter Nest Bread

INGREDIENTS

Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 1/4-ounce packages active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Glaze and Garnish:

• 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 tablespoons orange juice

DIRECTIONS

Warm the milk in a small saucepan, then pour 1/2 cup of it into a large bowl.

Add the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar and let it set for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in the remaining milk.

Add the butter and milk mixture to the yeast mixture. Whisk in the eggs, juice, 1/4 cup of sugar, orange rind, and salt.

Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough can be gathered into a ball. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes, adding more flour until the dough is smooth and elastic and does not stick to your hands.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turning it once to coat it. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and divide it into equal parts. Roll each part into a rope and braid the ropes together making a round.

Transfer the rounds to a greased baking sheet, pinch together the ends to form a circle, and then place in the fridge overnight.

Remove in the morning and let it rise until it has again about 30-45 minutes in a warm oven. I like to let my oven light warm it for me. Remove pans and heat the oven to 375°. Bake the bread for 25 minutes or until golden brown, then let it cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes.

For the glaze, stir together the confectioner's sugar and orange juice in a medium bowl until smooth.

Drizzle the glaze mix over the bread. One batch made 4 nests which fed 6 people with leftovers. Pin It

A Santa Lucia Day Link-Up

Our 2010 Saint Lucia Braided Bread

If any one would like to share recipes and/or pictures from your St. Lucia Day celebrations, please add the links below!  

You can find other ideas for celebrating this feast day here. 

Happy St. Lucia Day!

Pin It

St. Lucia's Day ~ December 13: A Fabulous Breakfast Feast

The following post was submitted by Misty Mealey, from Roanoke, Virgina, for the upcoming feast of St. Lucy! Thank you Misty!

I'm Scandinavian with Viking roots--or at least, that's what my family claims! So every year, my family celebrates St. Lucia's Day on December 13. It's a fun feast day that my children look forward to; not only does it involve a costume and candles, but we get to eat homemade cinnamon buns!

St. Lucia was a young woman who lived during the Diocletian persecution, which was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman empire. In 303, Emperor Diocletian and his colleagues demanded that Christians comply with traditional pagan religious practices. Christians who refused to sacrifice to pagan gods were imprisoned or in some cases, executed.

According to the traditional story, St. Lucia was born into a rich and noble family around the year 283. As a young woman, she had a great faith in Christ and even consecrated her virginity to God. After her father died, Lucia wanted to distribute her dowry to the poor, but her mother objected. She later convinced her mother to accompany her on a pilgrimage to the relics of Saint Agatha, a virgin martyr who had died 50 years earlier. While there, Lucia's mother was miraculously cured of a hemorrhage that had plagued her for many years. The cure softened the mother's heart, and she allowed Lucia to distribute a great part of their riches to the poor.  Unfortunately, Lucia had been unwillingly betrothed to a greedy young pagan, who was so angry that his bride-to-be had given away the majority of her wealth that he denounced her as a Christian to the governor of Sicily. First, the governor condemned Lucia to work as a prostitute, but when the guards tried to drag her to the brothel, they could not move her. Then the governor ordered the guards to pile wood around her feet so she might be burned to death, but the flames did not harm her. Finally, the guards removed her eyes with a fork and stabbed her with a sword, martyring her. This is why St. Lucia is often depicted in art as holding two eyes on a platter and why she is the patron saint of the blind.

A gory story, indeed! But an inspiring one that our children ought to hear. St. Lucia is a beautiful example not only of a Christian with great compassion for the poor and of a steadfast faith in Jesus, but of purity, too. Our children live in a world that little values chastity and they may face social persecution for striving to maintain their own purity. St. Lucia can provide a much-needed role model for them.

What makes St. Lucia's Day so special is that the celebration takes place at breakfast. Traditionally, a young girl dresses up in a white gown with a red sash. On her head she wears a crown of candles (we used paper "candles"). Early on the morning of December 13, she carries a candle and plate of sweets into the bedrooms of family members, greeting them with, "St. Lucy invites you to breakfast!" Then the family gathers around a candlelit breakfast table and enjoys pastries, buns, cookies, and a hot drink such as tea, hot chocolate, or cider while discussing St. Lucia and offering intercessory prayers to her.

My daughter, Honor, as St. Lucia during our 2009 celebration.

Our family typically celebrates with homemade cinnamon buns and tea. Mostly because the cinnamon buns are round and the kids have fun pretending they are eyeballs!

Here is a recipe for a delectable cinnamon bun dough that takes just minutes to put together the night before and rises slowly overnight. I have used it for years and my children declare it is "the best ever."

For the dough:

Daily Bread Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Other ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups powdered sugar
1-3 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Roll out the dough into a 10x14" rectangle.

2. Melt the butter. Brush the butter over the dough, leaving a half-inch border of plain dough on the long side nearest to you.

3. Mix the sugar and the cinnamon well. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered dough, avoiding the unbuttered border near you.

4. Gently begin to roll up the dough along the long side, rolling it toward you. Once you are near the unbuttered border, moisten the dough there with a little water, then finish rolling the dough into a log. Pinch the seams together.

5. Cut the long into 10-12 equal parts. The easiest way I've found to do this is actually using unflavored dental floss. Scoot the floss under the log, about 3/4 inch from the end. Tie the floss as if you were tying a knot. Then, quickly pull the knot all the way through the dough. Of course, a very sharp or serrated knife works, too. I just like the floss because it severs the dough so quickly it doesn't deflate.

6. Butter a baking dish. Place the rolls in the dish, with just a little space between them (1/4" is good).

7. Let the rolls rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. I find that turning my oven on to 200 degrees for about five minutes just as I'm starting to make the rolls, and then turning it off, makes a perfect environment for the rolls to rise in.

8. Remove the rolls from the oven, if you let them rise there. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

9. Bake the rolls for 12-15 minutes. You want them to be a light golden brown on top.

10. Mix the powdered sugar with just enough milk to make a drizzling consistency. Let the rolls cool for about 10 minutes, then drizzle the frosting over their tops. Enjoy!

My children enjoying cinnamon buns and tea on St. Lucia's Day, 2009.

Other ideas for celebrating the feast of St. Lucy can be found in the archives including: Cuccia ~ St. Lucy's Wheat, St. Lucia Buns ~ Lussekatter, and St. Lucia's Braided Bread.

Pin It

"Saintly" Hot Cocoa to Warm Your December Celebrations

Yesterday we had our first signficant snowfall, and the children's thoughts immediately went to sledding ... and hot cocoa! It got me thinking -- with three of our favorite saint feast days coming up this month, why not celebrate with a little twist on hot cocoa?

First, here's a basic hot cocoa recipe, if you don't already have one. I have this long-since memorized, but it's my variation of the one I'm pretty sure you'll find on any can of Hershey's cocoa.

Basic Hot Cocoa Recipe

Pour 4 c milk into a 1-qt measuring cup. Add 1 capful (about 1/2 t) vanilla, and set aside.

Place in a medium saucepan:

1/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 c sugar
pinch of salt

(Save yourself some trouble, as well as the juggling of multiple small measuring cups, by making several individual batches of these dry ingredients and storing each in a small zip style plastic bag. You'll be amazed at what a time saver this can be!)

Whisk in 1/3 c hot tap water, and place over medium heat. Watch carefully and stir frequently until the mixture comes to a full boil; then continue to boil, stirring constantly, for two minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in the reserved vanilla milk. Return to the stove at a low to medium setting, until heated through.

Serve as is, or topped with marshmallows or whippped cream. Guaranteed to "warm the toe bones," as we say at our house! :) Makes four (8 oz.) servings of hot cocoa.


Now then, for the "Saintly" variations:

German Chocolate Hot Cocoa for St. Nicholas (Dec. 6)

Substitute 1/2 c. brown sugar for the granulated white sugar.

Substitute 2 c. of coconut milk for half (2 c.) of the milk in the recipe.


You can use a 15.5 oz can of coconut milk, or use this recipe for Coconut-Infused Milk:

Place 2 cups of shredded coconut in a heat-safe bowl.

Bring 2 cups of milk to a boil in a small saucepan. It will foam, then boil over very quickly, so watch carefully!

Pour over the reserved coconut, and let stand for about one hour.

Place the coconut and milk mixture into a blender, and process for about 30 seconds.

Strain into a 1-qt measuring cup, pressing the coconut to extract as much milk as possible. Discard the coconut.

Fill the measuring cup to the 4 cup mark with additional milk, then continue the basic recipe as written.

Tastes great with gingerbread cookies!



Mexican Hot Cocoa for St. Juan Diego (Dec 9) and Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12)

Prepare basic recipe as written; whisk in 2 t cinnamon and 1/2 t chili powder with the milk.

If desired, top with sweetened whipped cream and a few shavings of dark, sweet chocolate.

Serve with Mexican Wedding Cakes for a special treat!


Scandinavian Orange Chocolate Hot Cocoa for St. Lucy (Dec. 13)

Prepare hot cocoa as directed in the basic recipe above.

Whip 1 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form.

Gently fold 2 T orange marmalade into the whipped cream.

Place a large dollop of the orange whipped cream on each serving of the hot cocoa; top with freshly-grated orange zest, if desired.

Goes exceptionally well with your favorite St. Lucy's Bread recipe! Pin It

St. Lucia Buns ~ Lussekatter

I was sent this recipe (along with beautiful pictures!) from Emma, an online friend in Norway! She writes:

"I have tried to find a good recipe for Lucia buns online in English - one that would be similar to the very special feast and buns we make here. It was not so easy as there are so many versions. Many of them look very nice but not like the original, so I have tried as best I could to convert my family's very own, an old recipe that is an original Swedish one from generations back...

... As good as these buns are, and so fun to make, and and as much as St. Lucia is a feast for the youngest children too, this recipe is not very kid friendly! The dough is sticky and can be a little hard to work with when you are new to it. I'm usually making it on the December 12th late at night, but my children love to be with me when I open the saffron box and add it it to the milk. It is very important to buy good saffron, which is almost as expensive as gold compared in weight!"

St. Lucia Buns

Ingredients:

7 oz (or 1 3/4 stick) butter
2 cups whole milk
1 tsp saffron threads, crushed
2 packages dry active yeast
1 pinch salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, well-beaten
8 cups flour (approx)
raisins and egg white to decorate


Directions:

1. Have flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a big bowl. (save some flour for the kneading)

2. Melt butter. Add milk and let it get finger warm (100 F). Add saffron to the warm milk and enjoy the beautiful color!

3. Mix it into to flour and add the eggs, mix well with wooden spoon, cover and let stay for 1-1 1/2 hour.

4. Heat oven to 475 degrees F and cover the baking sheet with nonstick spray.

5. Take dough from bowl to lightly flour dusted table, knead some. It will be sticky, but do not use too much flour! Cut dough in 2, then each half in 4, then 4 again.

6. Work with the dough bits, Shape each bun to a S, or other shape (see photos) and put on baking sheet. Decorate with raisins. Let them rest under towel for about 15 minutes.

7. Use baking brush to put egg on the buns.

8. Bake high in oven for about 8 minutes. Be careful, they should be golden but not brown. They smell amazing!

9. Remove the buns and let them cool under a towel, keep them in plastic bag or freeze as soon as possible as they dry out sooner then ordinary buns.

Yields: 32 wonderful buns

Pin It

Cuccia - St. Lucy Wheat

Cuccia is a traditional cooked wheat dish, served only on St. Lucy's day in Sicilian households. Santa Lucia is honored in every town in Sicily. On her feast day they observe a “no pasta, no bread” rule and cuccia is made in all the towns. The tradition comes from a time when during a famine, the people of Syracuse prayed for the intercession of St. Lucy. A ship arrived laden with grain. People were so eager to eat that they boiled the wheat without waiting for it to be ground and ate it simply dressed with olive oil. This was the first cuccia. 

Cuccia can be made so that it's sweet or savory. In Syracuse chickpeas and fava beans were added, and sweet cuccia is made by adding honey and sometimes chocolate. Each town makes it in its own way, and families have different variations as well. The different versions of cuccia can be served through the day at different meals. 

To make cuccia, obtain hard winter wheat from a health food store. Soak the grain in cold water for 24 hours (or at least overnight) and rinse. Cover wheat with water about four inches over the top, with a little oil or butter and pinch of salt. Bring to boil, turn down heat to medium, stir often with wooden spoon. Add boiling water as needed to keep from scorching. Cook until wheat pops open and insides are soft. Drain excess water if needed. It can be served cold or warm, plain or with milk or cream like oatmeal and sweetened with honey, dried fruit, or chocolate bits for breakfast or dessert. Some versions include ricotta. Chick peas, lentils or onions might be added for a savory fare at other meals. This Sicilian cooking website includes several of the variations of cuccia depending on your preference. 

Relying on Your goodness, O God, we humbly ask you, by the intercession of your servant, Saint Lucy, to give perfect vision to our eyes, that we may serve for your greater honor and glory. And we pray for the salvation of our souls in this world, that we may come to the enjoyment of the unfailing light of the Lamb of God in heaven. 

St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, hear our prayers and answer our petitions. 

Amen.

Pin It

All Saints' Day Treats ~ St. Lucy Cupcakes

I'm always on the lookout for food saint ideas for All Saint's Day parties, so here's something I came up with for St. Lucy.

St. Lucy is populary know as the patroness of eye ailments. This is because among other tortures that she suffered for being a Christian, her eyes were torn out. Legend has it that her sight was returned to her before she died.

I thought it would be fun for our All Saint's Day party to make some St. Lucy eyeball cupcakes, and share the idea with all of you!

How to Make Them:

All you do is make your favorite cupcake recipe, and ice them with white icing. Then use blue icing to make a circle on the cupcake, and stick an upside-down chocolate chip in the middle for the pupil. Leave one of them white for display, and cut a slit in the middle of the cupcake so you can insert a St. Lucy holy card. If your holy card isn't laminated, cover it in some packing tape before inserting into the cupcake.

St. Lucy is often depicted with a palm branch to symbolize her martyrdom, so I also stuck a palm branch into my cupcake holder for display. I got my palm branch at the Dollar Tree.

This post was written by a Catholic mother, at The Masked Mommy, and submitted for publication here at Catholic Cuisine. Thank you for sharing!

Pin It

Saint Lucia's Braided Bread

The feast of St. Lucy, a fourth-century martyr, is celebrated on December 13th, also known as Saint Lucia Day. I have really enjoyed learning about the many customs associated with her feast day.

Some of the lovliest St. Lucy Day traditions are Swedish! In Sweden, this special feast is called Luciadagen. Before dawn, the oldest daughter in the family will dress as St. Lucy, wearing a white gown to represent purity , a red sash to represent martyrdom, and a crown of greenery and lit candles. Her little brothers will join her dressed as "starboys" wearing white gowns, cone-shaped hats decorated with gold stars, and carrying star-tipped wants. She will then wake her family and serve them special St. Lucy Day treats such as Lussekatter (St. Lucy's Cats) and Saffron Buns shaped into various shapes.

I have been looking forward to trying out the following recipe for a Braided St. Lucia Crown/Bread ever since I saw it posted by Karen Edmisten last December. At the time I just didn't have time a chance to bake it, so after a quick trip to our local bakery my oldest daughter served Donuts instead... This year I am determined to give it a shot! The recipe sounds fairly easy and it has received rave reviews from Karen, Eileen and Charlotte. Doesn't it look heavenly!?

Photo Courtesy of Karen Edmisten

Saint Lucia's Braided Bread

Source: Family Fun

INGREDIENTS

Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 1/4-ounce packages active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 1/2 o 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Glaze and Garnish:

• 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• Candles (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Warm the milk in a small saucepan, then pour 1/2 cup of it into a large bowl.

Add the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar and let it set for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in the remaining milk.

Add the butter and milk mixture to the yeast mixture. Whisk in the eggs, juice, 1/4 cup of sugar, orange rind, and salt.

Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough can be gathered into a ball. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes, adding more flour until the dough is smooth and elastic and does not stick to your hands.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turning it once to coat it. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and divide it into 3 equal parts. Roll each part into a 30-inch rope and braid the ropes together.

Transfer the braid to a greased baking sheet, pinch together the ends to form a circle, and let it rise until it has again doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Heat the oven to 375°. Bake the bread for 25 minutes or until golden brown, then let it cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes.

For the glaze, stir together the confectioner's sugar and orange juice in a medium bowl until smooth.

Drizzle the glaze mix over the bread, then garnish with the cranberries. Finally, add candles, if you'd like. Serves 12.

Hear us, O God, our salvation, that, as we rejoice in keeping the festival of Blessed Lucy, thy virgin and martyr, so we may profit by the tender devotion we gain through her example. Through our Lord. Amen.

Pin It