Homemade Eclairs for St. Therese

Eclairs are known to be the favorite treat of St. Therese of Lisieux, so after binge watching some early episodes of that British baking show, I decided to try a recipe that I had been admiring for a while but was too afraid to try: Homemade Eclairs with Peanut Butter Mousse from Sally's Baking Addiction. I don't think St. Therese ever had Peanut Butter Mousse eclairs, but I think she would have loved them!

CHOUX PASTRY
1/2 cup (115g; 8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup (120ml) water
1/2 cup (120ml) 2% or whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour

4 large eggs, beaten
egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk or water


Combine the butter, water, milk, salt, and granulated sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted. Bring mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and add the flour all at once. Stir until the flour is completely incorporated and a thick dough clumps into a ball. Mash the dough ball against the bottom and sides of the pan for 1 minute, which gently cooks the flour. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Allow to cool down for a few minutes before adding the eggs in the next step.

Read this step in full before starting: With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the eggs in 3-4 separate additions mixing for 30 seconds between each. The mixture might look curdled at first, but will come together as the mixer runs. Pour in the final addition of beaten eggs very slowly. Stop adding when the choux pastry has reached the desired texture: shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipe-able consistency. Any leftover egg can be used for egg wash. I ended up using all of mine. Dough can be used immediately or refrigerated up to 3 days. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Mist or brush parchment paper with water. You want a nice moist environment for the choux to puff up. Transfer dough to a piping bag and pipe 4 inch long shells 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 20 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN! After 20 minutes, turn oven down to 350 degrees and back for 10 - 15 more minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
8 ounces (224g) full-fat brick style cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (130g) creamy peanut butter*
salt, to taste

Make the peanut butter mousse: Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat heavy cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Transfer to another mixing bowl. Using the same whisk attachment again (you don't need to clean in between), beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until creamy and smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and peanut butter then beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream until combined. Taste. Stir in a pinch of salt, if desired. Transfer mousse to a piping bag fitted with a small round or open star piping tip. Set aside as you make the ganache.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Make the chocolate ganache: Place chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just starts steaming, not boiling.  Pour over chocolate and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. Slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted.

1.  

Let the ganache cool on the counter while you fill the shells with the mousse. I piped them on both ends to make sure they were nice and full. Dip the tops in ganache and leave to firm up. Ganache will set up in about an hour at room temp or about 30 minutes in the fridge. Enjoy! 

FYI... all three components (pastry shells, mousse, and ganache) can be made ahead of time. To assemble, just warm the ganache in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time to soften. 

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Sacred Heart Strawberry Brownie Treat

This post was written by Catholic Cuisine contributor, Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda.

I made this for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart which has passed for this year but since June is the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart, I thought I would share it in the event that someone might want to make it before the month ends. I baked this in my Wilton heart shaped pan but there are instructions for turning 1 round and 1 square cake into a heart shape. (This recipe only makes one pan of brownies so if you wanted to use the instructions above, you'd need a double batch.)

One Bowl Brownies
1/2 C. butter
1 C. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour your pan. I also line mine with parchment paper just on the bottom to make sure it turns out of the pan easily.
2. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in eggs, sugar and vanilla.
3. Beat in cocoa powder, flour, salt and baking powder.
4. Spread into pan and bake for 25 - 30 mins. Do not overcook.
5. Remove from oven and run a sharp knife around the edge of the brownies to make sure they release from the sides of the pan. Allow to cool completely on cooling rack before turning out.

To decorate, I used chopped up strawberries mixed with a spoonful of sugar tossed in and spooned onto the brownie.  The crown of thorns was made with melted chocolate chips. I piped them with a plastic baggie onto some wax paper and then set them in the fridge to firm up. If you place it over the strawberries when it's firm but not completely set, you can gently press it to wrap around the strawberries. If you wait until it's too firm and try to bend it, it will crack, like mine did. :D

The flames were made out of clementine slices and extra strawberry slices with two mini-candy bars for the cross. You could also use pretzel rods or graham cracker pieces if you don't have any candy bars.

“Our Lord Jesus Christ desires that we should, for sanctifying ourselves, glorify His all-loving Heart; for it was His Heart that suffered the most in His Sacred Humanity.” ~ St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

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A Dragon Scone for Good St. George

This post was written by Catholic Cuisine contributor, Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda.

The Feast of St. George is coming up tomorrow. We have spent many years slaying a cake dragon in honor of this noble and holy saint. Last year, however, we made a Dragon Scone for the feast of St. George. If you are looking for an alternative to the Dragon Cake and would prefer something not slathered in frosting, maybe give this one a try. I used a basic scone recipe (which I will include below) to make a serpentine shape. It took a little longer to bake than normal scones but otherwise, everything else was the same.

Last year, I used a left over slice of cake to make the head. This year, I think I'm just going to use another scone. That will probably mean I'll make a double or a 1.5 batch of of the recipe below.

I covered the body in homemade whipped cream and used sliced strawberries for the scales and feet. The pastry wing was also leftover from Easter brunch. I'm not sure our dragon will have wings this year. Two M&M's make the eyes. You can serve it for breakfast or as an after dinner treat.

Let us know below… are you doing anything special for St. George's Day?

Basic Scones 
(single batch: yields 12 scones or 1 dragon body)

1 1/2 C. all purpose flour
1/4 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. cold butter
1/4 C. sour cream (can substitute plain greek yogurt)
1/4 C. milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs (you can use a food processor just pulse it to get the coarse crumbs). Stir in sour cream (greek yogurt) and milk. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out desired shapes, place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet. (For the dragon scone, I just shaped the dough into the shape I wanted on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

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Altagracia Cookies

This post was written by Catholic Cuisine contributor, Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda. 

Legend says that the pious daughter of a rich merchant asked him to bring her a portrait of Our Lady of Altagracia from Santo Domingo, but no one had heard of that title. The merchant, staying overnight at a friend's house in Higuey, described his problem as they sat outdoors after dinner. An old man with a long beard, who just happened to be passing by, pulled a rolled up painting from his bindle, gave it to the merchant, and said, "This is what you are looking for." It was the Virgin of Altagracia. They gave the old man a place to stay for the night, but by dawn he was gone, not to be seen again. The merchant placed the image on their mantle, but it repeatedly disappeared only to be found outside. They finally returned it to the church. 

In the picture book, A Gift of Gracias, by Julie Lavarez, a connection is made between this special feast day and oranges. These Orange Carrot Cookies would be a delightful treat for the Feast of Our Lady of Altagracia, coming up on January 21st, especially paired with a reading of the book. You can find the original recipe over at Dawn's blog, By Sun and Candlelight. I made a few changes that I will post here. Just FYI, these are soft, almost muffin-top like cookies, not crispy or crunchy cookies.

Altagracia Cookies

1 egg, room temperature

1/2 C. unsalted butter, softened

1/2 - 3/4 C. sugar (I used less.)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

the zest of 1/2 an orange (about 1 Tbl.)

1 C. mashed, cooked carrots

2 C. all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
(sugar sprinkles, optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine baking powder and flour and set aside. Cream the egg, butter, sugar and vanilla. Add carrots and zest and mix well. Slowly incorporate flour mixture being careful not to over mix. Drop by tablespoons onto parchment covered cookie sheets. Add sugar sprinkles if desired. Bake 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on a wire rack. 

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A Polish Feast for Saint John Paul II

This post was written by Catholic Cuisine contributor, Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda. 

Today is the feast day of the newly canonized Pope Saint John Paul II and my youngest daughter's baptismal anniversary so we want to celebrate in a big way with a Polish feast. I plan on making Polish Meat and Potatoes for dinner, a combination of cabbage and kielbasa served over garlic mashed potatoes and Piernik for dessert. I will post pictures when I take them later, but for now, here are the recipes to get you started: (Updated… pictures of our feast!)

Polish Meat and Potatoes
1 Tbl. olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
4-5 cups of cabbage leaves, chopped
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional… I leave it out or let people add it to their serving)
1 pkg. kielbasa, cut into rounds
3-4 green onions (opt.)
And supplies to make your usual mashed potatoes...

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add kielbasa slices and cook for about 10-15 minutes. I like to see a little crust show up in the sides of the sausage. Add garlic and cook for just another 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant, but not burned. Add cabbage and green onions and stir frequently for the next 10 minutes until cooked. We like our cabbage lightly sautéed but if you like yours more well done, cook it longer, just keep stirring so the garlic doesn't  burn. Add pepper (and salt) to taste.

I serve this over regular mashed potatoes seasoned with garlic salt.

For dessert, I am making Piernik (Polish Honey Bread). It's baking in the oven right now and smells amazing! In fact, my 10 year old son just walked into the kitchen saying, "Mmmmmmm…. what is that smell?"

Piernik

1 C. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves (I substituted nutmeg)
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
4 eggs
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 C. honey
4 C. all purpose flour
1/2 C. raisins (optional… my kids don't like them)
1/2 C. walnuts (optional… my husband can't eat them so I didn't add them)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bunt pan. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, spices and eggs. Add in the milk, oil, baking powder and baking soda. In a small pot, heat the honey to boiling and then add to mixture. Mix in the flour and stir until blended well. Fold in the raisins and walnuts if you'd like them. Pour into pan and bake for about an hour until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack and turn out after 20 minutes. Dust top with powdered sugar.

I only had a little honey so I made a half batch, that's why my bread is shorter.

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Pot Pie Soup for St. Francis

This post was written by Catholic Cuisine contributor, Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda. 

 Last year, I made Chicken Pot Pie Soup which is basically a cream of chicken soup with baked pie crust crumbled on top. I thought that using my mini animal cookie cutters I could make the pie crust represent the animals that St. Francis is patron of.

I made a basic pie crust recipe but you could just roll out a pre-made one. Cut out the shapes and bake them up on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle them over soup when ready to serve. The recipe for the soup is below but you can use your favorite recipe if you have one.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

2 tablespoons of butter

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons of flour

4-6 cups of chicken stock  (depending on how thick or thin you like your soup)

4 cups of frozen shredded hash browns

4 cups of cooked, diced chicken

½ cup of heavy cream

1 cup of frozen peas

In a large soup pot, melt butter and cook onions, celery and carrots over medium heat until softened. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook for just another 30 seconds stirring constantly. Add chicken stock and increase heat. Once soup begins to simmer, add hash browns and simmer about 15 minutes until soup begins to thicken. Add chicken and simmer until heated through. Add cream and peas. Simmer 5 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Dear God, You enabled St. Francis to imitate Christ by his poverty and humility. Walking in St. Francis' footsteps, may we follow Your Son and be bound to You by a joyful love. Amen.

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Angel Kisses for the Feast of the Guardian Angels

This post was written by Catholic Cuisine contributor, Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda. 

I whipped up these little peppermint meringue cookies earlier today trying to beat the rain that is heading our way today. If you've ever made meringue cookies, you know that rain or humidity can kill all of your efforts turning what should be a delightfully crispy little melt-in-your-mouth treat into a chewy piece of cardboard. I wanted to add a little peppermint flavor to my cookies which some people do with crushed up candy canes but I still wanted them to be white for the feast day today so I used a little peppermint extract. Keep these in mind for Christmas too!

Angel Kisses

2 egg whites (room temperature… very important to let your egg whites come to room temperature)

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 C. sugar

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract (depends on how pepperminty you want them.

Preheat oven to 225 degrees and line pans with parchment paper. Place egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in a metal bowl and whip with electric mixer. You can't use a hand whisk. It doesn't put enough air into the egg whites.

When you have beaten the whites to form stiff peaks (tips of whites stand straight up in the air when you pull the beaters out) and the egg whites look glossy, gradually add your sugar. Add it slowly and beat well after each addition. Finally, using a clean spatula free of any kind of oil, quickly fold in the peppermint extract using a light hand. Scoop batter into a gallon size zip top bag with one corner cut off or use a piping bag with a decorative tip. Pipe out little dollops. Place pans in oven for 1.5 hours. Don't let the cookies brown. They should be completely dry when done. Turn off oven and leave door ajar while the cookies cool completely.

Enjoy!

I humbly salute you, O you faithful, heavenly Friends of my children! 

I give you heartfelt thanks for all the love and goodness you show them. 

At some future day I shall, with thanks more worthy than I can now give, 

repay your care for them, and before the whole heavenly court 

acknowledge their indebtedness to your guidance and protection. 

Continue to watch over them. Provide for all their needs of body and soul. 

Pray, likewise, for me, for my husband, and my whole family, 

that we may all one day rejoice in your blessed company. Amen

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Welsh Cakes

This post was written by Catholic Cuisine contributor, Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda. 

A sweet friend called my attention to this recipe and we decided to give it a try a little early to see if we wanted to add it to our St. David's Day feast. The kids loved them and begged me to make some more tomorrow! My husband's family has some Welsh heritage so we've found ourselves with a special, little devotion to this Welsh saint. This Welsh prince turned priest was responsible for founding many monasteries and condemning the Pelegian heresy. The original recipe is written using British cooking terminology, so I've made some changes to make it easier to understand for us 'mericans! ;)

Welsh Cakes

2 C. all purpose flour, sifted

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 stick (4 Tbl.) of salted (preferably Welsh) butter

1 egg

1/4 C. milk, (more if needed)

1/4 - 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

1/3 C. caster sugar* (plus extra for dusting; see note below)

1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/8 tsp. allspice** (see note below)

extra butter for greasing

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl. Rub or cut the butter into the flour mixture until it forms crumbs. Add the sugar, raisins and egg. Mix to combine into a ball using a splash of the milk if you need to get it to hold together.

Roll out dough until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3-4 inch rounds. Use extra butter to grease a heavy griddle. Heat griddle to medium heat and cook cakes 2-3 minutes per side.  Turn only once.

 They should be a caramel brown, like pancakes, when cooked, although, some people prefer them almost burnt. Remove from pan and dust while still warm with the extra caster sugar.  Enjoy!

*Caster sugar is regular white sugar that has been processed to a finer texture. If you don't have any, just take a clean food processor or clean coffee grinder and process some regular white sugar until fine but not powdery. If you don't have any way to make your own, you can use powdered sugar but it's a different texture and usually includes some cornstarch. I used a coffee grinder for mine and in the picture below you can see that the homemade caster sugar is lighter and fluffier.

Homemade caster sugar on the left and regular white sugar on the right

** I read in other recipes that you could add some "mixed spice" for a more authentic flavor. British "mixed spice" is basically pumpkin pie spice but since I don't use pumpkin pie spice, I added my own blend of spices.

(Just to clarify… I don't use pre-made pumpkin pie spice because it usually has cloves and ginger in it. My family doesn't care for the taste of cloves and only tolerates ginger in small quantities. I mix my own spice blend only so I can control the flavorings. No other reason. If you want to use pumpkin pie spice, I would think a teaspoon would be all you need.)

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St. David's Day Soup

This post was written by Catholic Cuisine contributor, Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda. 

The feast of St. David is coming up on March 1st. In honor of the Welsh tradition of wearing leeks and husband's family's Welsh heritage, it's become our tradition to celebrate with leeks for dinner.

Creamy Chicken Potato Leek Soup

2 Tbl. butter
1 Tbl olive oil
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
4 small-medium leeks, cleaned and sliced
6-8 cups chicken broth
1-2 Tbl. cornstarch
4-6 cups of yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1C. of heavy cream
1 C. leftover chicken, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheese to top, opt.

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter.
Cook leeks in butter and oil until tender, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.
Stir cornstarch into broth and pour broth into pot. Add the potatoes and chicken and bring to a boil. Pour in the cream, reduce heat and simmer at least 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
Mash potatoes for a chunkier soup or blend with an immersion blender for a smoother consistency.  Season with salt and pepper before serving.
Serve with shredded cheese on top.

Roasted Butternut Squash "Croutons"

2 C. butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 Tbl. olive oil

kosher salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss the squash cubes in the oil. Place on cookie sheet in single layer. Sprinkle with salt. Roast in hot oven for 25- 30 minutes. They won't be crispy like regular croutons but they will be incredibly flavorful.

God our Father, you gave the bishop David to the Welsh Church to uphold the faith and to be an example of Christian perfection. In this changing world may he help us to hold fast to the values which bring eternal life.

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Simple Daffodil Cake for St. David's Day

This post was written by Catholic Cuisine contributor, Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda. 

Many Welsh people wear one or both of the national emblems of Wales on their lapel to celebrate the Feast of St. David: the daffodil (a traditional Welsh symbol which is in season during March) or the leek (Saint David's personal symbol) on this day.

We've made a daffodil cake to celebrate the feast of St. David for a couple of years now. This is not an actual Daffodil Cake Recipe. It's my simplified version using any white cake mix. Have you ever made a fudge marble cake? This is a basic marble cake except I used a white cake recipe with some yellow food coloring and little lemon extract instead of fudge. You can use a white cake (box) mix if you like. 

Make the batter as the recipe or the box describes. Before you pour the batter in the pan, separate out about a cup of batter. Add yellow food coloring to the reserved batter until it reaches the desired color. I recommend going a little darker than you think you'd like because it will fade a little when it bakes. You can also add up to 1 tsp. of lemon extract for a light citrusy flavor.

Pour the white cake batter into the pan. (I like to bake the cake in my bundt pan.) Drop tablespoon fulls of the yellow batter all over the white batter. Using a butter knife or skewer, lightly swirl the colors together until you get a marble effect like above. Don't swirl too much! You want the colors to stay separate. Bake and cool as the recipe recommends for the type of pan you chose.

Served upside down with a little bit of glaze frosting and yellow sugar crystals my kids think it looks like a daffodil. The marbled white and yellow slices will delight them even more!

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White Chocolate Cream Cake for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin

prepared a worthy dwelling for your Son,

grant, we pray,

that, as you preserved her from every stain

by virtue of the Death of your Son, which you foresaw,

so, through her intercession,

we, too, may be cleansed and admitted to your presence.

 White Chocolate Cream Cake

Cake:

3 oz. squares white chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C. white sugar
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 2/3 C. heavy cream
3 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract

Frosting:
3 oz. white chocolate, chopped
3 1/2 C. confectioner's sugar
1/4 C. butter, softened
4 Tbl. water
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 8 or 9 inch round pans. For the cake, melt white chocolate, set aside to cool to lukewarm. In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large chilled bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs for about 5 minutes until light lemon colored. Beat in 1 tsp. almond flavoring and melted white chocolate. Fold in whipped cream. Fold in flour mixture, about 1/2 a cup at a time. Divide batter into prepared pans. Bake in over for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.

For Frosting: In a large bowl, beat 3 oz. of white chocolate over low heat or in microwave, stirring occasionally, until melted; cool to lukewarm. Combine on medium speed, white chocolate, confectioners sugar, butter, water and 1/2 tsp. almond extract. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency. Pin It

Cinnamon Toast St. Martin Snacks

I came up with this idea this morning not intending to blog it but my kids really liked it, so I'm sharing it with you. The story of St. Martin of Tours is that when he was a soldier, he came upon a beggar outside of the city gates who was in need of clothing and warmth. St. Martin, having nothing else to offer, took off his beautiful cloak and cut it in two giving half to the beggar to keep him warm. Later that night, St. Martin had a dream that the beggar man was really Jesus and he was commending St. Martin for his generosity to the angels in Heaven. In honor of that story, I made these cinnamon toast treats to look like gates and cloaks. My oldest daughter commented though that if you turn the gate upside down, it resembles a horseshoe, which is also one of St. Martin's symbols. Either way, it is simple to make.

First, make some cinnamon toast. We like to toast the bread in the toaster, butter it and then sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar.

Then, I used the bottom edge of my cheese grater to cut out a rounded shape to look like a cloak. You could use just a knife though and cut out the shape by hand. 

Now you have a gate and a cloak.

Just serve it up, let the big kids cut the cloak in half themselves or score it for the little ones to tear in half and tell them the story of this most generous saint.

St. Martin of Tours, pray for us!

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Dragon Cupcake Cake for St. George

This post was written by Catholic Cuisine contributor, Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda.

With a cold front blowing in dropping our temps by 20-30 degrees, I did not want to head to the store with the baby to get supplies to make one of our traditional Dragon Cakes, so I decided to see what we had in the pantry. We had a gluten free chocolate cake mix, candy melts and the makings of this frosting which tasted good but could have used more powdered sugar to set up better.

This is what it looked like before decorating. The layout is pretty simple. I cut one cupcake in half to use for the eyes. Melted candy melts piped from a ziploc bag make the spikes and claws. 

Happy Feast of St. George, the dragon slayer!

O GOD, who didst grant to Saint George strength and constancy in the various torments which he sustained for our holy faith; we beseech Thee to preserve, through his intercession, our faith from wavering and doubt, so that we may serve Thee with a sincere heart faithfully unto death. Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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Traditional Irish Soda Bread

For the Feast of St. Brigid today or the Feast of St. Patrick later or any of our wonderful Irish saints. This recipe is so easy, I usually have it ready to go in the pan before the oven has finished preheating!

White Soda Bread

4 cups (16 oz) of all purpose flour.

1 Teaspoon baking soda

1 Teaspoon salt

14 oz of buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees.  Lightly grease a 2 inch tall cake pan or use a Dutch oven. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. I like to give it a good mix with a mixing spoon. Add the buttermilk to form a sticky dough.  Place on floured surface and lightly knead. DOn't get heavy handed with it! Too much kneading and the gas escapes making your bread heavy and thick like a brick. Shape into a round flat shape in a round cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough.

Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes (this simulates the bastible pot) if you aren't using a Dutch oven.

Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. It turns out a delicious, rugged crunchy outside but a soft, melt in your mouth inside. The bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped so show it is done. Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist. Slice it thick while it's still warm or let it cool completely and you can slice it thinner. Don't forget the butter!

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Gluten Free Twelfth Night Rum Cake

I wanted to make Jessica's Twelfth Night Rum Cake this year but my husband is eating gluten free right now for some digestive health reasons and I felt bad for not making more treats that he could enjoy with us over this Christmas season. So, turning to The Cake Mix Doctor's new gluten free cookbook, I decided to try her Bacardi Rum Cake recipe, just making a few alterations. Here is the recipe as I made it:

Gluten Free Twelfth Night Rum Cake

Cake:

Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pan
1 package (15 ounces) yellow gluten-free cake mix (Betty Crocker)
1/4 cup (half of a 3.4-ounce package) vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbl. rum extract
1/4 cup water
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Glaze:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
2 Tbl. water

1 tsp. rum extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with GF vegetable oil spray.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, rum extract, water, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are just incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter until smooth, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula, and place the pan in the oven.

3. Bake the cake until it is golden brown and the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 40 to 45 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Place the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted. Add the brown sugar and water, and stir to combine over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from the heat, stir in the 1 tsp. rum extract and let the glaze cool.

My cake was so pretty and puffed when it came out of the oven and then it collapsed. Sad, but still yummy!

5. Transfer the Bundt pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 10 minutes. Shake the pan gently, and invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Carefully put the cake back in the pan. Using a wooden skewer, poke a dozen holes on the bottom of the cake, about 1/2 way through. Very slowly spoon about 2/3rds of the cooled glaze over the warm cake letting it soak into the holes in the cake before adding more. Insert chocolate coins at this point by slicing into the bottom and inserting an unwrapped chocolate coin into the slit. When the bottom of the cake has absorbed most of the glaze, flip cake back over to a serving plate and spoon the remainder of the glaze over the top.

6.  Let the cake cool to room temperature, 20 minutes longer before slicing and serving.

Happy Twelfth Night!

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Footprint Cookies on St. Stephen's Day

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel.

"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."

Having some cookie dough already made up in the fridge and knowing that tonight our Christmas book was Stephen's Feast, I decided to make some footprint cookies in honor of St. Wencenslaus and the miracle of his footprints on this special day. I used this template to cut out the shape of the cookies. My first thought was to fill them in with icing and topping them with red and yellow sprinkle sugar.

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather.

"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."

But then they looked less like footprints and more like sprinkled blobs. That was when I decided on the outline of the shoe print. The sprinkles represented the warmth felt in holy King's steps. I used a simple cookie icing recipe that called for light corn syrup. I was out of light corn syrup so I substituted with honey.

In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.

Cookie Icing

1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tsp. milk
2 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. almond extract

Stir together sugar and milk. Add honey and extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick add more honey or milk.

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Candy Cane Coffee Cake

I wanted to make Jessica's beautiful Candy Cane Coffee Cake as a special St. Nicholas Day treat this year but also had some crescent rolls left over from Thanksgiving to use up. So I decided to combine the shaping of that treat with the recipe for her Cherry Cheese Coffee Cake.

I opted for strawberry pie filling since I'm the only one here who likes cherry and only ended up using half a can. I made the cream cheese filling just like the recipe called for but didn't use all of it on the candy cane. I used two rolls of crescent rolls. The first one and a half I used to make the shape of the candy cane and then the other half, I used for the stripes. You can see the stripes better in this pre-cooked photo. It was delicious!!!

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Guardian Angel Cookies

Our celebration snack for today was very simple. Inspired by an idea from Jessica, I used some leftover cookies...

...cut them in half and dipped them in some white candy melts to make wings.

Then we attached a Gingerman cookie on top with another glob of candy melt on the back.

We popped them in the fridge for a few minutes before transferring the angel cookies to a serving tray and giving them a Gingerman cookie to watch over.

My kids chuckled at some of the Gingermen with broken hands. I told them, "That's what happens when you don't listen to your Guardian Angel!"

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The Good Shepherd's garden Party :: Week Six

The sixth week of Easter has just passed, which leaves just one last week as we celebrate the Easter season using The Garden of the Good Shepherd: A Sticker Calendar to Count the Fifty Days of Easter. The Good Shepherd's Garden Party for week 6 was based on the theme "Oh! What a Beautiful City!"  Since it falls during May this year, and since the symbols provided a perfect opportunity, Charlotte and I turned our weekly party into a "May Crowning!"

Oh! What a Beautiful City! Menu Suggestions

Pretzel & Cheese Construction Kits
Shirley Temples
Bride Strawberries
Groom Strawberries
Crown Cake

Decorating Ideas

Play the “Hallelujah Chorus” by Handel
Have children decorate “Thrones” for the “Bride and Groom” (Mom & Dad)

Here is the link to the picture's from Charlotte's family's 6th Good Shepherd's Garden Party...  

... and you can visit Shower of Roses to see the rest of our pictures!

Now it's your turn!  How did you and your family celebrate the fifth week of Easter?  We'd love to see pictures and hear about how you modified our Good Shepherd's Garden Party for your family, or incorporated any of our other ideas (whether you choose daily activities or just one party for the week) into your celebration.  We'd also love to see any pictures from your May Crowning or Ascension Celebrations as well!

To Participate:

1. Create a post about your Good Shepherd's Garden Party, May Crowning, or Ascension celebrations.
2. Using the linky below, enter the exact link to your post.
3. Add a link your post, referring back to this post so that others can find the party as well!  (Please feel free to include the Good Shepherd's Garden Party Button if you'd like!)
4. Be sure to visit the links and see how everyone else has been celebrating!
5. The linky will be open until next Monday when we add a new one for Week 7 and Pentecost.

*Be sure to take a look at all of the Week Seven links from last year 2010 and 2011 for all sorts of great ideas!


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