Slainte'

I would like to interrupt the wonderful Lenten posts to remind everyone of an upcoming feast near and dear to my heart.

The Saint Patrick's Day feast almost always lands toward the end of Lent when the fasting and mortifications have become habitual and we are, perhaps, longing for an opportunity to celebrate the lives of one of our great saints.

Patrick was not, in fact, Irish but rather born of a wealthy Roman family. His name was Succat and in his youth he was abducted by Irish brigands and forced into slavery on the Emerald Isle. Patrick prayed faithfully for an opportunity to escape and eventually God led him away from his captors to safety. After studying to become a priest Patrick was sent back to Ireland as a bishop to convert the pagans. This he did with great success and become so beloved in the process that very few people even remembered that Patrick was not Irish. Those that knew did not care, at heart he was a true son of Eire. He loved the people and took their conversion to heart. Patrick died in 461 and his work lived on long beyond his life.

Such a great Saint deserves a little celebration right? So substitute another penance and indulge a little.

Your penance could be green beer. I never understood the appeal of that particular concoction. A Black and Tan, some Guinness, even a long tall Killian's is acceptable, encouraged even since beer is a most noble beverage. However the true drink of the day is that liquid amber, that ambrosia of Eire....whiskey.

The custom of imbibing alcohol on St. Patrick's Day comes from an old Irish legend. As the old story goes, St. Patrick was served a measure of whiskey that was much less than full. St. Patrick took this as an opportunity to teach a lesson of generosity to the innkeeper by telling him that in his cellar resided a monstrous devil who fed upon his dishonesty. The devil was large and bloated. In order to banish the devil, the innkeeper must change his ways. Sometime later St. Patrick returned to the hostelry and he found the owner generously filling the patrons' glasses to overflowing. He returned to the cellar with the innkeeper to find the devil emaciated and starved from the landlord's generosity. St. Patrick promptly banished the demon, proclaiming thereafter everyone should have a drop of the "hard stuff" on his feast day. This custom is known as Pota Phadraig or Patrick's Pot. The custom is known as "drowning the shamrock" because it is customary to float a leaf of the plant in the whiskey before downing the shot.( Paraphrased from Saint Patrick's Day History by Peggy Trowbridge)

It would be a shame not to imbibe in the good stuff in honor of the great man on his feast day. In my house we are fans of Jameson's a good Catholic whiskey, but there are several good ones available.

Another traditional libation is Irish Coffee. This is a wonderful close to a meal with friends.

Irish Coffee

2/3 part freshly brewed coffee
1/3 part Irish whiskey
2 tsps brown sugar
lightly whipped cream

Into a stemmed glass, put two teaspoonfuls of sugar, preferably brown; add one-third Irish Whiskey and two-thirds really hot, really strong black coffee, preferably freshly brewed, not instant. The glass should be filled with this mixture to within half an inch (1cm) of the brim. Stir well at this point to ensure all of the sugar is dissolved, and then carefully float over the back of a spoon a collar of lightly-whipped cream, so that the cream floats on the top of the coffee and whiskey. Do not stir any more. Serve the drink without a spoon or a straw, as part of the pleasure comes from sipping the hot coffee and whiskey through the cool cream.

A feminine cocktail...

Dublin Handshake
1/2 oz Baileys Irish cream
1/2 oz Irish whiskey
3/4 oz Sloe gin
Combine in shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into rocks glass with ice.

Of course, a Baileys on the rocks is always very pleasant.

What's a good drink without a good toast? You can not beat the Irish for a toast so here is one for your feast day.

Saint Patrick was a gentleman,
Who through strategy and stealth,
Drove all the snakes from Ireland,
Here’s a toasting to his health.
But not too many toastings
Lest you lose yourself and then
Forget the good Saint Patrick
And see all those snakes again.

'Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!'
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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From Thy Bounty Fair, St. Nicholas

Several years ago I had a husband who was newly received into the Catholic Church when I felt called upon to make our Advent as holy as possible. I wanted to immerse my young family in our beautiful Catholic culture and at the same time not overwhelm myself. Toward that end I focused that first Advent on a few feast days that I felt I could easily handle and in doing so began a loving relationship with Saint Nicholas. I read about this Saint and fell in love with his protective charity and willingness to sacrifice all for his faith. 

The simple tradition of leaving out shoes and filling them with small gifts appealed to both my overworked mommy syndrome and underfunded bank account. I was also anxious to separate our Advent observance from the whole "Santa Claus" madness that can overwhelm small children so easily. In Saint Nicholas we have the example of a penitential Advent that truly prepares us for the arrival of our Redeemer. 

This year, in my home, we are experiencing sacrifice and penance daily. I am toward the end of a difficult pregnancy and we are living, quite literally, in a construction site. All of our possessions except those that are absolutely necessary for survival are packed up and in storage lockers all over town. This includes all of our Christmas decorations, Advent wreath and calendar. We won't be baking or crafting and even our Christmas books are, with few exceptions, stored somewhere. So I wanted to host this fair in order to live vicariously through those families who have more beauty and less austerity this Advent season. I want to see pictures and read of traditions that I can share with my children and ask them to remember for next year. Next year when we have a nicer home and new baby to share our joy. 

So lets get to the fun stuff. I encourage everyone to visit the O Night Divine Celebrate with Saints page to see all of the posts, mostly written by the lovely and talented Jennifer Miller, about Saint Nicholas. There you will find everything you need to know both about the Bishop of Myra and how to honor him on his big day. 

Then you must visit Elena and let her show you the cute way she begins the feast day for her children. I love breakfast celebrations! 

And while we are talking about food; lets go visit Eileen whose first attempt at some traditional St. Nicholas day baking looks delicious. There is a sweet little face in those pictures that is pretty delicious as well. 

How about a cookie recipe from cookbook author Amy Heyd? St. Nicholas purse cookies are a perfect accompaniment to the day. (link inactive/removed)

Jessica does the whole thing up right, books, food, drinks and fun. Also a crafty food giftie to bestow on friends. 

More deliciousness can be found at Erin's blog, Growing with my Girls, both the sweet little girls and the pretty cookies are worth the trip. 

Over at Island in the Grove, Donna's celebration focuses on the tradition of leaving out shoes for St. Nicholas to fill with treats. I love Donna's Advent garden and her handmade St. Nicholas and horse figures. It looks like she created a beautiful heirloom to make her family's celebration even more meaningful. 

Mary has a sweet candy cane craft that your children will love. Mary also made some shortbread cookies decorated with a stamp and petal dust. Petal dust? Have to get me some of that. 

Barbara's Speculatius Cookies took her children's German teacher back in time to her childhood. To my mind that's the ultimate food compliment. I kind of covet the tea towel in the picture as well! 

Marjorie shares a wonderful post filled with ideas and recipes focused on St. Nicholas' native Turkey.  (link inactive/removed) 

Any observance of St. Nicholas Day has to include a trip Jennifer Miller's blog. Jennifer has been writing about St. Nicholas for fifteen years and is widely considered the go-to resource for all things Nicholas. The post I highlighted lists some of her best articles and I want you to try to make time to peruse them. 

Now if all of that did not give you enough to think about or you are feeling it's too late to pull anything off go visit the amazing website Saint Nicholas Center. There you will find stories to read and coloring pages to print and simple crafts to create. You must, while there, visit the spoon saint page created by my dear friend Alice. 

I hope that everyone has enjoyed this fair as much as I have. I also hope that whatever you chose to do to honor Saint Nicholas that the day brings happiness wonderful memories to your family. 

Saint Nicholas, pray for us.

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Observing the Niceties, Part I

I know that none of the moms who read this blog are ever guilty of this sort of behavior but I thought I would ask just in case you know someone who is.

Ever tossed a bunch of paper plates and forks in the middle of the table and let everyone grab for themselves?

Have you planned a meal around the fact that you don’t want to do dishes?

Has your six year old ever had a drink from an actual glass?

I know it sounds funny and these are fairly extreme examples but the truth is that when you have a large family or a bunch of very small children or children involved in sports, the practice of dining at home becomes closer to a scene in a fast food restaurant than a homey evening in the bosom of your family. As devout Catholics who are concerned with the observance of our faith and the preserving of close ties among our children meals together in pleasant surroundings should be our goal most nights.

Dining is a very important part of the family experience and it should be our aspiration as moms and homemakers to, every evening it’s possible, to set a beautiful table and make our food as appealing as possible. We also should be teaching our children the importance of beauty and order at the dinner table.

Before I continue I want to stress that I don’t pull this off nearly as often as I would like. My husband and I often marvel at our children’s capacity to act like a bunch of Klingons at the dinner table and there is the presence of plastic sippy cups more often that I would like to admit. It is also a rare occurrence to have dad home for dinner during the week. He often works past the time I am willing to be in the kitchen. However it is nearly always possible on the weekends and even if dad is not home it’s a habit worth developing; setting a nice table, taking time to eat slowly and enjoy what has been prepared; observing good manners and enforcing them at your table. Toward that end here are some basics that might help you get started.

Table Linens

It is appropriate at dinner time to cover the table in a white, cream or pastel colored table cloth. When you have small children place mats might be more practical but make sure they are made of cloth and are of a color that will not compete with your food or décor. Choose napkins that are harmonious in color to the scheme and are easily washable. The napkin, folded in a square or rectangle, with the open corner at the lower right, is placed on the plate. If the first course is already plated then the napkin goes just to the left of the fork with the open ends lined up to the fork.

Placing of Silver

Knives are at the right of the plate with the sharp edge facing the plate.
Butter knife is placed at the top and lying across the bread and butter plate.
Beverage and soup spoons are at the right of the knife.
Forks are to the left of the plate. Salad forks are to the left of the dinner fork when salad is the first course. If salad accompanies dinner to the table then the dinner fork is used for both.

Placing of China and Glassware

Water glass or goblet is placed directly above the point of the knife.
Cups and saucers are placed at the right of the spoons with handles facing to the right.
A salad plate is placed to the left of the forks.
Dinner plates are in the center of the setting one inch from the edge of the table. When soup or salad is the first course the bowl or plate should be placed upon the dinner plate.

Centerpiece

For an informal family dinner it is pleasant to have a centerpiece if you have the room and are so inclined, just keep it simple. A few flowers from your garden or something the children have made. Autumnal centerpieces can be very easy to put together quickly. A bowl of autumn leaves or found acorns and pinecones would be very pretty. If you use candles do make sure they are of the unscented variety so as not to interfere with the aroma and enjoyment of your meal.

Service

Although most families have moved away from the tradition of plating a first course, if you have time it is a nice way to begin a meal. Have the salad in bowls and on the plates before calling the family in to eat. To have a change of pace you could substitute soup in small cups or mugs or even a glass of cold vegetable juice garnished with celery. A cold fruit plate is also a nice change. It will, at the very least, spark some conversation.

When ready for the main course the first course is quickly and quietly cleared and the main dish is put before the head of the household (Dad if he is home) and he serves the meal to the left. Family members pass their plates to Dad and he dishes things up.

The alternate family style is to place all of the food on the table, in serving dishes or platters, and allow each person their turn. In a large family this can turn into a free-for-all so make sure that everyone knows to always pass to the left.

It is correct to serve and remove all dishes from the left and all beverages at the right.

The most important thing to remember is to make meals a special time in your home, a time which your children will remember fondly and try to re-create in their own homes someday. Try to come to the table as a relaxed, happy mother and the whole atmosphere of the meal will follow.

Next time we’ll tackle table manners.

Have a blessed day.

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From Thy Bounty Fair - Confirmation Celebrations

It's time for our second From Thy Bounty Fair here at Catholic Cuisine and we are very excited about it! Since this is the traditional time of the year when Confirmations take place we wanted to give everyone an opportunity to share with us your celebrations. It's such an exciting time in the life of a young Catholic and I'm sure many of our readers have devised beautiful ways to celebrate.

Our fair will take place on June 17th so I need your stories and ideas no later than June 15th. I'm middle-aged and move slowly.

So send me the details at bonnybluehouse at gmail dot com and please, even if you don't have a blog we want to hear from you! No blogs required, just write it up and e-mail me. Pictures delight us! Send everything.

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Pope John Paul II Feast

On May 18, 1920 Karol Wojtyla was born in Wadowice, Poland. Fifty-eight years later on October 16, 1978 he was elected the 264th Pope and took the name John Paul II. Pope John Paul II's pontificate was the second longest in history at twenty-seven years, second to Pius IX's thirty-one year reign. He was known as the pilgrim Pope visiting more than 100 countries and is generally acknowledged as the most well traveled world leader ever. Wherever our dearly loved Pope went his heart was in Poland. This jewel of Catholicism and culture has endured great hardship in the last century having been occupied by both Nazi's and Communists for most of the 20th Century. Through all of this unedurable persecution the faithful of Poland remained steadfastly Catholic and when their greatest son became the first Polish Pope they were well rewarded for their unwavering love of God. It is commonly believed that that event marked the fall of communism in Poland, a country at that time only held together by the Catholic Church. Today, as a tribute to our beloved John Paul the Great and the great people of Poland why not have a traditional Polish feast. We are blessed to live near a town with a large Polish community so I have access to several Polish deli's and grocery stores. That proximity to a Polish area isn't really necessary anymore. You can find excellent Polish sausage in most grocery stores and pierogies are readily available in most frozen food sections. However if you want to go traditional and do a nice meal from scratch it really isn't difficult. Polish food is hearty and easy to cook. It's also not for those overly concerned with their carb intake. However, you can always diet tomorrow, that's what Monday is for. Here is a traditional pierogi recipe

Potato and Cheese Filling
1		tablespoon grated onion
2		tablespoons butter
2		cups cold mashed potatoes
1		cup cottage cheese (or more)
		salt and pepper
Pierogi
2 1/2		cups flour
1/2		teaspoon salt
1		egg
2		teaspoons oil
3/4		cup warm water

	Potato and Cheese Filling: Cook the onion in butter until tender.
	Combine it with potatoes and cheese.
	Season to taste with salt and pepper.
	Vary the proportions and ingredients in this recipe to suit your taste.
	Mix the flour with the salt in a deep bowl.
	Add the egg, oil and water to make a medium soft dough.
	Knead on a floured board until the dough is smooth.
	Caution: Too much kneading will toughen the dough.
	Divide the dough into 2 parts.
	Cover and let stand for at least 10 minutes.
	Prepare the filling.
	The filling should be thick enough to hold its shape.
	Roll the dough quite thin on a floured board.
	Cut rounds with a large biscuit cutter, or the open end of a glass.
	Put the round in the palm of your hand.
	Place a spoonful of filling in it, fold over to form a half circle and press the edges together with the fingers.
	The edges should be free of filling.
	Be sure the edges are sealed well to prevent the filling from running out.
	Place the pierogi on a floured board or tea towel and then cover with another tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
	COOKING: Drop a few pierogies into a large quantity of rapidly boiling salted water.
	Do not attempt to cook too many at a time.
	Stir VERY gently with a wooden spoon to separate them and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
	Continue boiling for 3-4 minutes.
	The cooling period will depend upon the size you made it, the thickness of the dough and the filling.
	Pierogies will be ready when they are puffed.
	Remove them with a perforated spoon or skimmer to a colander and drain thoroughly.
	Place in a deep dish, sprinkle generously with melted butter to prevent them from sticking.
	Cover and keep them hot until all are cooked.
	Serve in a large dish without piling or crowding them.
	Top with melted butter- chopped crisp bacon and/or chopped onions lightly browned in butter.
	REHEATING: One of the great things about pierogies, is that they can be made in large quantities, refrigerated, frozen and reheated without lost of quality.
	Many prefer reheated pierogies as compared to freshly boiled ones.
	To re-heat, you can: 1) pan fry pierogies in butter or bacon fat until they are light in color or, 2) heat the pierogies in the top of a double boiler or in the oven until they are hot and plump or, 3) deep fry them. Another great recipe which would make a nice lunch or light supper. Potatoes Baked with Egg and Cream

2 Tbsp melted butter 3 cups diced cooked potatoes 2 eggs beaten 1 cup sour cream 2 Tbsp of chopped chives salt and pepper to taste Pour the butter into the bottom of a baking dish. Cover the whole bottom of the dish. Add the potatoes to the dish. Mix the eggs and sour cream thoroughly and pour over the potatoes. Add the chives, salt and pepper. Bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour. Serve hot. This recipe doubles and triples nicely for a larger group as is it feeds 4-5 people. Another great dish that is easy to prepare is ... Golabki (Stuffed Cabbage)
Don't let the long ingredient list put you off, you probably have most of them in your pantry.

1 1 cabbage, center core removed
3 lb ground meat (turkey, beef or pork)
2 cups cooked white rice
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup tomato paste
2 cans crushed tomatoes
11/2 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup butter
4 carrots, sliced
16 ounces mushrooms, quartered
2 bay leaves

Parboil cabbage in a large pot, removing leafs as they fall off into the water and are tender.
Cook till all leaves are tender, but not ripping apart; usually 15.
Run under cold water and drain.
Cut the thick membrane off back of each leaf.
While cabbage is cooking saute onion in butter until lightly browned.
Put all the uncooked meat into a large mixing bowl add eggs.
Add the sauted onions.
Next add salt pepper, celery salt, parsley, nutmeg, and Worcestershire sauce along with the cooked rice.
Mix it all up thoroughly.
Lay out leaves and depending upon their size, place 2-3 tablespoons of meat mixture on the wider side. Roll leaf up and over meat, tuck in sides of leaf, and continue to roll to use all leaves and stuffing. Place rolls, seam down into a greased roasting pan. Layer carrots and mushrooms over cabbage.
Mix together the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, water and brown sugar and pour evenly over all the rolls.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and add bay leaves.
Cover roaster and bake 325 degrees for 2- 2&1/2 hours.
Half way through baking check to make sure there's enough liquid; additional water can be added. To serve, spoon sauce over rolls. Serve with Mashed potatoes!

I leave you with my favorite Pope John Paul II quote.

"Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence."

Have a blessed day.

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Feeling Wine-y

I love being Catholic. We have such a rich heritage of tradition with regard to celebrating our faith. It always saddens me when I hear of other Christian denominations diminishing celebrations by coming down on our tendency, as Catholics, to enjoy our wine. It is so sad to exclude this part of a celebration in the name of some perceived idea that we are not to fully enjoy ourselves. Catholics love a good party and if you doubt my word go find yourself an Irish priest and ask him. We love our food and our wine. We are also big fans of beer.

The fact is that even St. Thomas Aquinas thought we should enjoy ourselves with a glass of wine on occasion.

“Hinc bibere usque ad hilaritatem per se quidem non est illicitum” ~ St. Thomas Aquinas

Loosely translated this means wine can be lawfully drunk to the point of cheerfulness.

Doesn’t that sound great? Cheerfulness. Now no one is advocating you get fall down drunk every Friday night but to enjoy the fruits of the vine in a happy way. Happy that God gave us the gift of these resources to make this elixir which when imbibed responsibly transports us to a heavenly happiness.

Can you tell I enjoy the hooch?

Before I became a mother I worked for a prominent investment bank in marketing. This meant that I helped bankers with the presentations they made to clients, institutional investors, and in doing so I was able to do quite a bit of event planning. I would help them with editing presentations, rehearsing their speeches, arranging for the proper A/V equipment and, on occasion, I would be responsible for planning an entire weekend event. Toward this end it was necessary that I know something about formal dining and that included being sent to many wine tastings (rough job, I know) and a few classes to learn how to pick wines for a dinner. I was also privileged to work with a few sommaliers who were more than willing to educate me.

This was all a long time ago but once you’ve kept 300 bankers and their wives entertained and informed for three days at a resort planning a First Holy Communion or graduation party does seem much easier to accomplish.

One thing several people impressed upon me was that it is not necessary to buy very expensive wines but to buy the right wines for your family and friends. The wine that compliments the food correctly will help a meal really sing.

I encourage you to visit your local wine shop (or liquor store) and ask for help. Attend wine tastings when you can and if you live in an area that has a vineyard, for heaven’s sake go visit it. Long Island is wine country and we are fortunate to be able to spend a “date” day every year or so touring one or two vineyards and sampling some of their production. Buying a flight of wine (a sampling of four or five wines) is an inexpensive way to learn what you like. Often there are restaurants right there in the vineyards where you can try your favorites with some food.

When you are planning to serve wine there are some very basic rules of thumb that help you pair things up. In general light foods are best suited to light wines and more robust and heavy foods are better suited to a more robust wine. It is generally acknowledges that there are six key food flavors; salty, sharp, savory, spicy, smoky and sweet.

Salty foods go better dry white wines. A Chablis is a good choice.
Sharp flavors are best paired with a wine that has a higher level of acidity like a Sauvignon Blanc or a Riesling.
Savory foods work well with medium to robust reds like a Pinot Noir
Spicy dishes need a more fruity wine. Spicier food will reduce the sweetness of the wine so you need something quite fruity to stand up to that. Try a rose’ but please, as a favor to me, avoid the white or blush Zinfandels. They are the nerdy cousin of wine and should only be served in case of Armaggedon when nothing else is available. Try a Spanish Rosado.
Smoky needs a strong flavor to stand up to the different flavors. Try a Shiraz, there are some wonderful inexpensive ones from Australia. They are my personal favorite.
Sweet food will make a wine seem dry. Try to pair your desserts with a wine or sherry that is sweeter than the confection you are serving. Port or Madeira is popular.

(This and a great deal of other information can be found in the book, Wine Made Easy edited by Susy Atkins)

I encourage you to broaden your horizions the next time you have the opportunity to try a new wine. It is very easy to get stuck in a wine rut. Even if you really only like Chardonnay or Merlot try a wine from a different region than one you are used to. Merlot grapes grown in Chile, for example, have a much bolder flavor than those grown here in the United States on the west coast. And those differ from the ones grown here on the east end of Long Island. I would also recommend trying blended wines. My current favorite is Yellow Tail’s Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot from Australia. It is a rich, heavy wine with a slightly plumy taste. I love it.

If you take nothing else from this remember that wine should be fun and not scary. It should not create stress for an hostess but rather should commemorate an occasion, highlight your food and be toasted to your hospitality.

Slainte

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