Catholic Cuisine Apron Giveaway!

I have been given the priveledge of hosting another giveaway sponsored by Catholic Embroidery, in honor of the upcoming feast of St. Joseph.  I have a couple of the lovely aprons (and so do my girls!) created by Catholic Embroidery, and we love them all!

One lucky visitor will win this beautiful "Catholic Cuisine" Apron!

This durable cotton-twill apron is made with two large pockets and an adjustable strap, measuring 23”W by 30”L. - perfect for men and women alike. Best of all, it is embroidered with Catholic Embroidery's exclusive Ave Maria design and the Catholic Cuisine title in a combination of Marian colors.

To enter this give-away:

Please visit Catholic Embroidery's website to check out all of their many beautiful new designs, and then come back and leave a comment on this post by Midnight on Saturday, March 19th, the feast of St. Joseph.  (One entry per person, please, and those that contribute here at Catholic Cuisine are welcome to enter as well.)  The winner will be chosen with a random number generator and announced here at Catholic Cuisine on Monday, March 21st.   Be sure to leave your email address, or have it linked in your profile, so that I am able to contact you.

Special Offer:    Mary Serafino, the founder of Catholic Embroidery, in addition to sponsoring this awesome giveaway, has generously extended the following offer as well:

We would like to offer the readers of Catholic Cuisine FREE SHIPPING on any order placed between from now until the end of St. Joseph's feast day, March 19th. Use the coupon code CCFREESHIP in the comment box when ordering and all shipping charges will be refunded

Mary has also created a number of beautiful aprons that you can purchase directly from this post.  (Jan. 2015 Update: Aprons are not currently available) I love them all, but I think the "Kelly Green" (with St. Patrick's Day coming up) and the "Ora et Labora" are my favorites...  Well, of course I love the one that says "Catholic Cuisine" too.  :)   I'd love to hear which one you like the best!

"The Main Ingredient" red apron embroidered with Sacred Heart design and the words, "Love, the Main Ingredient" - $24.95

Kelly Green apron embroidered with Celtic Cross design in white and gold - $24.95

Black apron embroidered with St. Benedict Medal design and motto: Ora et Labora (Work and Pray) - $24.95

Royal Blue apron embroidered with Ave Maria design and Catholic Cuisine title - $24.95

Khaki Apron embroidered with brown cross and Ad Majorem Dei Glorian in gold (all for the greater honor and glory of God) - $24.95

Navy apron embroidered with Crown design and "A married woman must often leave God at the altar to find Him in her housework" - $24.95

Also, be sure to visit The Virtual St. Joseph Altar or  Pray More Novenas for daily reminders to pray the Novena to St. Joseph!

Glorious Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, to you we raise our hearts and hands to implore your powerful intercession to obtain, from the benign heart of Jesus, all the helps and graces necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly for the grace of a happy death and this special favour we now request . . . O guardian of the Word Incarnate, we feel animated with confidence that your prayers on our behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. O Glorious Saint Joseph, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ and for the glory of His name, hear our prayers and obtain our petitions. Amen.

St. Joseph, Patron of Families ~ Pray for Us!


Update:  Comments are now closed. The winner will be announced on Monday!

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Fasting Bread for Lent

A couple years ago I ran across this recipe for Fasting Bread (originally from www.catholicradiodramas.com) at Catholic Family Vignettes.  I just finished baking it for tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, which is a day of fast and abstinence. (You can read more about fast and abstinence at EWTN.)   It took a little while to make, but my children and I really enjoyed the process and it was great to read about the symbolism attached to each of the ingredients.

Fasting Bread
(makes three loaves)

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour
2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1Tbs. Sugar
4 1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast  (updated)
2 cups Luke Warm Water
1/2 cup 100% Pure Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp. Holy Water
1 cup Oats – soaked in 1/2 cup hot water for 2 minutes
1 cup Pecan or Walnut pieces – broken and skillet toasted 2 min
1 cup Dried Cherries or Raisins - soaked 5 min in 1/4 cup hot water

Directions:

1. Combine the first three dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well with a whisk.

2. Clear a small area in the center of the dry blend.

3. Add sugar, dry yeast, and the 2 cups of warm water. Let stand for 3 minutes until yeast proofs and forms bubbles. Combine with flour mixture and liquid. This will be thick but more liquid comes later.

4. Add maple syrup, olive oil and holy water. Stir mixture until well blended.

5. Add walnuts and/or pecans and raisins and/or cherries with their liquid.

6. Add soaked oats to the flour mixture.

7. Blend everything together in one bowl.

8. Turn out onto a floured board and knead by hand for 10-12 minutes adding more flour as needed to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead the dough by flattening somewhat and fold-in from the outside towards the center. Press down hard on the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat the process until smooth and elastic and forma “ball”

9. Return the “ball” to the mixing bowl, drizzle with olive oil, cover and let rise 1 hour.

10. Remove to a floured board and kneed several more times as above. Cut into three equal pieces.

11. Place each piece into a loaf pan coated on all sides with olive oil. Drizzle loaf again with olive oil, cover and let rise for another hour. Olive oil produces a tasty crust.

12. Slash loaf tops and bake in the middle of a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until brown on top and bottom. Loaf should sound hollow when tapped.

13. Remove bread from pans and cool on a rack.

QUALITY INGREDIENTS AND THEIR SYMBOLIC REFERENCES: This marvelous bread combines pure, wholesome ingredients with symbolic references found in Sacred Scripture.

Stone Ground Wheat and Oats – Symbol of the pain of being crushed by the wheels of God’s Justice – which “grind slowly but exceedingly fine.” “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.” Jn 12: 24

White Flour – a reminder of the manna given by God to the Hebrews during their forty years in the desert as Moses led them to the promised land. Manna foreshadowed the Holy Eucharist, also the called “Bread from Heaven”. Exodus 16:35 Jn 6:41

Yeast– unifying many parts into one; a symbol of the the kingdom of heaven and of the Church. Mt 13:33

Salt – Christ said to his Apostles: “You are the salt of the earth.” Mt 5:13

Water – Giving life to all things; a symbol of baptism; cleansing. Lenten penances aid the washing away our sins. “He who drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst.” Jn 4: 14

Olive Oil – Acclaimed throughout history as a source of strength, olive oil was used by the athletes of ancient Greece to prepare for them for the contests. Mixed with wine it was found useful in healing the wounds of those injured on the battlefields of medieval Europe. Olive oil is used by the Church in the Holy Oils applied in sacramental anointing.

Pure Maple Syrup – Collected in pure form flowing from a tree; symbolic of the cross and of the sweetness of the Blood of Christ which flowed freely from the tree of his cross, the tree of life; shed so that “sins may be forgiven.” A symbol of God’s love by making this sweet nutrient a gift to be discovered.

Holy Water – A sacramental used in blessings and bringing new life in Baptism. Holy water carries a blessing just by its use and when introduced with the sign of the cross how could this not be a must an key ingredient of fasting bread for lent?

Walnuts and Pecans and Cherries – These pleasant gifts found in abundance from prolific trees are reminders of Christ’s command to go forth and “produce good fruit;” They are reminders of our own call to perform works of charity, prayer, fasting and almsgiving; the fruit of good works to be undertaken during Lent. Jn 15:16

Raisins – Made from pure grapes, raisins are the fruit of the vine; a reminder of the miracle of water changed into wine at the wedding feast in Cana; of the wine changed into the Blood of Christ at the Last Supper and at the Consecration during Mass. These serve as reminders of that mystery where wine is described as the “fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become our Spiritual Drink.”

Heavenly Father, Let us enter the season of Lent in the spirit of joy, giving ourselves to spiritual strife, cleansing our soul and body, controlling our passions, as we limit our food, living on the virtues of the Holy Spirit;

Let us persevere in our longing for Christ so as to be worthy to behold His most solemn Passion and the most holy Passover, rejoicing the while with spiritual joy. Amen.

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Cookie Masks for Mardi Gras

We are making cookie masks today for Mardi Gras. I used my favorite cut-out cookie dough recipe, cut down to only make a reasonable amount of cookies. Tomorrow is the beginning of Lent, after all! (recipe below)

Last year we used heart shaped cookies to make our masks and this year, I thought I'd try a couple of others; a headless duck and a party hat.

It takes two cookies to make one mask. Just squish them together in the middle. They might take a little longer to bake than what the recipe calls for.

Once they are cooled, frost and decorate. I found it easier to use the back of a spoon instead of a knife to frost them.

While we all agreed that the different shapes were interesting, the children liked the heart shaped masks best.

Cut-Out Cookie Dough

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 C. butter 

3/4 C. sugar 

1 egg 

1/4 Tbl. Vanilla or almond 

1/4 Tbl. butter extract 

1 3/4 C. flour 

1/2 tsp. baking powder 

1/4 tsp. salt


PREPARATION:

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and flavorings and mix well. Stir flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to batter and mix well. CHILL 3-4 hours or overnight before using.

Roll cookies out approximately 1/4 inch thick. Bake cookies at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes. This dough keeps well in a covered container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. 

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Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Day!

The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday), or "Pancake Tuesday."  Traditionally all fats, eggs, and butter had to be given up for Lent and making pancakes or waffles was a good way to use them up.    Here is the recipe for our favorite Buttermilk Pancakes.

Buttermilk Pancakes

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups buttermilk
½ cup milk
3 eggs
⅓ cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it's ready!

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides.  Serve hot with butter and maple syrup!


To tie in the Mardi Gras Colors of Green, Yellow, and Purple (while at the same time trying to avoid sugar/food coloring since my children are fighting a cold),  I also served a big fruit platter using green grapes, kiwi, pineapple, bananas and purple grapes.   It was a hit!

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Mardis Gras Cupcakes

Merry Mardis Gras! 

(Fat Tuesday in French)

I thought I'd share this fun recipe for cupcakes using the official colors of Mardis Gras, 

with their roots in Catholicism.

Purple=Symbol of Justice

Green=Faith

Gold=Power

*Idea inspired by Family Fun Rainbow Cupcakes*

Ingredients:

~White cake mix

~Food Coloring (red, blue, yellow, green)

~Baking Cups

~Frosting or Whipped Cream

Instructions:

1. Prepare your favorite white cake mix, then divide the batter evenly among three small bowls.

2. Add food coloring to the 3 bowls. (purple, green and yellow)  Combine red and blue food coloring to make purple. 

3. Line approximately 15 muffin pan wells with baking cups.  Evenly distribute the green batter among the cups, then the yellow, then the purple.  As you go, gently spread each layer of batter with the back of a spoon to cover the color underneath.

4. Bake the cupcakes according to your recipe directions.  Before serving, you may remove the paper wrapping to better view the color scheme.  This is what they look like inside!

5.  We added both chocolate and whipped cream frosting to please different palates and to see how both frosting colors reflected the colors.

6.  We made these Fleur-de-lis cupcake toppers from a google image, toothpicks and tape.  I reduced the image to 30% for printing.  You may find it here: http://fineartamerica.com/images-medium/3-mardi-gras-fleur-de-lis-karen-conine.jpg  Or you can google images for "Mardis Gras Fleur de lis" to find other beautiful ideas.

~There is much Christian/Catholic symbolism here~

Enjoy your feasting with this beautiful prayer:

~Fat Tuesday Prayer~

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for it is from your goodness that we have this day to celebrate on the threshold of the Season of Lent.

Tomorrow we will fast and abstain from meat. Today we feast. We thank you for the abundance of gifts you shower upon us. We thank you especially for one another. As we give you thanks, we are mindful of those who have so much less than we do. As we share these wonderful gifts together, we commit ourselves to greater generosity toward those who need our support.
Prepare us for tomorrow. Tasting the fullness of what we have today, let us experience some hunger tomorrow. May our fasting make us more alert and may it heighten our consciousness so that we might be ready to hear your Word and respond to your call.

As our feasting fills us with gratitude so may our fasting and abstinence hollow out in us a place for deeper desires and an attentiveness to hear the cry of the poor. May our self-denial turn our hearts to you and give us a new freedom for generous service to others. We ask you these graces with our hearts full of delight and stirring with readiness for the journey ahead. We ask them with confidence in the name of Jesus the Lord.

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Recipes for Lent ~ From the Archives

**This post has been updated and reposted here**

We adore Thee O Christ, and we praise Thee,
Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Shrove Tuesday:

• Quick and Easy Mardi Gras King Cake (You can see the miniature version here.)
• King Cake for Epiphany
• King Cake for Mardi Gras
• Shrove Tuesday Pancakes
• Shrove Tuesday? Fat Tuesday? Mardi Gras?... Pancake Tuesday! 
• Irish Potato Pancakes
• A Shrove Tuesday Treat: Filhoses!

 

Ash Wednesday:

• Ash Wednesday Beans

Prayer for Ash Wednesday

Lord, protect us in our struggle against evil. As we begin the discipline of Lent, make this season holy by our self-denial. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Breads for Days of Abstinence:

• "I am the Bread of Life..." (Artisan Bread)
• Pretzels

Meatless Meals for Days of Abstinence:
(Information on Fast & Abstinence)

• Chicken Broth on Fridays:  Yes or No?
• A Few Thoughts for Lent
• Lenten Taco's or Tostadas
• Fish Tacos for Friday
• Cheese Enchiladas
• Fish Fajitas
• Meatless Meals for Lent Using Beans
• El Paso Pilaf ~ A Meatless Meal for Days of Abstinence

• Meatless Lasagna and Shrimp Creole
• Meatless Meal from Grace Before Meals
• Mahi Mahi- Meatless recipe for Lent week 1
• Shrimp Pasta

• Ember Days and Autumnal Fasting (Includes Recipe for Mom's Vegetable Bean Soup and Spinach Pie)
• St. Anthony of the Desert Soup
• Interesting Ember Day Food (Tempura and Tart in Ymbre Day)
• Split Pea Soup
• Brown Rice Vegetable Casserole

• Meatless Meals :: Crustless Spinach and Mushroom Quiche
• Meatless Meals :: Salmon and Rice Casserole
• Meatless Meals :: A Simple fish recipe for Fridays
• Meatless Meals :: Grilled Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa
• Meatless Meals :: Salmon Chowder
• Meatless Meals :: Rigatoni with Tuna and Sun-dried Tomatoes
• Meatless Meals :: Turkish Spinach and Lentil Soup

Laetare Sunday (4th Sunday of Lent):

• Simnel Cake for Laetare Sunday 

Passion Sunday (5th Sunday of Lent):

• Passion Fruit Cheesecake for Passion Sunday

Palm Sunday:

• Carling and Fig Sunday
• Fig Bibles and Palm Sundaes

Holy Week:

• Planning the Menu for Holy Week

Holy Thursday:

• Holy Thursday in the Home
• Teatime Suggestions for Lent and Easter
• A Lenten Tea on Holy Thursday (pictures here and here)
• Judases

Good Friday:

• Hot Cross Buns for Good Friday
• Hot Cross Buns - A History
• Hot Cross Buns (A Bread-maker Recipe)
• Pretzels
• Teatime Suggestions for Lent and Easter
• A Lenten Tea on Good Friday (pictures here and here)

Holy Saturday:

• Easter Story Cookies ~ Resurrection Cookies (pictures here and here)
• Resurrection Rolls

May you all have a Blessed and Holy Lent!

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Buffalo Baked Ziti

Today (March 3rd) is the feast of St. Katharine Drexel.  The following recipe for Buffalo Baked Ziti was submitted by Veronica Gantley, from My Catholic Kitchen.  She says, "St . Katharine Drexel founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People, so I thought it would be fitting to use buffalo for her feast day."  Thank you Veronica!

Buffalo (Bison) Baked Ziti

1 pound dry ziti or penne pasta
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound ground buffalo meat (Bison)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 package of Italian cheese blend

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti or penne pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.

In a large skillet, brown onion and ground bison over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Combine the sauce and the pasta in the baking dish and top with the package of Italian cheese blend.

Saint Katharine Drexel, pray for us! 

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