Showing posts sorted by relevance for query fatima. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query fatima. Sort by date Show all posts

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Lemony Sunshine Cupcakes (easy peasy!)


photo source


Today is the feast of Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marta, visionaries at Fatima.

A few years ago I created these Lemony Sunshine Cupcakes for the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima and they were so easy and yummy, I am creating them again today.

As you know, it was at Fatima, during Our Lady's apparitions, that the miracle of the sun occurred, and thus images of the sun are often used as symbols of Fatima.

I saw the recipe for these Sunshine Cupcakes made on the Food Network as the winner of a recipe contest. We all love lemon desserts at our house, so I knew these cupcakes would be well-liked. I hung on to the recipe and the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima seamed like the perfect opportunity.

The cupcakes did not disappoint. They are very lemony, and though I'm a huge cake snob, they tasted pretty darned good for a doctored box mix. I love the lemon curd in the very center, and the shortbread cookie crust. They are really sort of a mini cake tart, if ever there was such a thing. The cake is moist and tangy, but perfectly complimented by the gooey lemon curd and the sweet, crunchy crust. I altered the recipe only in that I used all the crumb mixture for the crust because I wanted the tops to be bright yellow and sunny, with the spot of curd unobstructed.


Lemony Sunshine Cupcakes
makes 18 cupcakes

Printer version


1 1/3 cups shortbread cookie crumbs, (I used one bag Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies or you could use Lorna Doone)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 T. unsalted butter, melted

For the batter:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or canola or sunflower or safflower)
1/4 cup water
1 small box (3.4 ounce) instant lemon pudding
1 (18.25 ounce) box lemon cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Super Moist)
1/3 cup lemon curd (store bought or homemade)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 standard muffin tins with 16 cupcake liners; set aside.
Place shortbread cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a medium bowl; stir until well combined; set aside. Place a slightly heaping tablespoon of shortbread cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use your fingers or the bottom of a small glass to firmly pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Reserve remaining shortbread cookie crumb mixture for topping. (I used all of it in the bottoms.)
In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time and mix just until combined. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Add vegetable oil, water, and the box of lemon pudding. Mix until combined. Add cake mix and beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Batter will be thick.
Use a 1/4 cup spring loaded ice cream scoop and place a level scoop full of batter into each muffin cup.
Scoop the lemon curd into a small sandwich-size resealable bag. Squeeze the curd to 1 corner of the bag and use scissors to snip a 1/4-inch piece from corner of bag.
With a damp finger or the end of a wooden spoon dipped in water, make a shallow indentation into the center of each cupcake. Pipe 3/4 to 1 teaspoon lemon curd into each indentation. Sprinkle tops of cupcakes evenly with remaining shortbread cookie crumbs (if desired).
Bake for 21 to 23 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking, until edges of cupcakes are lightly golden brown.
Serve cupcakes warm from the oven or at room temperature.

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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Miracle of the Sun Liturgical Tea


*Celebrate Our Lady of Fatima and the Miracle of the Sun*
~October 13th~
I thought I'd share a post from our family archives about celebrating the final apparition at Fatima The Miracle of the Sun.
Our family never seems to tire of hearing about the Message of Fatima...and the amazing spinning sun!

 Miracle of the Sun Tea and Lunch
On October 13, 1917, in Fatima, Portugal, Our Lady appeared for her promised miracle.  The sun seemed to revolve about three times within ten minutes, and cast off great shafts of colored light which fell upon the sky and earth, hence the rainbow colors often associated with this miracle of the spinning sun.
Our Menu:
(Based on the rainbow colors of the spinning sun)
Rainbow Pasta Alfredo
Rainbow Fruit Salad
Rainbow punch Tea
Miracle of the Sun Krispy Treats
These Miracle of the Sun Krispy Treats were definitely the hit!  We just followed the instructions for Rice Krispy Treats on the cereal box but used rainbow-colored Fruity Krisp Rice Cereal instead.  After spreading them on to a large cookie sheet, we used a sun-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the shapes.  
We used a squeezable white icing for the spinning, swirling, effect and yellow sparkles were the final effect for the shining sun.  This one (below) didn't have sparkles.  All agreed that sparkles were better!
~Our cookie cutter was large so we decided to share these 3 treats~
Last May, we made the fun Miracle of the Sun Fruit Platter...
But didn't have the chance to do it this time.
How can you resist Rainbow Sherbet Punch tea!
We just mixed Rainbow Sherbet and Sprite!
*Have a blessed celebration*
Our Lady of Fatima, Queen of Peace, may we always profit by your prayers, for you bring us life and salvation through Jesus Christ your Son.  Hear our prayer and give us peace in our time that we may rejoice in God's mercy and praise Him without end.  Amen

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Thursday, October 12, 2017

Miracle of the Sun at Fatima - 100th Anniversary



This year we have been commemorating the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima.  Now we come to the anniversary of the date of the final apparation - October 13, 1917 - which ended with the miracle of the sun. Over the years, several Catholic Cuisine contributors have posted ideas for celebrating this day and the miracle associated with it.

So to make your celebration planning easier, here is a compilation of the past posts.

Miracle of the Sun Liturgical Tea
This post is complete with a creative menu and the recipe for these Miracle of the Sun Krispy Treats.


Our Lady of Fatima Miracle Morning Breakfast
A great idea to start out your 100th anniversary day of celebration with a healthy breakfast is detailed here.

Miracle of the Sun Cake
This colorful sun cake will brighten any celebration and remind us of the swirling sun.


Dancing of the Sun Cupcakes
These simple to decorate sun cupcakes will be a hit with the kids.


Miracle of the Sun Fruit Platter
A delicious and nutritious choice for the 100th anniversay isthe creative fruit platter.


Spinning Sun Cake
If you are feeling a little adventurous this cake complete with a real spinning fiery cake might be what you are looking for.


Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us!




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Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Fatima Miracle of the Sun Fruit Platter

The following post was submitted by Tiffany, from Family at the Foot of the Cross, for publication here at Catholic Cuisine.  Thank you Tiffany!


We are busy preparing for a fun celebration tomorrow! We will be doing a "dual" celebration of the Ascension of the Lord and the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima.  In preparation for our lunch, we made this Fatima Miracle of the Sun Fruit Platter tonight.  Though the miracle of the spinning sun, with rainbow colors, didn't occur until October 13th... it is still a beautiful part of the story!  Our family just loves it.


Fatima Miracle of the Sun Fruit Platter

(We had fun making sure all the colors of the rainbow were present with fruit...And in the right order!)

God Bless all of your domestic churches during this final stretch of Easter.
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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Dancing Sun Cupcakes

for the feast of Our Lady of Fatima!


In Meredith's new book, Mondays With Mary (which is wonderful by the way!!), she shares a "Dancing Sun Craft" for the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. This reminded me of the Sun Cupcakes we recently made for one of our Garden of the Good Shepherd activities. I thought they would be perfect to celebrate this feast as well. So while my children watch The Day the Sun Danced: The True Story Of Fatimathis afternoon, and color this picture, I think I might just whip up another batch!

What You Need:
  • Cupcakes (baked and cooled)
  • White or Lemon frosting
  • Yellow Paste or Liquid Food Coloring
  • Yellow Sugar Sprinkles (optional)
  • Candy Corn
  • 2 Chocolate Chips per cupcake
  • Red Licorice or Red Writing Icing (I didn't have either, so I used a few more chocolate chips.)
Directions:
  • Tint icing yellow and frost cupcake
  • Sprinkle with yellow sugar
  • Arrange candy corn, pointy end out, around edge of cupcake for sun’s rays
  • Place 2 chocolate chips for eyes and add a licorice smile

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Fatima!

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Friday, February 19, 2016

Hearty Peasant Fare for Saints Jacinta and Francisco


February 20 marks the  anniversary of the date of the death of Jacinta Marto, one of the Fatima seers. Jacinta and her brother Francisco were the youngest non-martyrs to be beatified in the history of the Church. The brother and sister, who tended to their family's sheep with their cousin Lucia Santo in the fields of Fatima, Portugal, witnessed the apparitions of Mary, now commonly known as Our Lady of Fatima.  We are approaching the 100th anniversary of the apparitions which will be commemorated next year, 2017. Thinking of Fatima and its upcoming centenary, I wanted share some ideas for this feast of the Sts. Jacinta and Francisco.
My husband’s family is Portuguese so I like to try to learn some of the common dishes associated with the country and culture. Portugal is known for its rustic peasant style cooking – food from the land. It is simple and doesn’t take much equipment to prepare, but it is always flavorful and comforting. As Sts. Jacinta and Francisco were shepherds the peasant foods like this would likely be common for their family.
Caldo verde, or green soup, considered by some as “Portugal's national dish” is a homey dish of potatoes, thinly sliced kale, and smoky pork sausage. Linguica is the preferred Portuguese sausage if you can find it. I was able to get it at a specialty meat market.  Readers often mention looking for healthy recipes for feast days. With kale being such a current super food, high in organosulphur compounds, vitamin A, vitamin C, B6, manganese, calcium, copper, and potassium.  I hope you find this addition one for the healthy (and hearty) category.

Caldo Verde - Portuguese Green Soup

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
3 or 4 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 quarts water
6-8 ounces linguiça (or other sausage)
¾ - 1 pound kale, washed, trimmed of the thick stems and thinly sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
 
Directions:
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Prick the sausages with a fork and add to the boiling water. Boil for about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the sausages to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, slice them.

In a medium soup pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil, add onions and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until tender and translucent, but not browned. Add potatoes, water and salt. Cover and boil gently over medium heat for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a skillet cook sausage slices until most of the fat is rendered out. Drain and reserve.

Scoop out about 2 cups of the potatoes and mash well. Return potatoes to pan, add the sliced sausages and simmer about 5 minutes more. Add the greens, stir well and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook; the greens should be bright green and slightly crunchy. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls and drizzle each serving evenly with extra-virgin olive oil. Serves 6

Broa - Portuguese Cornbread

Ingredients:
2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2  t. sugar
1⁄4 c. warm water
1 1⁄2 c. cornmeal, finely ground
2  t. salt
1  c. boiling water
1⁄4 c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2  c. all-purpose flour, plus
1  T. coarse salt
Directions:
Combine the yeast, sugar, and the warm water in a large bowl until the yeast is dissolved and foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal and salt with the boiling water. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon to blend. Allow to stand for a few minutes for the cornmeal to soften and cool to room temperature. Add the melted butter and mix to incorporate. Now, pour the yeast mixture into the cornmeal mixture, stirring to combine. Gradually add the flour, mixing well after each addition. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if the dough feels dry and doesn't come together easily. Continue to mix until a dough forms into a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Grease a large bowl with oil and place dough to the bowl, brush the top with more oil.  Cover with kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, between 1-2 hours.
Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and knead briefly, 3 or 4 times, to punch out the air. Gather the dough into a ball and shape it into a round loaf. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and place a pizza stone in the oven to heat up. Put the dough round on the pizza stone and brush the top with oil. Sprinkle the top of the bread with coarse salt. Bake in middle of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes until the bread is golden brown and bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

Saints Francisco and Jacinta, Pray for us!

 
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Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Victory Vessels for the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. It is named so because of the Battle of Lepanto which was a great Catholic victory over the Turks on this day back in 1571. Victory is said to have been achieved due to the faithful praying the Rosary. Many families celebrate this feast with a family rosary.

Maryan Vander Woude shares an absolutely fabulous recipe, in the Autumn edition of Faith and Family, for celebrating this feast. She quite creatively turns twice baked potatoes into darling sailing vessels reminding us of the Battle of Lepanto, the origin of this feast. More facts about the history of this feast are below...

Our Lady’s Victory Vessels

8 large baked potatoes
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup bacon bits (optional)
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
2/3 cup milk
salt and pepper
white paper
3 skewers 10 toothpicks (cut in half)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake potatoes for 1 hour. When potatoes are done, allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully cut off the top skin of the potato. Gently scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl. Set the potato shells on a tray. Mix all the ingredients except cheese and bacon. Fill the potato shells and top with cheese and bacon. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until cheese melts.

Cut nine rectangular pieces of paper to put on the skewers in honor of Our Lady. Decorate the “sails” with blue crosses, rosaries, or other Marian symbols. Insert toothpicks in the “hull” of the potato as the oars — 10 on each side.

* Note: If you are pressed for time, just decorate a plain baked potato!


An Excerpt from "Our Lady and Islam" (Source: EWTN)

The Battle of Lepanto

On October 7, 1571, a great victory over the mighty Turkish fleet was won by Catholic naval forces primarily from Spain, Venice, and Genoa under the command of Don Juan of Austria. It was the last battle at sea between "oared" ships, which featured the most powerful navy in the world, a Moslem force with between 12,000 to 15,000 Christian slaves as rowers. The patchwork team of Catholic ships was powered by the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Knowing that the Christian forces were at a distinct material disadvantage, the holy pontiff, St. Pope Pius V called for all of Europe to pray the Rosary for victory. We know today that the victory was decisive, prevented the Islamic invasion of Europe, and evidenced the Hand of God working through Our Lady. At the hour of victory, St. Pope Pius V, who was hundreds of miles away at the Vatican, is said to have gotten up from a meeting, went over to a window, and exclaimed with supernatural radiance: "The Christian fleet is victorious!" and shed tears of thanksgiving to God.

What you may not know is that one of three admirals commanding the Catholic forces at Lepanto was Andrea Doria. He carried a small copy of Mexico's Our Lady of Guadalupe into battle. This image is now enshrined in the Church of San Stefano in Aveto, Italy. Not many know that at the Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Spain, one can view a huge warship lantern that was captured from the Moslems in the Battle of Lepanto. In Rome, look up to the ceiling of S. Maria in Aracoeli and behold decorations in gold taken from the Turkish galleys. In the Doges' Palace in Venice, Italy, one can witness a giant Islamic flag that is now a trophy from a vanquished Turkish ship from the Victory. At Saint Mary Major Basilica in Rome, close to the tomb of the great St. Pope Pius V, one was once able to view yet another Islamic flag from the Battle, until 1965, when it was returned to Istanbul in an intended friendly token of concord.

The Rosary

At Lepanto, the Victory over the Moslems was won by the faithful praying the Rosary. Even though they had superior numbers, the Turks really were overmatched. Blessed Padre Pio, the Spiritual Father of the Blue Army, said: "The Rosary is the weapon," and how right he was!

The Battle of Lepanto was at first celebrated liturgically as "Our Lady of Victory." Later, the feast of October 7th was renamed "Our Lady of the Rosary" and extended throughout the Universal Church by Pope Clement XI in 1716 (who canonized Pope Pius V in 1712).

And with that we are back to Fatima, Portugal where Our Lady, when asked her name, said: "I am the Lady of the Rosary." At Fatima, Our Lady taught us to pray the Rosary every day. Heaven presented its peace plan at Fatima and truly gave us hope for the world. Conversions were promised at Fatima: the conversion of sinners; the conversion of Russia; and what also appears to be the conversion of Islam.

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!

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Sunday, May 11, 2008

Portuguese Dish for Our Lady of Fatima

May 13 is the Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima, the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady to Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco at Fatima, Portugal in 1917. Portuguese food would be a nice addition to a meal. My husband's family is Portuguese and Carne Vinho de Alhos (meaning meat in wine and garlic) is a favorite of theirs. It is meat, commonly pork, marinated in a spicy garlic vinegar marinade and is quite delicious. This is his grandmother's recipe.

Carne Vinho de Alhos
Ingredients:
We use country style pork spare ribs but lean pork chops can be used. 1 part red wine vinegar to 2 parts water is the liquid base. For 2 1/2 pounds of meat we have used 1 cup vinegar & 2 cups water.

lots of garlic crushed
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste

Add spices to vinegar/water mixture. Mix liquid and add meat. The meat in the marinade should ideally set in the refrigerator for 2 days before cooking to soak up seasonings according to my in-laws. This is optimal but could be marinated shorter time. Bake at 375 degrees until cooked through - time will vary by quantity. Pour off drippings and grease at least once during cooking. The finished meat should be without liquid, but not dry. For larger quantities of meat increase water, vinegar, and spices.
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Monday, May 12, 2014

Our Lady of Fatima Miracle Morning Breakfast

 
~May 13th is the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima~
The Blessed Virgin Mary first appeared to three shepherd children on this day in Fatima, Portugal in 1917.  She continued to appear to them on the 13th of each month, until the famous Miracle of the Sun on October 13th.  The call to conversion, repentance and dedication to praying the Rosary still echoes today...
 
A Miracle (of the Sun) Morning Breakfast
and Rosary prayer would be a beautiful way to celebrate this feast!
This would also be a great way to celebrate the Miracle of the Sun on October 13th. 

The Miracle of the Sun was a solar phenomenon where the sun was seen to be spinning with many brilliant colors.

Ingredients:
Eggs according to number of people serving
Colorful fruit of choice

Instructions:
Scramble eggs and set aside.
Arrange dishes according to what you have...This is what we used: (These small glass bowls can be found in a set of 3 at the Dollar Tree)
Place scrambled eggs in bowls at the center of the plate to represent the sun.
Arrange fruit around the bowls to represent the colors that were seen during this miracle.

 Enjoy your Miracle Morning Breakfast!
(And it's healthy too:)
+Happy Feast Day+
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of thy mercy.

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Monday, May 2, 2011

Recipes for May ~ Month Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary


"The May devotion in its present form originated at Rome where Father Latomia of the Roman College of the Society of Jesus, to counteract infidelity and immorality among the students, made a vow at the end of the eighteenth century to devote the month of May to Mary. From Rome the practice spread to the other Jesuit colleges and thence to nearly every Catholic church of the Latin rite.  This practice is the oldest instance of a devotion extending over an entire month. Indulgences, three hundred days each day, by assisting at a public function or performing the devotion in private, plenary indulgence on any day of the month or on one of the first eight days of June under the usual conditions (Pius VII, 21 March, 1815, for ten years; 18 June, 1822 in perpetuum)." ~ New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia


Before I post the links to the recipes in honor of the various feast days celebrated this month, here are some ideas from the archives in Honor of Our Lady:

Charlotte has created the most wonderful May Crowning Feast inspired by some of Our Lady's Titles in the Litany of Loreto:

Tiffany shares a lovely May Crowning Lunch:

Mary shares a wonderful series of posts highlighting some of the culinary herbs and flowers associated with Our Lady:

Robina created a lovely Rice Krispie Flower Crown in honor of Our Lady:

Here are even more ideas in honor of Our Lady:


May 1, St. Joseph the Workman, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pt. of Carpenters (New, Trad.):

May 3rd, St. James the Just (New):



May 4th, St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, Pt. of mothers (Trad.):

May 10, Blessed Damien Joseph de Veuster of Moloka'i (New):

May 11, Sts. Philip & James the Less (Trad.):

May 12, Bl. Imelda Lambertini, Pt. of First Communicants (Hist.):


May 13, Our Lady of Fatima (New):


May 18, Pope John Paul II's Birthday:
 


May 22, St. Rita of Cascia, Pt. of "impossible" cases (New; Trad./some places):

May 31, Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Elizabeth (New) and Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Trad.) :

"The mood of springtime informs the church's interior; nature's blossoming, the warm air of May evenings, human gladness in a world that is renewing itself -- all these things enter in.  Veneration of Mary has its place in this very particular atmosphere, for she, the Virgin, shows us faith under its  youthful aspect, as God's new beginning in a world that has grown old. In her we see the Christian life set forth as a youth-fulness of the heart, as beauty and a waiting readiness for what is to come."
-- Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Seek That Which is Above (Ignatius, 1986), pp. 95-96.



My Queen! My Mother! Remember I am thine own. Keep me, guard me, as thy property and possession.
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