The Lamb, Symbol of Saint Agnes

January 21st is the feast of St. Agnes, virgin and martyr, numbered among the most famous martyrs of Rome. Because of the similarity of her name to the Latin for "lamb" (agnus), the lamb has been St. Agnes' symbol since the 6th century. In Rome on this feast day two lambs are blessed, and the wool from these lambs is used in making the pallium, the symbols archbishops wear as sign of their authority.

On the feast of St. Agnes the use of any lamb symbol in cooking could be incorporated as a reminder of this connection. One option is to make a lamb cake, similar to those made for Easter. Another idea would be to make these cute lamb cupcakes featured here last March or this adorable Lamb of God bread Jessica posted at Christmas.

Lamb of God Bread

Lamb Cupcakes

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Orange Rolls for Our Lady of Altagracia

The Virgen de la Altagracia (Virgin of the Highest Grace) is the patron of the Dominican Republic. The story of Our Lady of Altagracia goes back to the Spanish colonization. Alonso and Antonio de Trejo, brought to the island a statue of the Virgin from their community of Placencia in Spain. The legend says that the image of the Virgin mysteriously disappeared from the house of the brothers Trejo. The statue later reappeared in an orange bush and this is the location where the first church of Higuey was built. Her feast day is celebrated on January 21. The connection to the orange tree is further developed into a lovely picture book by, Julia Lavarez, The Gift of Gracias.

Wake up to a delightful taste of orange with this breakfast sweet roll to celebrate Our Lady of Altagracia.

ORANGE SWEET ROLLS

Sweet Roll Dough
1 pkg. dry yeast
½ c. warm water
1/2 c. lukewarm milk (scalded then cooled)
1/3 c. butter, margarine or shortening
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3 ½ to 4 c. flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in milk sugar, butter, salt, egg, and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl, turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 1 ½ hours.

Orange Filling/Glaze3 tbsp. butter, softened
1 tbsp. grated orange peel
1 ½ c. sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tbsp. orange juice

Beat butter, orange peel, orange juice and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Roll dough into rectangle, 12x7 inches. Spread half of the orange mixture. Roll up dough tightly along 12 inch side. Pinch edge of dough to seal well. Cut into twelve slices. Place in greased pan. Let rise until double (about 40 minutes). Bake in 375 degree oven 20 minutes. Frost remaining orange mixture while warm. Pin It

St. Anthony the Abbot

This coming Saturday, January 17th, is the feast of St. Anthony the Abbot, also known as St. Anthony of Egypt, St. Anthony the Great, and the "Father of Monks."

In Catholic Traditions In The Home And Classroom, author Ann Ball mentions that "legend reports that he had to endure severe temptations and that the devil often appeared to him in the form of a pig. Thus, pork is the traditional fare of the dinner on St. Anthony's feast day."

Cooking With the Saints offers a recipe for Olla De San Anton (St. Anthony's Stew) which they say is very popular over in Spain, and attempts "to use as much as possible of the fresh pork." Even though the author has updated the recipe by "eliminating some of the more exotic pork cuts, such as ear or tail" it still contains pork belly and blood sausage, therefore you won't catch me making it. Personally I would be much more inclined to make Rachel Ray's Roasted Pork Tenderloin or Pork Skewers with Pineapple-Scallion Rice.

Another option would be to prepare some Monastic Soup or any other recipe From a Monastery Kitchen since St. Anthony was known as the "Father of Monks." Here is a simple recipe in honor of St. Anthony from the aforementioned book.

St. Antony of the Desert Soup

Source: From a Monastery Kitchenand Catholic Culture

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons oil of choice
1 cup barley
1 carrot, finely grated
2 leeks, sliced
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
salt to taste
7 cups water
1 bouillon cube, if desired
chopped mushrooms, if desired

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot and add the barley, stirring continuously for one minute. Immediately add the carrot, leeks, bay leaf, parsley, salt, and water.

2. Cook the soup over low to medium heat, covered, for 40 to 45 minutes, until the barley is tender. Add more water if needed. For extra taste, add the bouillon and the mushrooms during the last 20 minutes of simmering. Remove the bay leaf. Serve hot.

Serves: 4
Prep Time:1 hour, 30 minutes

Saint Anthony, you spoke of the importance of persevering in our faith and our practice. Help us to wake up each day with new zeal for the Christian life and a desire to take the next challenge instead of just sitting still. Amen.

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Nacho Stuffed Shells

This coming Sunday is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Since the christian symbol for Baptism is the shell, we can easily tie this into our dinner plans by making a meal with pasta shells. One of my favorite recipes, using jumbo shells, is Nacho Stuffed Shells.

I also plan to pull out some sea shells and our children's Baptismal candles, like Mary suggested last year, and light them during dinner. What a perfect time this will be to tell the children about the Baptism of Our Lord and their own special Baptismal days as well!

Nacho Stuffed Shells

Picture & Recipe Source: National Pasta Association

32 to 36 Jumbo Shells (12-oz. package), uncooked
3/4 pound extra-lean ground beef
1.25-oz. package low-sodium taco seasoning mix
1 cup water
16-oz. can refried beans with chilies
1 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup mild, medium or hot picante sauce
8-oz. can low-sodium tomato sauce
2-oz. can sliced ripe olives, drained
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

Optional Garnishes:
Low-fat sour cream
Low-fat grated Cheddar cheese
Chopped jalapeños
Chopped cilantro
Salsa
Guacamole

Prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, saute beef in a large skillet until browned; drain well. Add taco seasoning mix and water; simmer 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in beans and cheese. Cook until smooth and well mixed. When pasta is done, drain well. Fill shells with beef mixture (1-2 tbsp. per shell).

Combine picante sauce and tomato sauce in a saucepan. Cook until heated, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spread 1/2 cup sauce over the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Place filled shells side by side on top of sauce; pour remaining sauce evenly over shells. Sprinkle with olives. Cover with aluminum foil; bake 35 to 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with green onions. Cover and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve immediately.

Garnish as desired. Serves 8.


(This recipe could also be made in honor of St. James the Greater, who is also symbolized with a scallop shell.) Pin It

Christ's Diapers

This coming Sunday the Christmas season will come to a close as we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of The Lord.

In her cookbook A Continual Feast, author Evelyn Birge Vitz shares a recipe for making a special treat called Christ's Diapers (Diples). She tells us that, "Diples are "folds" in Greek. These cookies are sometimes shaped in bowknots or other fancy shapes, but for Christmas they are made in a shape suggestive of the swaddling clothes—or actually the diapers!—of the infant Jesus." Even though our Lord was grown when he was baptized by St. John the Baptist, the sacrament of baptism reminds us of infancy. In addition, this feast closes the Christmas season, making these a perfect treat to serve on this special feast.

Photo Source

Christ's Diapers (Greek Diples)

Source: A Continual Feast

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Grated rind of 1 orange
• Vegetable Oil or shortening for deep frying
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Chopped pistachio nuts (*I plan on substituting Pecans)
• Confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS:

With an electric beater, beat the eggs until light and fluffy.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Gradually stir the flour into the eggs.

Turn the dough onto an unfloured board. Add the olive oil, a little at a time, and the grated orange rind. Knead the dough until it is smooth—about 10 minutes.

Roll the dough out paper thin on a well-floured board. Cut it into squares about 1 1/2 inches across. Fold these into triangles, then join the ends to form diapers. Press the corners together gently but firmly. (If you don't press the corners well, the diapers will come undone!)

Drop the diapers, a few at a time, into hot fat (360º-370º F. on a deep-fat-frying thermometer). Turn once or twice and fry until golden brown. Drain thoroughly on paper towels.

Bring the honey and water slowly to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the cinnamon and lemon juice. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 or 2 minutes.

Dribble the honey syrup over the diapers, and sprinkle them with chopped pistachios, then with confectioners sugar.

When the diapers are fully dry, pack them in a tin and cover tightly. These keep well, if well covered.

Yield: about 4 dozen


I am looking forward to trying out the recipe this coming weekend. Don't they sound delicious?!

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and New Year's,
and that you are able to enjoy these last few days of the Christmas season!

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Galette des Rois

Here is a tasty version of the traditional French Kings’ Cake, complete with a hidden feve inside, to celebrate Epiphany. It is surprisingly easy, made with frozen puff pastry and a rich, creamy filling made with either purchased or no-fuss homemade almond paste. And it looks like it came from a fancy bakery!

I found several versions of this cake recipe online, and they are all very similar. While I don’t claim that my result is exactly “authentic” from a traditional French Cuisine perspective, it makes for a beautiful presentation, and was fun to share at our Epiphany Dinner Celebration! (It would make an excellent brunch pastry, as well!)

The feve, by the way, is a small dried bean or ceramic figure – we used a little ceramic animal found in a tea box – that is hidden in the cake before it is baked. The cake is traditionally topped with a paper crown: Whoever finds the feve puts on the crown and is King for the Day!

Ingredients:
1 recipe almond paste (simple recipe follows), or ½ c purchased almond paste
¼ c granulated sugar
3 T unsalted butter
1 egg
¼ t vanilla extract
¼ t almond extract
2 T all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1 (17.3 oz) pkg frozen puff pastry (thawed out of the package for about 40 minutes at room temperature)
1 dried bean or tiny toy (don’t forget to tell people it’s there – and watch small children!)
Egg wash (1 egg plus 1 T water, beaten together)
1-2 T white sugar
1-2 T sliced almonds, unsalted
Golden Paper Crown (traditional)

Almond Paste:
½ c unsalted slivered almonds
¼ c 10x sugar
¼ c granulated sugar
¼ t almond extract
2-3 T water

In a food processor, process almonds until a fine powder. Add sugars and extract, and blend thoroughly. Add enough water to make a paste consistency. Refrigerate until ready to use in above recipe.

Directions for Pastry:
Place prepared almond paste into a food processor. Add about half of the sugar, and process until well-blended. Add butter and remaining sugar, and process until smooth; blend in 1 egg, vanilla, almond extract, flour and salt. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.

Dust the parchment lightly with flour, and unfold one sheet of pastry onto it. Roll lightly in all directions, from the center out, until you have an 11” square. Using any circular dish or pan that measures about 11” across, trace a circle onto the dough with the tip of a sharp knife. Remove excess dough, and place pan in refrigerator.

Prepare second sheet on a cutting board in the same way, dusting with flour, rolling out and tracing a circle. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Take first sheet out of the refrigerator.

Place the almond filling over the pastry circle, spreading to about 1-1/2” from the edge. Place the bean or feve into the filling. Remove top sheet from the refrigerator and place atop the filling, lightly pressing edges to seal.

Brush the top crust with the egg wash (using about ½ of the prepared wash); then score in a diamond pattern all across the top. Make several small slits to allow steam to escape (if you scored a little too deeply in a few spots, this will suffice!)

Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. (Caution! Any peeking during this time will result in under-puffed pastry!) Remove from the oven, and brush lightly one more time with remaining egg wash. Sprinkle with almonds and sugar. (The almonds and granulated sugar are not a traditional topping for this cake, though it’s gorgeous and flavorful! As an alternative, you can skip the second egg wash and sprinkle the top with 1 T of 10x sugar instead at this point, which will glaze the top and really show off your cut pattern!)

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the top is a deep, golden brown.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool (I used a cookie sheet to facilitate this).

Finally, set a crown atop (or, as we did, beside) the cake. We made a game of choosing slices: I cut the pastry into six equal slices (for the six of us at home, of course), and then, starting with the youngest, let each person choose a slice. (Use your best poker face while you slice, lest you inadvertently discover – and give away! – the location of the feve!) When everyone had a slice, we all lightly poked our slices with a fork to see who would be King for the rest of the night! (Then I quickly cut the children’s slices in half before they started eating, and saved the rest – this is pretty rich!)

Makes 12 servings.

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Gift of the Magi Bread

This rich banana bread is filled with treasures -- mandarin oranges, maraschino cherries, coconut, almonds, chocolate chips, dates or raisins -- that remind us of the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh that the three Magi presented to the Christ Child over 2000 years ago.

Gift of the Magi Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
1 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup sliced almonds, divided
1/2 cup chopped dates or raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans, or 6 or 7 mini loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter or margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the mashed bananas to the creamed mixture. Stir in the mandarin oranges, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, only 1/2 cup almonds, cherries and dates or raisins.

Pour into the two greased loaf pans or mini-loaf pans. Sprinkle the top with remaining almonds. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing bread from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.

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