A Baptism Cake

This beautiful baptism cake was submitted by Rose Ripplinger, who created it to celebrate her daughter's baptism.  Thank you Rose! 

"We used blue piping gel to make a river, and surrounded it with candy rocks. The dove was made with white chocolate and a bird candy mold." 

If you have a Baptism Cake you'd like share, or are looking for inspiration for an upcoming Baptism Reception, be sure to visit the Baptism Cake Link-up here at Catholic Cuisine!

Molokai-Mainland Sweet Potato Palau

The following post was submitted by Islander at HI Cookery, in honor of today's feast of St. Damien of Molokai, Hawaii's patron saint!

May 10: Feast Day of St. Damien of Molokai

We took a an inter-island trip with Islander’s parents and brother a few years ago when her Daddy turned 70. The family flew on a small plane from Oahu to Molokai to see where Hawaii’s recently canonized St. Damien served those who were afflicted with Hansen’s disease (leprosy).

Damien de Veuster came to Hawaii from Belgium in 1864 and was ordained a priest in Honolulu. A few years later, on May 10, 1873, Father Damien volunteered to minister to the people with leprosy who were exiled to Kalaupapa and Kalawao on the island of Molokai. He himself contracted the disease and, on April 15, 1889, died among those he lovingly served in the name of Christ.

During our family’s private pilgrimage to Kalaupapa and Kalawao, we were able to personally place floral lei at St. Damien’s gravesite on the grounds of St. Philomena Church that he built. We also toured the other solemn and historical areas where Blessed Mother Marianne Cope and Brother Joseph Dutton worked to support St. Damien’s mission to help the patients physically and spiritually.

In honor of St. Damien of Molokai, Hawaii’s patron saint, we made Molokai sweet potato palau. As we do not have Hawaiian ingredients readily available on the mainland, such as purple Molokai sweet potato and Maui onions, we needed to make some substitutions for this side dish.

Serve sweet potato palau—Molokai or mainland style—on the Feast Day of St. Damien. Aloha!

Recipe

(Adapted from Chef Peter Merriman on Hawaii Magazine)

Ingredients

• 3 large purple Molokai sweet potatoes (we used regular sweet pototoes)
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup Maui onion, diced (we used Texas sweet onion)
• ¾ cup butter, divided use, softened
• 1 teaspoon Hawaiian sea salt

Directions

Wash and peel the sweet potatoes. Dice into 2-inch cubes. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Simmer until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain the sweet potatoes.

Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl with ½ cup (1 stick) of butter. The heat from the sweet potatoes should melt the butter. Stir in the the coconut milk and 3 tablespoons of butter. Mash until smooth. Set aside. In a skillet, saute the onions with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the cooked onions to the mashed sweet potatoes. Season with salt. Stir well or whip with a hand mixer until creamy. Serve hot as a side dish.

Notes

• Palau is a traditional Hawaiian-style pudding made of sweet potatoes and coconut cream, which inspired the chef to adapt the cooking method for a savory side dish. It has a pudding-like texture similar to whipped sweet potatoes. 
• St. Damien was buried on Molokai but his body was exhumed in 1936 and brought back to Belgium, his home country and final resting place. Remains of his right hand were returned to Hawaii and re-interred in his original grave on the grounds of St. Philomena Church in Molokai. His relic (foot bone fragment) travels around the world for veneration. 
• St. Damien was canonized on October 11, 2009. In addition to observing his feast day on May 10, Hawaii also celebrates St. Damien’s Day on April 15. 
• The background fabric in the final food photo above is from Highlander’s aloha shirt showing motifs of St. Damien.

Divine Mercy Cake

This beautiful cake was submitted by Cynthia Engle, in honor of today's feast of Divine Mercy. Thank you Cynthia!

Anyone can make this cake. All you need is a cross cake mold, cupcake pans, letter shaped cookie cutters and a little imagination.   The cross cake was baked in a Wilton Cross Cake mold, easily accessible at any craft store selling Wilton products. It is also available at various internet sites.

We covered the cake in white fondant, but you can frost it with your favorite icing if preferred. The lily is made from pressed gum drops. If you are not adept at sugar flowers, you can either forgo this step or buy a commercial decoration that fits the theme. The rays are mini cupcakes, frosted and then sprayed with Wilton color spray or red and blue. You can also just use food coloring in your icing, but the spray gives it a more ethereal image. The cupcakes surrounding the cake are full sized cupcakes with “Jesus I Trust In You” spelled out with letters cut from pressed gum drops with letter cookie cutters. An alternative is to cut and bake cookie letters and place those on the full sized cupcakes. We chose to use three different flavors for the Cross, the mini cupcakes and the full sized cupcakes, but you can use one flavor, using commercial cake mixes or a favorite homemade cake of you own choosing.

Arrange the mini cupcakes in cascading rays along the side of the cross and arrange the larger cupcake with the letters to form the message around the cake or wherever it fits best in your space. This is a little time consuming, but very easy and extremely impressive when served.

Fry-less Fish Recipes for Lent

The following recipes were submitted by the International Olive Council.  For these recipes and more, visit www.addsomelife.org.

Lent is long. For those who keep to a Lenten schedule, at this point in the ritual they’ve had about as many fish fries as they can muster. Childhood memories of the Friday Fish Fry are replaced with visions of something light and fresh.

Luckily, the International Olive Council (IOC) has three scrumptious alternatives that offer flavor, freshness and an epicurean touch. These recipes feature olives and olives oil for a healthier twist on this Friday’s fish. Olive oil offers a naturally healthful way to incorporate fats into the diet—replacing olive oil in recipes for deep fried foods or foods sautéed in butter is an easy way to reduce the level of LDL or “bad” cholesterol while increasing the “good” HDL cholesterol in the diet.

Cod and Kale Skillet

Infused with the Mediterranean flavors of olives, tomatoes and wilted kale.  Pair with a side of lentils for a hearty yet wholesome dinner.

Prep Time: 14 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
4 to 6 servings

1 pound cod fillets, thawed if frozen, cut into serving pieces
3/4 teaspoon dry dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, coarsely chopped
¼ cup water or chicken broth
½ cup quartered ripe olives
1 medium tomato, sliced

Sprinkle fish evenly with dill, salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat; add fillets. Cook 3 minutes per side to brown lightly. Remove fish to platter; set aside.

In same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add kale; cook and stir until kale begins to wilt, about 2 minutes. Place fillets in center of skillet. Arrange tomato slices around edge of skillet; sprinkle with olives. Drizzle fish with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Cover and cook over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes or until kale is tender and fish flakes easily in center.

Pan Seared Fillets with Wilted Greens

The “I-must-have-my-fish-fry” crowd will love this dish. Quick and easy fillets pan-fried in heart-healthy olive oil are accompanied by a salad of late-winter’s best leafy vegetables and two-types of olives.

Prep Time: 18 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
4 servings

3 tablespoons flax meal
3 tablespoons semolina flour or flour
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
12 ounces skinless flounder or Pollock fillets, thawed if frozen
4 tablespoons plain olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 cups coarsely chopped Swiss chard (stems finely chopped)
3 cups coarsely chopped fresh kale (stems finely chopped)
1/2 cup quartered pitted ripe olives
1/3 cup coarsely chopped pitted green olives

Mix flax meal, flour and salt (if desired) in shallow dish or pie plate. Coat fillets evenly with mixture; pressing lightly to coat. Place on baking sheet or platter and refrigerate. Prepare remaining ingredients; set aside.

In separate large skillet; heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add fillets; cover and cook 3 minutes. Turn fillets; cook uncovered 2 to 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily in center.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and rosemary; cook and stir 30 seconds until fragrant. Add chard and kale; toss to mix. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in olives and cook 3 to 4 minutes longer or until greens are wilted but not soft. Serve with fillets. Add pepper to taste.

Fresh Salmon Salad

A healthful combination of quinoa and salmon, perked up with and olives for a salad that can also be eaten as a main course.

Prep Time: 18 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
6 to 8 servings

1 cup original quinoa
2 cups water
1 pound salmon fillet, thawed if frozen
3 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin or plain olive oil
5 to 6 sprigs plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup slivered ripe olives
1/4 cup sliced pitted green olives
3 tablespoons sliced green onion
Spinach or leaf lettuce

Heat oven to 400◦F. Line small baking sheet with foil; lightly grease with olive oil. Meanwhile, bring water to boil in medium saucepan, salt lightly if desired. Stir in quinoa; return to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place salmon skin-side-down on foil. Drizzle 2 teaspoons olive oil evenly over fillet; sprinkle lightly with pepper, if desired and top with dill sprigs. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily in thickest part. Remove from oven; cool slightly.

In large bowl, blend remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, remaining 2 tablespoons dill and lemon peel; whisk until blended. Add quinoa, mushrooms, olives and green onion; mix to coat.
Layer spinach on serving platter or plates; top with quinoa. Break salmon into large chunks and arrange on quinoa.

Meatless Meals :: Three Sisters Stew

This following recipe was submitted by Dust Thou Art.  She says, "I made this for St. Katharine Drexel this past Saturday, but it would also work very well for Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha (July 14th), and it is meatless also." 

March 3rd was the commemoration of St. Katharine Drexel. As I wrote in my monthly planning post:

St. Katharine is kind of a hilarious story. She was an American heiress (think Paris Hilton with a brain) who read books about the plight of the poor, and in particular about the suffering of American Indians. So (being rich, naive, and headstrong) she went to Rome to ask the Pope, in private audience, to do something about it. And the Pope was like "Um... what are YOU doing with your time?" And to her (everlasting) credit, instead of reacting like "What do you mean, I was thinking more along the lines of me holding 'awareness' events and cocktail parties," she was shocked into actually really thinking about what he was saying. It didn't happen overnight, but she began to do more and more, and soon she actually gave up all her wealth and founded an order of religious sisters. Anyway. Since it's also an ember day, I was thinking a hearty meatless stew with native North American ingredients--corn, beans and squash. Often called "three sisters soup", so doubly appropriate for a religious sister. :)

Three Sisters Stew

If you Google around for this soup, nobody makes it the same way. Nobody even makes it close to the same way. One recipe will include pureed pumpkin, hominy, and kidney beans. The next will be chunks of butternut squash, frozen corn, and green beans. The only must for this recipe is some kind of squash, some kind of corn product, and some kind of bean. You MUST have one of each of these three categories, as they are the "three sisters" of the title. They go together because they grow well together. But other than that you can really go for whatever's in season and your own tastes.

Accordingly, this is more like a blueprint for you to follow. I'm giving what I put in this time, but I don't expect you to put the same things in your soup. I don't expect me to put the same things in next time I make it. Many different indigenous groups planted using the Three Sisters technique. I had some southwestern ingredients handy so I followed that style.

AROMATICS:
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. sliced mushrooms
(or other aromatics, such as shallots, celery, etc)

FAT:
1 T olive oil
1/2 T butter
(or however you like to saute)

LIQUID:
4 c. vegetable broth
(or other broth, or water)

MAIN VEG:
1 butternut squash, peeled and cleaned, cut into large dice
1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and broken into bite sized pieces
1 lb baby yellow potatoes, large dice
2 c. frozen corn
(or other soup veg, making sure you include corn and squash!)

PROTEIN BEANS:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. dry lima beans, soaked overnight and drained
(or other protein beans, are you getting the idea yet)

SEASONINGS:
cumin seeds, ground cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, oregano, chili powder... all to taste
(this parenthesis intentionally left blank)

1. Take a large stock pot and heat up the fat in it over medium heat. Add your aromatics once the fat is hot and "sweat" them. You can add some seasoning at this time (like cumin seeds) also. The aromatics will release their lovely scents, as well as water, which will evaporate so that the mixture reduces somewhat in volume, and maybe even caramelizes. We like this.

2. Once this mixture is looking brilliant, we add in everything else, liquid last. If you want it thick, only add liquid up to the point where it barely covers the veg. If you want more liquid... add more! Turn the heat up to high.

3. Once the soup hits boiling, reduce to a simmer. The temperature will depend on whether you cover the pot, how big the pot is, how hot your stove is, sunspots, etc. On my stove it was on medium-low uncovered.

4. Let it simmer for an hour or so, until vegetables are tender to your liking or you get too hungry to wait any more. This is assuming that you are like me and like your soup vegetables very tender. If you like your green beans (or what have you) more crisp, you'll have to divide your vegetables into two groups. One group being the squash, carrots, potatoes, and other things that need to cook for a while. The second group being green beans or other quick cooking veg. Add the first group, and reserve the second until ~10 minutes before serving.

ACCOMPANIMENTS:
ripe avocado slices
shredded cheddar cheese

The avocado and cheese suited the Tex-Mex style of the soup. You might try sprigs of fresh herbs or croutons, or if you want to get advanced, corn fritters or fried squash blossoms.

Hot Crossed Buns

The following recipe was submitted by Alzbeta, from The Volks Wagon.  Thank you Alzbeta!  This particular recipe is adapted from Breaking Bread with Father Dominic.  According to tradition, Hot Cross Buns originated on Good Friday in 1361 at St Alban's Abbey in Hertfordshire, north of London,where the monks gave them to the poor people who came there on that holy day.   Some say that the dried fruit in the bun represents the nails of the Crucifixion.  In the United States, bakers start selling hot cross buns on Ash Wednesday, and throughout the whole Lenten season. 

Hot cross buns!

Hot cross buns!
One ha' penny, two ha' penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons
One ha' penny,
Two ha' penny,
Hot Cross Buns!

My sister started our family in following the tradition of eating hot cross buns on Good Friday a few years ago, and luckily she passed her recipe on so I could make them despite being away from the family. They're a simple bun, but with enough hearty sustenance to get you through the fast.

Needed:

4 to 4 1/2 cups flour, divided
1/2 cup whole wheat (graham) flour (I've never been able to find it, so I just use whole wheat)
1 package Active Dry Yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cups craisins soaked in 2 tspoons water

Combine 2 cups of the bread flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl; stir until thoroughly blended.

Combine milk and butter in saucepan. Warm over low heat, stirring occasionally until butter melts. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Stir in eggs.

Add milk mixture to flour mixture, beat for 200 strokes (here's where my husband ended up helping, my arm got tired! Ignore the strange things I use to beat... we make do :)).

Stir in craisins. Add 2 cups bread flour, mix until flour is incorporated. Turn dough out on a floured surface. Knead lightly, adding enogh of the remaining flour to make a soft dough that doesn't stick.

Knead about 5 min., or until dough is smooth and elastic. Lightly rub surface of dough with oil or butter; place in rinsed bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm draft-free place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until it rises to two times it's original size.

Punch down dough and transfer to a floured surface. Knead lightly to remove air bubbles. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Form pieces into balls. Place balls on a lightly greased baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between balls. Cover with a clean towel and let rise 45-60 minutes or until doubled.

Use a sharp knife or razor blade (I use scissors) to cut a deep cross in top of each ball. (Cut deeper than you initially think, it takes a deep cut to show up in the finished bun!)

While dough is rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake buns 15-20 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheet and place on wire rack. Let cool 15 minutes.

Gluten free Lamb of God Bread

Here is another gluten free alternative to a recipe/idea in the archives!  This one was submitted by Monica, from The Vintage Hare.  Thank you Monica!

Here's a fun gluten free bread idea that can be used for Christmas, Easter or even to adorn a Saint Joseph Altar (Table).

If you don't eat gluten free, you can substitute 3 cups of wheat flour for the rice, sorghum, tapioca, potato starch and quinoa flours. You would also omit the water, xanthan gum and most likely use less salt and maybe only one egg, but with making substitutions, it is good to have some bread-making experience as I've not tried this except as a gluten free bread.

The Recipe:

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup quinoa flour (or millet or amaranth)
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1 tablespoon flax meal (optional)
2 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 eggs, beaten, room temperature, medium or large size
1 teaspoon agave nectar or honey or sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup of milk (you may be able to use a high protein substitute)
1 pkg. baker's yeast

1/4 cup of water + 1/4 cup water (water should be warm) You can substitute warm milk here.

Directions:
Thoroughly mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.
Heat milk and sweetener of choice to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from heat and stir in baker's yeast. Allow to set 10 minutes. Mixture should be foamy. Mix milk/yeast mixture with eggs and oil in another bowl. Add to dry ingredients. Put a bit of olive oil on your hands and mix the mixture with your hands. It should form a nice, heavy ball. Now add 1/4 cup warm water (or warm milk) Mix and knead dough 2 minutes while it is still in the bowl. Add the second 1/4 cup of water (or warm milk). Mix and knead dough about 2 minutes. The dough should be soft and somewhat squishy and fairly damp but not runny. It should look something like this:

Gluten free bread dough needs to be much more moist than regular bread dough. As you knead the dough, wet your hands with water. The dough should not stick to your hands much if any. Shape into a large ball, a medium ball and two smaller balls:

Spray a baking pan with cooking spray. Shape the large ball into a longish oval shape for the Lamb's body. Shape the medium ball into a triangular shape for the head. Shape the two small balls into ovals and set them next to the head. Wet your fingers and smooth the dough. Water is great for smoothing out the imperfections! Add peppercorns to make the eyes and nose.

Set in a warm place to rise. After 30 minutes the dough should feel dry. Cover lightly with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out too much. Allow to rise another 1- 1 1/2 hours.

Set in a 350 degree oven. Bake 25-30 minutes and then baste with melted butter to brown the Lamb. Bake an additional 5 minutes or so until browned. (Watch it closely so that it does not get over done.) Cool. Using a spatula positioned under the head and partly under the body, transfer to a platter. Add greenery such as rosemary along with cranberries to decorate. (Yes, those are washed and dried fir boughs in my picture!) Serve with butter. Yum!

The bread has a moist texture and a very slight nutty flavor, but it is as close to wheat bread in flavor as it gets. At least according to my own taste buds!

And somewhere along the way, the Lamb of God lost His nose but I gave Him a new one. And then He lost it again...

Dairy-Free St. Nicholas Cocoa Mix

This recipe was submitted by Jamie, from Ad Silvam Ibimus.  Thank you Jamie! 

I tweaked the original St. Nicholas Cocoa Mix recipe to come up with a dairy free version for my son. I had looked high and low online and didn't find anything...so thought this might be helpful for other readers.  The results were delicious and we could taste no difference.

Dairy-Free St. Nicholas Cocoa Mix

Ingredients:

4 cups (one canister) Vance's DariFree* in original flavor
8oz Ghirardelli* instant cocoa
3/4 cups powdered sugar
2 cups miniature marshmallows
3-4 ounces finely crushed peppermint candy
Candy canes, optional

Directions:

Combine powdered milk, cocoa, powdered sugar, marshmallows and peppermint candy; mix well. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 2.5 quarts roughly

For each serving, put ½ cup of mix in a regular-size mug, fill with boiling water.

* Vance's DariFree can be found at any supermarket that has a good natural/alternative/allergen free section. I have found it at Wegman's and Whole Foods.  The Ghirardelli cocoa is the only I have found that is dairy free, but feel free to use any dairy free cocoa you come across. Any variety of Ghirardelli is fine just watch some of them do contain coffee and therefore caffeine. We used Double Chocolate flavor.

Chocolate Mice

In honor of the feast of St. Martin de Porres, which is celebrated on November 3rd, Michaela from Filled with Joy shares this fun little recipe for Chocolate Mice! These would be a great treat to go along with the story of Saint Martin de Porres and the Mice and The Pied Piper of Peru, two of our favorite books on this great saint.  You can find other ideas for his feast in the archives!



St. Martin de Porres showed love and kindness to all people and creatures.

There is a tale of his kindness even to the mice that were eating the sacred linens in the sacristy.

It inspired us to come up with this fun, absolutely adorable dessert.  Simple enough my girls were able to assemble without help.

Chocolate Mice

Ingredients:

• 1 jar maraschino cheeries with stems
• 1 bag Hershey's kisses
• sliced almonds
• red decorating icing for nose and eyes
• oil
• tin foil

Directions:

1. Cover cookie sheet with tin-foil. Rinse and drain cheeries. Pat dry with paper towels. Check for pits and remove if found.

2. Unwrap 2 Hershey Kisses for every mouse you plan to make. Place 1/2 in bowl, and reserve the other 1/2. Microwave the kisses in the bowl for about 45 seconds. Check to see if melting. You will probably need to put it back in for another 45 seconds. Once chocolate is almost melted, add a little oil. Stir and microwave for about 15 seconds. The oil will help the chocolate from becoming sticky.

3. Holding the cherry by the stem, roll into chocolate, fully coating. This will become the body. Push a Hershey kiss from the reserve pile onto the front of the cherry to make the head. Place on cookie sheet. The melted chocolate should hold the kiss onto the body. Continue until all cheeries are coated and have heads.

4. Cut the sliced almonds in 1/2. Place 2 almond halves onto the mouse between the Hershey kiss and the cherry to make the ears. Make eyes and the nose with the icing. Place in fridge until chocolate hardens. Carefully removed from tin-foil and serve as you please.

To you Saint Martin de Porres we prayerfully lift up our hearts filled with serene confidence and devotion. Mindful of your unbounded and helpful charity to all levels of society and also of your meekness and humility of heart, we offer our petitions to you. Pour out upon our families the precious gifts of your solicitous and generous intercession; show to the people of every race and every color the paths of unity and of justice; implore from our Father in heaven the coming of his kingdom, so that through mutual benevolence in God men may increase the fruits of grace and merit the rewards of eternal life.  Amen.

St. Martin de Porres, pray for us!

Soul Cakes: The Original Halloween "Treat"

The following recipe was submitted by Lisa, from Catholic Missionary Family. Thank you Lisa!

During the Middle Ages in England, on the night before All Saints Day, or Hallowmas, pesants and children called "soulers" would go about town singing and praying for the souls of the dead. They would stop at homes and beg for a "soul cake" and promise in return to pray for the household's deceased family members to be released from purgatory. If homeowners did not give out cakes it was believed their home would be cursed. And this my friends is thought to be the origination of trick or treating.

There are many recipes for soul cakes from a small round cake to a doughnut shaped treat. Some variations include cutting a cross on the top or adding rasins. It seems that the recipes developed over time and region.

Because my children need more sugar from October 31st to November 2nd, we made our own soul cakes today. I'm hoping someone comes by singing the traditional song:

Soul, Soul, a soul cake!
I pray thee, good missus, a soul cake!
One for Peter, two for Paul,
three for Him what made us all!
Soul Cake, soul cake, please good missus, a soul cake.
An apple, a pear, a plum, or a cherry, any good thing to make us all merry.
One for Peter, two for Paul, & three for Him who made us all.

Chances are if I try to hand one out people will quietly usher their children to the next house and later report me to the police, so perhaps I'll just stick with taking them to our churches All Souls Day party.

If you are looking for a festive treat to make on All Souls Day these are a delicious little treat. They are a bit like a spiced shortbread cookie, not really fluffy cake like.

I decided to go with a traditional recipe from food.com, but I'll still post the full instructions with pictures for you below, as I made a few changes as I went.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
3 3/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
2 eggs
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
6 tablespoons milk
powdered sugar, to sprinkle on top

Directions:

1. Using a pastry blender cut 1 c. of butter into 3 3/4 cups of flour. I bought my first pastry blender just for this occasion.

2. Blend in the sugar, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and allspice. Allspice smells like Christmas.

3. In a separate bowl beat eggs, vinegar and milk together. I would like to add a little shout out here to my amazing mother-in-law, who is always gifting me with amazing things for my kitchen, like these awesome Pyrex measuring cups, Thanks!

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix.

5. Kneed thoroughly to form a stiff dough. You really have to work this dough, I thought there was no way it was moist enough, but once I mashed it all up it was just right.

6. Roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut out 3 inch circles with a cookie cutter or glass.

7. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

8. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while still warm. I use a slotted spoon for this.

9. Eat, yummy.

You can find additional recipes for All Hallows' Eve and All Saints Day in the archives! 

Birthday Cupcakes for Mary

The following post was submitted by Bethany Hudson, from The Apple Cider Mill. Thank you Bethany!

September 8th is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary! This feast has been celebrated, particularly in the Eastern Church, since at least the sixth century.

Last year, the children and I made cupcakes to mark the occasion. They are white (vanilla) to symbolize Mary’s holiness from birth; we filled them with white frosting to symbolize her Immaculate Conception, and we frosted them blue because it is Mary’s color, the color of the Virgin. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a real party without sprinkles, so Sophia supplied those! (And yes, there was a HUGE mess—and yes, it was worth it!)

I know a lot of my Protestant brothers and sisters don’t understand the love we Catholics and Orthodox bear our Blessed Mother. Don’t worry, we know celebrating Mary’s birthday isn’t a prerequisite for passing the pearly gates. All the same, who wouldn’t want to celebrate the woman whose humble “Yes” conceived the Savior of the World, whose prayers are ever for us, and who loves us as her own children just as Jesus asked her to?

Well, to each her own convictions. As for me and my household, we will light birthday candles for His Mother—and ours!

CIDER MAMA'S ONE-BOWL LAYER CAKE

(or modify baking time for Cupcakes)

2 1/2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 T baking powder
1 t. salt
1 1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. shortening
1/3 c. unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 T vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Put all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Blend on low speed until combined and liquid won't slosh out of the bowl. Blend on high speed 3 minutes. Meanwhile, cut parchment rounds for 9'' round cake pans. Grease pans, place parchment round in bottom of pans, and grease parchment. Pour half batter into each pan. Bake 35-40 minutes until tester comes out clean. Let cool completely in pans. Turn out layers and decorate as desired.
Makes a 2- or 4-layer cake, depending on whether you halve the two layers. Serves about 12.

This cake goes wonderfully with just about any frosting. I like putting sliced strawberries between and frosting it with whipped cream. It's also delicious by itself, with jam spread between the layers and dusted with confectioners' sugar for a simple mid-week dessert or afternoon tea.

You can also make an almond cake (which our family actually prefers to vanilla) by reducing the vanilla extract in the recipe to 2 t. and adding 1 t. almond extract. We love this spread between with apricot jam and frosted with an almond-flavored buttercream.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1 1/3 c. shortening
5 1/3 c. confectioners’ sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. heavy cream

Beat shortening until fluffy. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat slowly for 30 seconds, or until sugar is somewhat incorporated. Then, beat on high for about 2 minutes. Add food coloring, if desired. There is enough here to fill and frost 24 cupcakes. (With a little leftover for licking the beaters!)

The shortening in this recipe will make the frosting truly white, as opposed to a traditional buttercream recipe that uses, um, butter. It is also extremely fluffy.

Happy Birthday, Blessed Mother! 

Pray for us always! We love you!

A Golden Chalice Cake

I wasn't sent the actual directions on how to make this cake, but perhaps it can provide some inspiration!  It was created and submitted by Victoria, from Designer Pastry, to celebrate the arrival of their new Pastor and Parochial Vicar.   Thank you Victoria!

Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church, Tridentine Rite in Richmond, VA celebrated the arrival of their new Pastor Father Robert Novokowsky, FSSP and new Parochial Vicar Father Rudolph Grega, FSSP on Sunday, August 14th, Vigil Feast of the Assumption. The order, the Fraternity of Saint Peter was recently assigned by Bishop DiLorenzo of the Richmond Diocese to take care of Saint Joseph’s parish in Richmond. There was a parish potluck with many tasty dishes. Parishioners who own local bakery Designer Pastry custom designed a two foot tall 3D sculpted golden Chalice cake to commemorate the occasion. Families presented their new priests with well wishes and a spiritual bouquet card filled with promises of prayers, hours of adoration, Mass intentions, rosaries, Divine Mercy chaplets and more. The children of the parish presented their new spiritual fathers with gifts of cute pictures they colored of saints, rosary mysteries and Pope Benedict XVI. A good time was had by parishioners and priests alike.

Assumption Cupcakes

These beautiful "Assumption Cupcakes" were made in honor of the upcoming feast of the Assumption, and submitted by a new Catholic in upstate New York, Lisanne Jensen.  Thank you for sharing Lisanne, and welcome to the Church!

You can find additional recipes and ideas for the feast of the Assumption in the archives!