Assumption Herb Roast with Horseradish Cloud The blessing of herbs is traditionally associated with the feast of the Assumption. This tasty roast can be made with blessed or unblessed herbs and served alongside a fluffy cloud of horseradish whipped cream. I use...
Rosemary Smashed Potatoes A quicker, slightly more rustic take on mashed potatoes, smashed potatoes keep their peels and some lumps. Other herbs can be substituted. 2 ½ lbs red potatoes4 Tablespoons butter1 cup buttermilk2 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)2 teaspoons...
Strawberry Basil Lemonade This is lemonade with a sophisticated herbed twist. Other fruits and herbs can be substituted. Make it a cocktail by adding vodka to the finished drinks. We love this lemonade for the Assumption and also for the feast of the Holy Cross, which...
Assumption Meringue Clouds These light and airy cloud-like cookies are crispy on the outside and marshmallowy on the inside. They’re an excellent addition to a Christmas cookie plate, but we also love them for baby showers, wedding showers, tea parties, and...
St. Bartholomew Skinned Chicken & Biscuits Catholics have always had a sense of humor when assigning patron saints to professions (see St. Agatha and bell-makers, and St. Lawrence and cooks), so it should come as no surprise that St. Bartholomew—who was martyred...
St. Bartholomew Skinned Applesauce Any combination of apples will work. My favorite is granny smith + honeycrisp. 4 apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)¾ cup water½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)¼ cup brown sugar (optional) In a saucepan, combine the apples and...
Iroquois Ghost Bread Fry bread is a staple that stretches back generations. It is part of the cuisine of many different tribes from various regions of the U.S. In the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) nation of which Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was a part, it’s called Ghost Bread,...
St. Kateri Three Sisters Soup St. Kateri is known as the Lily of the Mohawks. She lived in a Mohawk village in what is now western New York state. Three Sisters Soup is a traditional Native American recipe from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) nation, of which the Mohawks...
One Ingredient “Carmel” Sauce You know me, I like a good food-pun. For the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, I like to play up the near-homophone relationship of “carmel” and “caramel.” Full-disclosure, this isn’t “real” caramel sauce (that would be made of melted...
Carmel Caramel Chicken This Vietnamese-style chicken recipe is the perfect mix of sweet and tangy and is popular with all ages. Serve over steamed rice. 2 Tablespoons butter1/2 cup dark brown sugar4 teaspoons minced garlic (8 cloves)2 Tablespoons ginger paste (or...
Magdalenas In Spanish, “magdalena” means “muffin,” and this tall, fluffy, lemony version made with extra virgin olive oil and a distinctive cone shape is ubiquitous in coffee shops across the country. The story goes that there was a young woman named Magdalena who...
7UP Bundt Cake Luke 8:1-3 tells us that Mary Magdalene was healed by Jesus of seven evil spirits. As a reminder of that, we like to include 7UP on our feast day table. And, because my mom was raised in the South, I know that an excellent way to include more 7UP at a...
The Iconic CAY Sacred Jello Heart I stood in my kitchen one Friday afternoon, looking at a slightly runny red gelatin heart, decorated with orange segments and pretzel sticks. It was sitting before me, somewhat off-center on its cake plate. It was supposed to be the...
Pentecost Mini Cherry Cheesecakes Pentecost is the name of the Jewish festival that was being celebrated in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit first descended upon Mary and the disciples. It is also called the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot. Originally, this was a spring...
Fruits of the Holy Spirit Salad The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. The fruit of the salad . . . is up to you. This old school 1960s parish-cookbook recipe features a “dressing” which is...
St. John Fisher Easy Fish Tacos If you didn’t grow up in Southern California like I did, fish tacos might sound a bit unusual. But if you’re okay with fish sticks and tortillas, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Because that’s all it is! This is a fun and portable...
Portuguese-style Mussels 3 lbs fresh mussels2 Tablespoons olive oil2 Tablespoons butter2 teaspoons minced garlic cloves2 cups chicken broth1 cup white wine (Riesling)fresh parsley (chopped for garnish) Prepare the mussels. Fresh mussels are . . . alive! Place them in...
Strawberry Butter 1 stick unsalted butter (½ cup, softened)4 strawberries (fresh or thawed, room temperature)1 Tablespoon sugar½ teaspoon salt Add ingredients to a food processor and pulse to mix. Or use a hand blender, pastry blender, or fork to...
Pop’s Popovers (not hot flops) My dad’s dad, whom we called Pop, was a very enthusiastic, very experimental cook. He once answered the door sans eyebrows with hair still smoldering after an incident with the outdoor smoker. We would spend Sundays at my grandparents’...
Sunday French Toast Casserole This tasty casserole is our family’s favorite way to use up old bread and avoid food waste. Hot dog buns to artisanal sourdough, it all gets chopped up and tossed into the dish! The casserole can be made ahead and stored in the fridge...
Herbed Trinity Cloverleaf Rolls While no analogy will ever actually explain or actually help us understand the Trinity (so we should probably quit trying) . . . symbols of the Trinity can help us remember and devote ourselves to the mystery of three persons in one...
Mini-Turducken In the Trinity Sunday section in The Catholic All Year Compendium, I wrote: I have a liturgical living bucket list of crazy foods I would like to someday be able to serve for feast days. They haven’t happened yet because they are difficult to obtain or...
Orange Dancing Sun Cupcakes On the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, we remember the day the sun miraculously danced in the sky. These cupcakes are a fancy treat to celebrate this great feast of the Blessed Mother! Orange zest in the cupcake batter AND the frosting...
Molokai Chicken In 1873, Fr. Damien volunteered as a chaplain to the Hawaiian government-mandated leprosy quarantine camps established on the island of Molokai. He served the physical and spiritual needs of the members of the camps and, along with native...
Pineapple Upside Down Cake For the Topping¼ cup unsalted butter (melted)½ cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)10 pineapple rings (patted dry)13 maraschino cherries (patted dry)For the Cake½ cup unsalted butter (softened)¾ cup sugar2 eggs (room temperature)1 teaspoon...
Divine Mercy Sundaes Simple and sweet, these ice cream sundaes are a tasty way to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. We use red and blue fruit and/or sprinkles to represent the rays of love and mercy that emanate from the heart of Jesus. I think vanilla ice cream makes...
Sienese Straw & Hay Pasta Paglia e fieno or “straw and hay” is a traditional dish from the Siena region of Italy. It’s a delicious combination of pasta, prosciutto, cream, peas, and Parmesan cheese. To make it look like, well, straw and hay, it’s usually made with...
St. Catherine Tiramisu Our quick and easy version of this fancy Italian dessert omits the raw eggs traditionally found in tiramisu but, really, you won’t miss them! It requires no baking, comes together in about fifteen minutes, and is sure to impress. (Allow a few...
Broccoli Cheddar Soup On each of the first five Fridays of Lent, we host a backyard Soup & Stations for family and friends. (On Good Friday, it’s a simple Southern Catfish Fry.) So each year we need five meat-free soups fit for a crowd. I’m a creature of habit, so...
Southern-Fried Friday Catfish My mom grew up in Memphis, TN, and her crispy, crunchy, tender, flaky fried catfish is my very favorite thing she cooks. It's a great meal for any Friday, especially if you’re entertaining. At our annual Good Friday backyard Stations of...
