St. Peter’s Fish In Matthew 17:24–27 we find the story of the miracle known as the “coin in the fish's mouth.” Jesus tells Peter to go catch a fish in the Sea of Galilee, in which he will find a coin with which he is to pay the temple tax. Galilean tradition tells us...

Irish Herb and Cheese Scones
Irish Herb & Cheese Scones Green herbs and Irish cheese make these scones perfect for the feast of St. Brigid, St. Patrick, or any Irish saint. Making the butter yourself from heavy cream also gives you the buttermilk you need for this recipe. Stopping the...
Bobby’s Sweet and Savory Crepes
Bobby’s Sweet Crepes & Savory Crepes My son Bobby is in charge of crepe-making at our house. This simple recipe (just eggs, milk, and flour) was passed down to him by his great-grandfather, for whom he was named. Crepes are traditionally associated with Candlemas...
Homemade Butter
Homemade Butter Homemade butter is a perfect food AND activity with which to celebrate Saint Brigid, herself a dairymaid who gave away butter to the poor (only to have it miraculously restored). Shaking it by hand in mason jars feels like a real accomplishment. Using...
Cookie Chairs
Cookie Chairs As our treat for the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, I buy a small assortment of cookies and candies, and we use frosting to stick them together into little chairs. We decorate them with whatever sprinkles I have in the cabinet. It’s always fun to see...
Kids Cook for Themselves: Bean Tavy
Gus has been very anxious to be included in the Kids Cook for Themselves series, and prove that HE, too, can cook dinner for the family all on his own. But . . . he's seven. And while charm and confidence will get you quite far in life, they don't necessarily help...
Kids Cook for Themselves: Crock Pot Pulled Chicken Burritos
Here's another of our go-to recipes. From scratch, real food, but quick and easy enough to be managed by busy moms, or even kids . . . all on their own. Jack (13) is a pretty accomplished cook these days. His preference is to grill out <imagine quip about men and...
Kids Cook for Themselves: Friday Frittata
Scroll down to the end for the big winners of last week's giveaway! The kids have been doing most of the cooking around here this summer as I was super-pregnant-with, then snuggling-with baby Mary Jane. I figured we'd share another recipe today. This time brought to...
Top Secret Ten Minute Ice Cream Cake: Kids Cook for Themselves
Jumping in here for a quick installment of Kids Cook for Themselves, because if you're looking for a quick, easy, impressive dessert for this weekend . . . Anita can help. She made this cake herself for her sixth birthday party today, using her great grandmother's top...
Kids Cook for Themselves: Easy Chicken Parmesan
Okay, here we go again. It's the second installment of Kids Cook for Themselves! The three big kids around here (12, 11, and 9) have taken over dinner duties for the summer in anticipation of the new baby arriving next month. With a little advance planning and prep...
Kids Cook for Themselves: A Universal Smoothie Recipe
I am, in general, a big advocate of kids doing stuff for themselves. It's like they say, give a kid a fish . . . no, wait, that doesn't seem like a good idea. Maybe don't do that. Anyway. My desire to have my big kids be able to cook, is often at war with my desire to...
Tips for Taco Tuesday . . . but on a Friday, and other nonsense for your Monday
We've been meat-free on Fridays for a couple of years now, and it's been good for our family. It's a great way to make a sacrifice that we can share with each other and with other Catholics all over the world and through time. I think it's terrific. Except, of course,...
Just the Book I Needed
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how we were able to start celebrating the liturgical year in our home only by taking baby steps. And I mentioned how overwhelmed I had felt reading the first book I found about the celebrating the liturgical year in the home....
Some Things I Watched and Some Things I Should NOT Have Watched: 7 Quick Takes XXV
--- 1 --- I see what you did there. And I like it. I hope everyone had a lovely Solemnity yesterday. We did! I really try to incorporate traditions, historical and/or from other cultures into our liturgical feasts. But there don't seem to be all that many traditions...