punch recipes: Ocak 2013

3 Ocak 2013 Perşembe

St. Kateri's Indian Corn Cookies

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A couple days ago I shared a recipe for Edible Indian Corn and mentioned that my family was planning on making Indian Corn Cookies for the Canonization of St. Kateri this weekend. We just finished making them for tomorrow. Adapted from a Family Fun recipe, these cookies are really easy to make with just a few supplies, and fun for the kids to help decorate!

St. Kateri's Indian Corn Cookies(adapted from Family Fun)

Ingredients:
Sugar Cookie Dough(homemade or store bought)Spread (frosting, melted chocolate, peanut butter, cream cheese, Nutella, etc.)Reese's PiecesGreen & Yellow Fruit Leather or Fruit Roll Ups
Directions:

Roll out prepared cookie dough to a 1/4" thickness. Using a knife, cut out corncob shapes about 4" long. (I used my small St. Nicholas cookie cutter to get a general idea, adding a rounded end at the bottom, but that isn't necessary.) Bake according to directions or just until the edges brown.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

Frost the cooled cookies with spread of your choice such as chocolate or vanilla frosting, melted chocolate, peanut butter, cream cheese, or Nutella. Basically any type of spread that pairs well with peanut butter Reese's Pieces. Originally I was going to use chocolate frosting (which is pictured above) but then changed my mind and used melted white chocolate. This held the Reese's Pieces in place wonderfully!

Layer the Reese's pieces in horizontal rows, working from the top to bottom.

Finish off cookies by cutting corn husks out of the fruit leather/fruit roll up, to fit the sides of each cookie.

Wrap the husks around the cookies and press in place.

A Child's Prayer to St. Kateri Tekakwitha
St. Kateri, loving child of God and Lily of the Mohawks, I thank God for the many graces He gave you. Help me to be more like you in my love for God and for people.
Give me a great love for the Holy Eucharist and the Mother of Jesus. Make me ready to make sacrifices for Jesus that I may save my soul and be happy with you in heaven.
St. Kateri, I love you. Always be my friend.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Pray for us!
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St. Catherine's Pasta Wheels and Cheese

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For the past few years, since seeing Mary's suggestion, I have been serving Wheel Shaped Pasta on November 25th, in honor of the feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria and a special little girl in our home who celebrates her name-day. Here is the recipe I used this year!

Saint Catherine'sPasta Wheels and Cheeseadapted from Martha Stewart
Ingredients:

1 pound Wagon Wheel Pasta
Salt
3 cups Milk
3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
3 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Dijon, or Yellow Mustard
2 1/2 cups grated Cheese

Directions:

Bring water to a boil in a large pot; add salt. Add pasta; cook until al dente. Drain well. Transfer to a large bowl.

Heat milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until hot.

Melt butter in a deep skillet over medium heat.When butter begins to foam, add flour; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in hot milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture starts to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt, a pinch of black pepper, cayenne, mustard, and cheese; stir until melted.

Pour cheese sauce over the pasta noodles, stir, and serve immediately. Serves 8 to 10.

St. Catherine of Alexandria, Pray for Us!
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Catholic Cuisine's Christmas Baking Link-Up

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Are you ready for Christmas? It's been a busy week in our home, since we had a My Favorite Things: Sound of Music Birthday Party for our 3 year old on the 15th and a Winter ONEderland Birthday Party for our 1 year old on the 19th! We decorated these St. Nicholas Cookies inspired by the picture book The Baker's Dozen earlier this month, but we are just now starting our Christmas baking!

I thought I would take a little break from the kitchen to post a link-up for all of our visitors here who would like to share their own Christmas baking from this year!

To participate, just post the recipe(s) on your blog, link back to this post, and add the link to your recipe below. This link-up will remain open until January 7th. For inspiration, here is the link to our 2010 Christmas Cookie Recipe Exchange Link-Up. Additional ideas can be found in the archives.

May you all have a very Blessed Christmas!

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Footprint Cookies on St. Stephen's Day

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Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel.

"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."
Having some cookie dough already made up in the fridge and knowing that tonight our Christmas book was Stephen's Feast, I decided to make some footprint cookies in honor of St. Wencenslaus and the miracle of his footprints on this special day. I used this template to cut out the shape of the cookies. My first thought was to fill them in with icing and topping them with red and yellow sprinkle sugar.

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather.

"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."
But then they looked less like footprints and more like sprinkled blobs. That was when I decided on the outline of the shoe print. The sprinkles represented the warmth felt in holy King's steps. I used a simple cookie icing recipe that called for light corn syrup. I was out of light corn syrup so I substituted with honey.

In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.
Cookie Icing
1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tsp. milk
2 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. almond extract
Stir together sugar and milk. Add honey and extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick add more honey or milk.
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The Martyr's Crown :: A Cake for the Feast of St. Thomas Becket

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"Remember the sufferings of Christ, the storms that were weathered...the crown that came from those sufferings which gave new radiance to the faith...All saints give testimony to the truth that without real effort, no one ever wins the crown." ~ St. Thomas Becket

In addition to being an excellent choice for the various feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and many other saints who were kings or queens here on Earth, the crown also symbolizes the martyrs, who have been victorious over sin and death and have been crowned saints in heaven.
For today's feast of St. Thomas Becket, a (middle) name-day for two of our sons, I decided to bake a cake in a "crown" shape pan to celebrate. The following recipe for Easy Persimmon Cake is my mom's recipe and has been a favorite of mine since childhood. Persimmons are rare in our area, and my grandparents, who would always send a big box of persimmons to my mom each year, have both passed away, but I was so excited to find some persimmons at Costco this past week! I'll be making some persimmon cookies soon...
A Martyr's Crown Cake for St. Thomas BecketEasy Persimmon Cake
Ingredients:

1 pkg Yellow Cake Mix
2 Eggs
Water
3/4 cup Persimmon Pulp
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Cloves
3/4 cup Walnuts, chopped

Directions:Place cake mix in a large mixing bowl; add eggs and 1/3 cup LESS water than called for on package of cake mix. Add spices and persimmon and mix as directed on package. Stir in nuts.

Pour into a greased 2 qt ring mold or tube pan. (I used my Fleur de lis Bundt Pan, though I would love to buy this Cathedral Pan for next year... It would be perfect for St. Thomas Becket!) Bake at 350˚F for 45-55 minutes. Cool. Dust with powdered sugar.
Note: You may also use a 9"x13" pan; bake at 350˚F for 35 to 40 min; or two 9" round pans for 25-30 min.

"Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." ~ Revelation 2:10
St. Thomas Becket, Pray for us!

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2 Ocak 2013 Çarşamba

Catholic Cuisine's Christmas Baking Link-Up

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Footprint Cookies on St. Stephen's Day

The Martyr's Crown :: A Cake for the Feast of St. Thomas Becket

1 pkg Yellow Cake Mix
2 Eggs
Water
3/4 cup Persimmon Pulp
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Cloves
3/4 cup Walnuts, chopped

Directions:Place cake mix in a large mixing bowl; add eggs and 1/3 cup LESS water than called for on package of cake mix. Add spices and persimmon and mix as directed on package. Stir in nuts.

Lakror (St. Basil Meat Pie)

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The following recipe, adapted from Cooking with the Saints, was submitted by Hi Cookery in honor of the feast of St. Basil the Great. Thank you Highlander and Islander!

January 2: Feast Day of St. Basil the Great

Lakror has an aromatic and tasty ground meat filling sandwiched between layers of crisp, buttery and flaky phyllo dough. Like many special dishes associated around the new year and Epiphany, this meat pie may contain a hidden trinket, such as a coin, to represent the Baby Jesus hiding from King Herod. Traditionally, the one who finds the coin in his/her slice will be blessed with good luck in the coming year!

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf)

Ingredients

1 ½ tablespoons butter
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
¾ pound lean ground meat (we used beef but it is traditionally a mixture of ground beef and lamb)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pepper to taste
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced
¼ cup cooked rice
3 eggs
1 (8 ounces) package of phyllo dough, defrosted according to the package instructions
½ cup butter, melted

Directions

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the onions until transparent. Add the ground meat and stir to break up any large chunks. Season with garlic, salt, oregano and pepper. Drain off any grease.

Mix in the parsley, rice and eggs until well blended. Set aside.

Cut the phyllo dough sheets to fit a 9 x 13-inch rectangle or 10×10-inch square baking pan. Brush the bottom of the pan with melted butter. Lay a sheet of the phyllo dough on the bottom, brush with melted butter, add another sheet, brush with butter again and repeat until half of the sheets (about 10) are layered on top of each other. Spread the meat mixture evenly on this layer. Place a clean coin on top of the meat (optional).

Lay a sheet of phyllo dough on top of the meat mixture, brush with melted butter, add another sheet, brush with butter again and repeat until all sheets of phyllo dough are used. Use a sharp knife to score down the meat pie for easier cutting after it is baked. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 35-45 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven. Slice the pie using the score marks as guides. Serve immediately.

Notes

To stretch out the filling in the meat pie, feel free to substitute diced potatoes for the rice as an ingredient in lakror.
Heat any leftovers in the oven instead of in the microwave to retain the crispness of the meat pie.
If there is a coin hidden in the meat pie, let others know about the symbolism—and safety!—before they eat their slice.
The Feast Day of St. Basil is observed on January 1 in the Eastern Orthodox Church; January 2 in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches; January 15 in the Coptic Christian and Ethiopian Orthodox churches; January 30 in the Byzantine Rite; and June 14 in the Episcopal Church.

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Vasilopita

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The following recipe, adapted from Cooking with the Saints, was submitted by Hi Cookery in honor of the feast of St. Basil the Great. Thank you Highlander and Islander!

January 2: Feast Day of St. Basil

Long before we started blogging, Highlander gave Islander the cookbook “Cooking with the Saints” as a Christmas gift. Vasilopita was the very first recipe she made in the new year and for the Feast Day of St. Basil. Now we can blog about the traditional Greek cake that we bake for a simple new year’s celebration at home.

According to the author, Ernst Schuegraf, “different recipes (for Vasilopita) exist, (but) they all include the hiding of a silver coin in the cake, which is supposed to bring luck to the person who finds it. The head of the family slices the cake and distributes the pieces in a very precise order. The first piece is for St. Basil, the second one for Christ, the third one for the oldest member of the family and on down to the youngest.”

The hiding of the coin represents Baby Jesus hiding from King Herod. Different cultures make cakes with hidden coins, beans or trinkets around this time of the year. Include Vasilopita in your recipe repetoire during the 12 days of Christmas, which come to a close on Epiphany (January 6), and celebrate the new year and the Feast Day of St. Basil with this special cake.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf)

For the cake

½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups flour
3 eggs
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon baking soda

For the topping

1/3 cup nuts, chopped (we used walnuts)
2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Line an 8-inch round pan with waxed paper. Lightly grease the bottom and sides with cooking spray or vegetable oil. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Add the flour and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated.

In a measuring cup, pour the milk then stir in the baking powder. Add this to the flour mixture and blend until smooth. In another small cup or shot glass, mix the lemon juice with the baking soda (it will be fizzy). Add this to the cake batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Place a clean coin (optional) in the batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping by mixing the chopped nuts and sugar. When the 20-minute baking time is up, remove the cake from the oven and sprinkle the topping over the cake. Return to the oven and continue to bake for 20-30 minutes until the cake is done. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Remove from the pan and transfer to a cake plate or serving platter.

Notes

If there is a coin hidden in the cake, let others know about the symbolism—and safety!—before they eat their slice. We usually wrap a silver dollar in waxed paper or foil before including it in the cake batter.
The cake may be decorated with numbers representing the new year.
Serve Lakror as the main dish, followed by Vasilopita for dessert, for a full meal on the Feast Day of St. Basil. The recipe for Lakror is included in an earlier blog post.
The Feast Day of St. Basil is observed on January 1 in the Eastern Orthodox Church; January 2 in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches; January 15 in the Coptic Christian and Ethiopian Orthodox churches; January 30 in the Byzantine Rite; and June 14 in the Episcopal Church.
Bake a galette des rois (3 Kings Cake) a few days later with a hidden bean (instead of a coin) to celebrate Epiphany.

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