Collection: Digital Downloads

On (or around) the feast of Epiphany we like to throw one last Christmas party, because it’s still Christmas! We encourage novelty Christmas accessories for the occasion. Because the Three Wise Men are traditionally understood to have come from different continents: Europe (Melchior), Asia (Caspar) and Africa (Balthasar), I like to serve various international “parcel”-type finger foods, so that our dinner spread is as universal as our Catholic/catholic faith.

On our baptismal days, our souls become as pure as clean, white snow. Of course, Jesus was already perfectly pure, but His baptism was still a momentous event. This fun, white drink is a yummy reminder of the effects of the gift of baptism! Make it to celebrate the Lord’s baptismal day, but keep it in mind for sacrament parties, too!

The stories say that the tortures suffered by St. Lucy included having her eyeballs poked out, and she is often depicted in art holding her own eyes. So, we like to make this punch in her honor on her feast day. (It’s also fun for Halloween). The kids love to help! Nota bene: The sorbet eyeballs melt quickly in the punch, so add them just before serving. Makes 24 approximately 8oz servings. To add two eyeballs to each serving, double the amount of sorbet and blueberries used.

This recipe is almost the same as the one I use for Saint Bartholomew Skinned Chicken and Biscuits. It also makes a lovely chicken pot pie filling, by the way. Recipes called Chicken à la King (or the like in other languages) have appeared in cookbooks since as early as 1665, mostly without specific recipes, so there’s no way to know if they are similar to what we now know by that name. There’s also no indication that anyone but me associates the dish with the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. But there’s also no indication that they don’t . . . In any case, this is a lovely comfort food dish, great for cool evenings, and beloved by my kids and nieces and nephews. It can be served over noodles, rice, biscuits, or even waffles!

This soup is a longtime fall family favorite passed along by Gramma Tierney. It’s great for Halloween and All Saints parties, lunch or a first course on Thanksgiving, and any time during pumpkin season.

Inspired by St. Teresa’s writing on the interior castle, this historical English dessert, traditionally called “Castle Pudding”, is steamed in the microwave for a quick, tasty dessert, perfect for the fall!

These stained glass cookies are reminiscent of the beautiful stained glass windows at San Chapelle, which is why they’re perfect for the feast of St. Louis IX!

Colorful homemade paper stars like this one are used as party decorations throughout Mexico. Color, cut, and assemble your star, hang it up, and celebrate the sacrifice of the Mexican martyrs!

Celebrate an at-home blessing of throats in honor of Saint Blaise. Use blessed candles if you have them!

We know we can always count on Saint Apollonia to intercede for us if we have tooth pain, but why not avoid that entirely by practicing good oral hygiene? Never forget to brush again with this handy tracker.

Saint Jude is usually pictured wearing a large medallion: a representation of the face of Christ called the Image of Edessa. Color this supersize version of Saint Jude’s token of Jesus on October 28th!

Saint Anne is one of MANY patron saints of lacemaking, which, I guess, seems complicated enough to warrant that. These cookies, on the other hand, are pretty straightforward. And quite tasty. Almond flour is available in the baking aisle of my local grocery store, but can also be created by pulsing sliced blanched almonds in a food processor until they make a crumbly flour. Lace cookies can be enjoyed as is, or, after cooling, brushed on the bottom with a coat of chocolate.

In honor of the example given to us by Our Lady in the Visitation, I always try to take this day to prepare a meal or two for friends who are pregnant, have a new baby, or are experiencing hardship of some kind. I make a casserole-type dish in a foil pan and arrange to deliver it hot, or freeze it, then the recipient can heat it up in the oven whenever she would like. It’s not exactly the same as walking a hundred miles and staying for three months to help. But it’s always well-received. This chicken tortellini casserole is simple to throw together, freezes well, includes the major food groups, and is a big hit with kids. It’s also very customizable!

St. Catherine was born and raised in Siena, a city located in Tuscany. Her life and legacy are deeply intertwined with the region, and she is considered the patron saint of Italy, alongside St. Francis of Assisi. Although we can neither confirm nor deny that St. Catherine’s mom prepared this very meal for her 25 children, we can still enjoy this simple yet flavorful creamy Tuscan sauce with bread, rice, pasta, or creamy mashed potatoes in her honor to celebrate today’s feast!

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 for the prettiest presentation, but my kids prefer more exciting ice cream flavors. Fresh or frozen berries will work.

These hearty and delicious doughy-potato-y bundles are a traditional Jewish delicacy. However, full-disclosure, they wouldn’t be served at an observant Passover meal, because chametz (anything containing grain that has come into contact with water and risen) must be avoided at Passover. However, since we are not attempting an observant Passover meal, and they are amazing, we like to have these. They are great with applesauce, sour cream, or spicy mustard. A more authentic, chametz-free choice would be potato latkes.

At a Jewish Passover Seder meal like the one Jesus was celebrating on Holy Thursday with the apostles, bitter herbs are served as a reminder of the bitterness of the slavery endured by the Jewish people in Egypt. This salad is bitter and sour (and yet very tasty). Kids don’t usually LOVE it. But in our family everyone must try it. If they don’t like the bitterness, we discuss how that’s kind of the whole point.

In a Jewish Passover seder meal, haroset (an applesauce-like mixture with wine, nuts, apples, etc.) represents the mortar used by the Jews in Egypt. Recipes for haroset are available, of course, but my family prefers to go the straight-up homemade applesauce route. Any apples will work. Golden Delicious apples are traditional. But I like to use a mix of sweet Honeycrisp and tart Granny Smith. It doesn’t even need added sugar. But you can add a bit, depending on the sweetness of your apples and your tooth.

Saint Katharine Drexel was born in 1858. She was a wealthy Philadelphia socialite before renouncing the world and dedicating her fortune to the founding an order of nuns devoted to the service of black and Native American people in the American southwest and Haiti. Philadelphians Pat and Harry Olivieri are credited with inventing what’s now known as the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich in the early 1930s. Mother Katharine lived to the ripe old age of 96 and died in 1955, but I don’t have any information about whether she ever enjoyed a Philly Cheesesteak herself.

It's a bit on-the-nose. But we can't resist this salad for the feast of St. Ambrose. Not only is it tangy and delicious, but it's perfect for this feast day. The legend of St. Ambrose says that when he was a baby, a swarm of bees landed on him and left only a drop of honey on his face; his father said that it meant he would grow up to be "honey-tongued." And, it was true! St. Ambrose was known for his eloquence as a bishop, and his legend won him the title of patron of beekeepers! Enjoy this dessert that's sweet as honey today.

They are heavily spiced, sweetened with currants or raisins, and marked with a cross on top. We bake them each year and take them to the cemetery with us on All Souls’ Day, to exchange with friends who meet us there to pray for the dead.

Cherries jubilee is an old school classic dessert that uses the technique of flambé. The tongues of fire make this dessert perfect for Pentecost or the feast of Saint Jude, as he is traditionally depicted with a tongue of flame over his head, to remind us of his presence at Pentecost, when he received the Holy Spirit with the other apostles.

These appetizers can be found in the classic 1888 Victorian cookbook Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management. I can’t resist them for this feast day! The “angels” are shucked oysters in Mrs. Beeton’s, but other recipes use scallops. We prefer the latter since they’re more readily available. “Devils” are usually pitted prunes, but can also be dates

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 cloud-associated feast days like the Ascension and the Assumption.

Pentecost marks the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and is often referred to as the birthday of the Church. Spread the Good News by throwing a party, and adding this cute topper to your cake. Bonus points if you use red frosting!

The story of the Annunciation can be found in Saint Luke’s Gospel, and tells of the Angel Gabriel appearing to Mary in the village of Nazareth. In this humble home, it’s announced that Jesus was to be conceived by the Holy Spirit through the Virgin Mary. As you color, let it be an invitation to deeper prayer and meditation on this joyful mystery!

On Catholic New Years Eve we choose new patron saints for the liturgical year. Choose your patron saints from the list provided or write in your own to create your family litany of saints to pray this year!

Put your own beautiful touches on the chapel where St. Francis heard Jesus ask him to "rebuild my church". We especially love telling our kids the story of St. Francis and the Portiuncula while their hands are busy coloring!

Use this coloring page to celebrate St. Louis IX on August 25th!

This Vietnamese-style chicken recipe is the perfect mix of sweet and tangy and is popular with all ages. Serve over steamed rice.

I think you guys already know where I stand on whether you should be eating actual locusts/grasshoppers for the nativity of St. John the Baptist. (Spoiler alert: I think you should.) But you might ALSO like to serve this fun ice cream version of a Grasshopper Pie.

Our Lady promised to give a sign that could be seen by others, and boy did she deliver! To a crowd of tens of thousands of onlookers, it’s reported that the sun broke through rain clouds and began to dance across the sky. This creamy smoothie is liquid sunshine, encapsulating the splendor of the amazing “Miracle of the Sun” that happened back in 1917!

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. 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.

The impressive strawberry-red of these margaritas make them perfect for the feast of the Mexican Martyrs! They are fruity, tart, sweet, and refreshing. Served on the rocks, they are a delicious summer treat! Replace the tequila with a lemon-lime soda for a virgin option.

Saint Isidore would surely appreciate the ease and flexibility of this casserole. Substitute bacon or sausage, try other cheeses, add diced peppers or mushrooms. Make it the night before and store it in the refrigerator to bake in the morning. Great for family brunch, or as breakfast meal delivery to a new mom.

It’s probably my favorite dessert, so any excuse for crème brûlée is a good one in my book. The feast day of any French saint will do, but somehow the torching part makes it seem perfect for Saint Joan. Also, the fact that multiple nineteenth-century recipe books refer to crème brûlée as “Trinity Cream” or “Trinity Burnt Cream” means we’d be SILLY not to make this amazing dessert part of our Trinity Sunday celebration. (According to recipe historians—a real job, apparently—the name “Trinity” Cream is a reference to its three main ingredients: cream, sugar, and egg yolks.) This is a slightly fussier recipe than I’m up for on an every-day basis, but that’s the beauty of liturgical living for me. I can get motivated to do a fancy feast day meal for an important solemnity every month or two. THAT I can manage. And Crème Brûlée/Trinity Cream can be made ahead of time, which is always a bonus. But, just in case it’s helpful . . . last time I checked, they sell little individual crème brûlées in the freezer section at Trader Joe’s.

This burrito casserole is a long-time family favorite. Perfect with a MexiCoke for the Mexican Martyrs, it’s easily customizable and makes a great option for a meal delivery. For the chicken, substitute ground beef, pulled pork, or leave the meat out for a tasty meat-free Friday meal. For the refried beans, substitute drained black or pinto beans. Add sauteed corn, onion, peppers, and tomatoes for some veggies. Add pico de gallo, hot sauce, or diced jalapeño peppers for some heat!

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 hours for it to set in the fridge before serving.) Kids can definitely help. This recipe uses crispy lady finger cookies as the base. These can be found in the cookie aisle of many grocery stores, ordered online, or made from scratch. If you have access to actual espresso, you can use that, or substitute strong coffee or decaf.

In Poland, Easter Monday means Śmigus-dyngus, a country-wide water fight. It’s also called Lany Poniedziałek, the Polish for “Wet Monday.” Folks in Polish neighborhoods in the United States call it Dyngus Day. It goes back all the way to the fourteenth century! On Easter Monday in Poland people spend the day chasing each other around with buckets of water. In solidarity with weird Catholic traditions, we like to have backyard water balloon fights and a fun water-themed dessert or afternoon snack. This traditional Italian cake is light, fluffy, and great if you happen to be out of (or avoiding) eggs and dairy. Add cocoa powder, espresso powder, cinnamon, fresh herbs, and/or citrus zest for a punch of flavor, but it’s tasty as is!

As the old Irish rhyme goes, “Boxty on the griddle, boxty on the pan, if you can’t make boxty, you’ll never get a man.” Maybe irrelevant by today’s standards, but what remains important is that it’s a popular dish across Ireland. So what exactly is it? Boxty are fluffy potato cakes that are pan-fried like pancakes and served at breakfast. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day–or any day, really! Just grab some freshly made or leftover mashed potatoes to get started.