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This cake, which features many traditional Spanish ingredients, is said to have been offered as a celebratory reward to pilgrims who had just finished the Camino de Santiago, the long, prayerful walk to the grave site of St. James. Many pilgrims walk over 62 miles over several days to complete this journey, so I think a cake like this is a fitting greeting! Use a stencil of the traditional cross of St. James to give this cake its signature flair.

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 overnight. It makes a great dish for the freezer stash, a meal delivery, or a holiday breakfast, and it’s a go-to for us for after-Mass Sunday brunch. I like to set the automatic timer on our oven and have it hot and ready to eat when we get home. I have made up to a quadruple batch at once, increasing the cooking time to 1:10.

This old-fashioned dessert is easy for kids to help put together and makes a great addition to a meal delivery for the feast of the Visitation, or any time. It keeps in the fridge for weeks, so your recipients can enjoy it at their convenience! Substitute the dried fruits of your choice.

Today is traditionally for prayer and abstinence, particularly for a bountiful harvest and protection from natural disasters. We think one of the best ways to celebrate is with a quick, no-bake tart decorated with your own harvest, either homegrown or store-bought. Bonus, this recipe is simple enough that even the tiniest of hands can join in!

Enjoy this classic summer treat in the midst of Eastertide, packed with nutrients and endless possibilities for preparation, as we pray on this traditional day of penance and abstinence. Plus, purple is often the liturgical color associated with today. Don’t forget to bless the farmers who produced the harvest for you, too!

Saint Gianna Molla studied for her medical degree in Milan, and later specialized in pediatrics at the University of Milan. This restaurant-quality Chicken Milanese recipe also includes a tasty arugula and citrus salad, sure to get a doctor’s approval, and comes together in only 30 minutes, which any working mom can appreciate.

Because of a medieval Swedish liturgical food pun, the solemnity of the Annunciation is associated with . . . waffles! In Europe, this important feast day was known as “Our Lady’s Day” in honor of Mary. In Swedish “Our Lady’s Day” is “Vårfrudagen,” which sounds a lot like “Våffeldagen” which means “Waffle Day.” So they went for it. And now, five hundred years later and five thousand miles away, the Tierneys always have waffles for dinner on the Annunciation.

Perfect for Gaudete or Laetare Sunday, this frosting is ALL-NATURALLY flavored and colored to be the most amazing pink. Oops, I mean, rose. We’ve yet to find a flavor of cake that this frosting doesn’t deliciously top. Use fresh or (defrosted) frozen berries. It will match the priest’s vestments and be a yummy (and pretty) feast day treat!

Traditional cream cheese and cucumber tea sandwiches get an open-faced Saint Patrick’s Day twist for a feast day tea party. These can also be made as a traditional closed sandwich.

Saint Apollonia is the patron saint against tooth pain and fear of the dentist. Let’s try to avoid both of those with this perfected recipe for that quintessential party treat: popcorn balls. Still sticky and sweet with even more flavor, these popcorn balls are softer and more chewable than the standard version.

For the crime of being a Christian, Saint Sebastian was sentenced to death by an archer firing squad. He survived. Emperor Diocletian wasn’t impressed, though, and had him put to death again, this time successfully. In the saint’s honor, these mini-skewers are best made on arrow-shaped food picks (included in the box) but also work on toothpicks or longer wooden skewers, and are tasty as an appetizer or a meal. Put them together before serving or let kids skewer cooked ingredients themselves. Other fruits, meats, and/or vegetables can be added or substituted.

Names are important and Jesus’ name is the most important of all. To celebrate the day, I like to make this tasty alphabet soup, and then . . . let the kids play with it! The kids get to scoop letters out with their spoons to build their names—and Jesus’ name of course—on the edge of their plates. You can pull the bay leaf and thyme sprigs out before serving, or you can just tell your family that whoever gets them in his bowl is king/queen/duke/princess/etc. of dinner. That’s what we do. For a heartier meal, add prepared meatballs, cooked chicken, or diced ham. The soup makes great leftovers, just add some water and reheat.

“Christmas Eve Salad” in English, Mexican Ensalada de Nochebuena (ehn-sah-LAH-dah de NO-chay BWAY-nah) is a cool/sweet/tart addition to any feast day table. It can also be made in a fruit salad-style without lettuce, but this recipe is how my family likes it best. Other common ingredients include grapefruit, prickly pears, beets, apples, pineapple, and pecans. Feel free to create your own combination!

Making dried orange slices at home is easy, if not quick. They store beautifully and are useful as garnishes for beverages and desserts, or for snacks, and can also be strung up as festive holiday decor or added to potpourri. Bonus: They make the house smell great! Nota Bene: This same technique can be used for any type of orange, and also other citrus fruits.

Weckmänn means “watchman.” These little bread men have been keeping watch over the celebration of Martinmas in Germany since the Middle Ages and make a lovely accompaniment to Six-Can Soup.

I first saw this recipe in one of those parish fundraiser cookbooks at my grandmother’s house in Memphis, TN. It was called six-can soup, because each of the ingredients comes in a can. I like it as a simple, tasty, easy-to-assemble meal that’s all non-perishable. It can all be stored in a cupboard in case of unexpected guests or days when all of a sudden it’s 5:15pm and I haven’t planned dinner. It’s perfect for Saint Martin’s Day because all those cans can be put to good use as punched-tin lanterns. Just combine all the ingredients in a soup pot or the insert of a slow-cooker or instant pot the day before. Keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to heat it for your meal. Fill all the empty cans with water and put them in the freezer overnight. Then the next day, remove a can and place it on a large folded towel to keep it steady and protect your surface. Freehand or following a pattern, use a hammer, chisel, & awl (or nail) to create a pattern of holes in the can through which candle light can shine. Be sure to punch two holes at the top so you can secure a handle. Remove the ice by soaking in hot water when you’re done. Add a handle of wire or string and a tealight or votive candle and enjoy a traditional Martinmas lantern walk and a warm soup dinner in honor of the good bishop Saint Martin of Tours.

The “dragged through the garden” style of the classic Chicago hot dog was an inexpensive way for working-class Chicagoans to get protein and vegetables during the Great Depression, and it still is! To this day, the people of Chicago are very particular about their hot dogs. It has to be exactly these ingredients in exactly this order. And NO KETCHUP. I’d encourage you to give it a try, though. It really is a taste sensation. My plain-ketchup-dog-loving kiddos all give them two thumbs up.

The beauty of this traditional Rwandan milk tea is in its simplicity: just black tea, warm spicy ginger, milk, and sugar. It’s lovely hot or cold.

This recipe is pretty ubiquitous in Catholic parish fundraiser cookbooks. I haven’t been able to find an explanation as to why it’s called spinach “Cabrini,” and don’t know if there’s any association intended with the saint, but sometimes it's better not to look a gift recipe in the mouth, right?

This recipe originally appeared in Thomas Dawson’s The good huswifes Jewell, part 1 in 1596.

The spookiness comes from cutting a ghost shape out of cheese slices and laying it on top of the macaroni and cheese as soon as it comes out of the oven. Very scary. And meat-free.

St. Augustine and St. Monica lived in the northern part of Africa. This delicious stew is a traditional dish from that area and is perfect for celebrating their feast days!

There is a tradition that basil grew up around the foot of the cross, where Jesus’ blood and Mary’s tears hit the ground. St. Helen is said to have found the True Cross hidden beneath an overgrowth of basil. So for dinner on the feast of the Holy Cross, I like to make a basil-heavy meal.

This chicken recipe, brined and seasoned using ancient Roman ingredients and methods, is my family’s all time favorite chicken.

To remember the miracle, on this feast day, white rose petals are dropped from the dome during the celebration of the Mass . . . and snow-cones are enjoyed at our house.

Participate in this tradition of old for the feast of Saints Adam and Eve! Inside the file you’ll also find some printable fig leaves and cherubim accessories to help you bring the story to life!

On the feast of the Immaculate Conception we like to pray the Litany of Loreto which honors Our Lady’s many titles. Find some of those titles in this word search then pray the litany together as a family.

The Month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary! Display this print all month long and don’t forget to pray the prayer on the back too! The art on the front of this print was by Simone Cantarini in the 1640s, and is entitled Madonna of the Rosary.

Celebrate the feast of Saint Teresa by praying the prayer on the back of this holy card and by displaying her image for the day!

Ask these three holy siblings to intercede for you and your siblings, then read their stories aloud as your kids color this coloring page! The story of Mary and Martha can be found at Luke 10: 38-42, and the story of Lazarus can be found at John 11:1-44.

This cut-and-glue activity is a fun and easy way for your kids to have fun honoring our Blessed Mother this May!

Saint Gianna Molla was a devout Catholic who was also a busy wife, mother, and physician. Cut and arrange the items in her clinic!

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 would bake little cakes and serve them to the pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago (the Way of Saint James), the pilgrims went home and recreated them all over Spain, spreading their popularity. As Magdalena was likely named for Saint Mary Magdalene, these muffins are a great way to celebrate her feast day on July 22 AND Saint James on July 25, so maybe make a double batch? It makes a lovely breakfast, snack with afternoon tea, or dessert.

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 sugar, with added butter and cream) but if you’ve ever watched The Great British Bake Off, you know how finicky caramel can be. This dulce de leche sauce, popular in Latin America, is practically foolproof, super delicious, and made with just one ingredient: a can of sweetened condensed milk. Dulce de leche can be made on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker (like the instant pot). It is traditionally cooked right in the sealed can, but transferring the sweetened condensed milk into a jar before cooking avoids some issues of cooking in the can. Plus that’s how I was going to store it in the fridge anyway, and it’s less messy to transfer it before cooking. Serve it with sliced green apples, over a banana split, or make carmel brownie ice cream sundaes for the feast day, that’s what we’ll be doing!

Eighteenth-century Jesuit missionaries like Father Sébastien Rale and Father Joseph-François Lafitau described the making and use of maple syrup by the indigenous peoples with whom they lived. Making maple snow taffy is a simple way to enjoy maple syrup as Saint Kateri might have! As you might have gathered from the name, this treat is usually enjoyed during the winter. We don’t have snow at our house, ever. So we might as well make this treat in the summer. All that’s required is to bring real 100% pure maple syrup to a boil, then pour it over “snow” (we make our own in a blender). It cools to a sticky maple taffy that can be rolled up onto a stick. We like to use backyard sticks, as they seem more authentic, but if you prefer your treats to be 100% tree bark-free you might prefer a popsicle stick. P.S. Snowball fight!

All the saint of the day images for the month of June!

This liturgical food pun was just too good to pass up! S’mores are especially delicious when the marshmallows are roasted over a bonfire, but we’ve also included instructions for making s’mores in your microwave or oven.

This is more of a concept than a recipe and as much an activity as a meal, but I wanted to share t as an example of how catechism and food are tied together in our home. Whether it’s as simple as an apple on the feast of Ss. Adam and Eve or as complex as turducken and crème brûlée on the feast of the Holy Trinity, food is a way to bring people together and start a conversation, sometimes with whatever happens to be in the pantry.

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 Sacred Heart of Jesus, but it had looked better in my head. Less oozy. Then, my four year old daughter walked in, took one look at it, and literally gasped in wonder at its beauty. She called the other kids in to see it. They agreed that it was awesome, but could use some whipped cream. So that’s what we did. We put some whipped cream on it. Over dinner, we talked about St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and her visions. We talked about the burning love that Jesus has for each one of us, and the pain that he suffers because of the sin and the ingratitude of mankind. Then we ate the weepy heart. And now my kids can’t imagine a feast of the Sacred Heart without one. That’s what living the liturgical year looks like in our home.

One of the best parts of my high school career was eating at the home of a friend who came from an Italian-American family. Every meal his mom cooked was amazing, but the most fun were the days when they would invite big groups of kids for what we called Pasta Alla Tavola or “Pasta on the Table.” Mrs. Vitale would dump pots of pasta with butter and parmesan cheese in the middle of the “table.” Then we would all eat it . . . with our hands. It was the BEST. It’s perfect for the feast of St. Joseph. As a carpenter, Joseph worked with his hands. In honor of his day, we eat with our hands! It’s not much of a “recipe,” per se, but here it is . . .