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This classic British pub meal makes for a tasty celebration of St. George of Merrie England. “Bangers” is slang for sausages. The “bang” comes from the fact that during WWII when meat rations were low, sausages had to be made with other inexpensive fillers like rusk or breadcrumbs and a large ratio of water that would result in the sausages bursting with a “bang” when fried. True English bangers are a whitish pork sausage with a tasty smoothness that my family really enjoys. We can sometimes find them at our local grocery store. In a pinch, any white pork sausage will do!

The name of this rather obscure cocktail comes from a legend in which young maidens would seek to find the name of their true love by sipping on lavender brew while invoking Saint Luke with the words: “Saint Luke, be kind to me. In my dreams, let my true love see.”

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!

This coloring page draws its inspiration from Saint Teresa’s writings about the interior castle in the soul. Color your castle and ask Saint Teresa to intercede for you on your own journey closer to God!

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.

Retell the story of the Transfiguration with the help of some DIY puppets! Just color, cut out, and glue to craft sticks for a tangible transfiguration activity.

On the feast of the Transfiguration, a cloud overshadowed those on the mountain while a voice came from the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him." In this recipe, the ice cream represents Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, and when you pour your soda over the top a cloud "miraculously" forms!

Saint Bridget’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land marked a turning point in her spiritual journey. Guide her pilgrimage through the maze and help her reach the Holy Land!

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.

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

In the original Latin, “Ember Days” are called “Quatuor Tempora,” or “four times” of the year. In the 16th century, Jesuit missionaries from Portugal settled in Nagasaki. As a meatless meal, they introduced what we now call “tempura”: battered shrimp and/or vegetables fried in a traditional Portuguese-style. It’s perfect for Ember Days, Fridays, and the Feast of the Japanese Martyrs on February 6. You’ll get the best results using big shrimp or prawns from the seafood counter. 16-20 count per lb are great. Smaller shrimp will also be delicious, they just won’t look as much like restaurant tempura. This batter is also often used on veggies like broccoli florets, baby corn, green beans, mushrooms, and slices of onion, sweet potato, and eggplant.

Enjoy grapes and herbs sprinkled with holy water this month!

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.

What better way to celebrate Jesus ascending into the heavens than with fluffy, cloud-topped cupcakes! This recipe uses real vanilla beans, right in the batter, which is so cool. For the best effect, top with Jesus cupcake toppers (for all the oohs and ahhs from children and adults alike).

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 . . .

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.

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.

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

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.

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 God. A three leaf clover has long been used as a symbol of the Trinity, and these tasty three piece rolls are a fun dinner table reminder of this unknowable mystery. Rolling and dunking the dough balls is a good job for kid-helpers.

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 an equal combination of spinach fettuccine and egg fettuccine. However, if spinach fettuccine isn’t readily available, you could always do just hay, or substitute a tricolor bowtie or rotini mix. Bacon can be substituted for the prosciutto.

Saint Mark is described in the Bible as a naked guy. . .his origin story involves him being an unclothed robber who fled the Garden of Gethsemane before he changed his ways and helped write the Gospels. Since it’s sort of hard to politely include that imagery in liturgical cooking, we prefer to celebrate him by remembering his symbolic creature – a winged lion! This lion’s head bread ends up being a pretty spectacular snack. If you think of a way to add wings, let us know!

This smooth, natural, homemade playdough is fun to make, long lasting, and smells amazing. For the feast day, I let my kids go at it with real tools (on a protected surface, with supervision).

You could make a lamb cake . . . but those turn out creepy, like, 90% of the time. That’s kind of their charm. But you can make a slightly-less-weird-looking Rice Krispie Lamb in a fraction of the time. Everyone wins! Let a kid do the sculpting and then you won’t have to take credit for your lamb’s looks. #momhack Note: I use a large canning pot for this recipe. If you don’t have a VERY large pot, but you do have a very large mixing bowl you can pour the hot marshmallow mixture over your cereal in a very large mixing bowl. Or, halve the recipe and make a smaller lamb

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 that the fish was a tilapia and so tilapia are known there as St. Peter’s Fish. A popular dish in the region is St. Peter’s fish served whole and fried, with chips (that’s fries to Americans). This is the dish I serve on the feast of St. Blaise, as we laugh in the face of dangerous fish bones after getting our throats blessed at Mass. But if you’re not feeling that vibe, this recipe can be prepared with fish filets. The cooking time is the same. For the seasoning, combine dried oregano, basil, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, etc. or use a seasoning mix like Old Bay, Tony’s, taco, Mrs. Dash, or Italian. Or omit this and instead top with 2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs like basil, cilantro, and parsley after cooking. Or do both!

This rustic soup is a real family favorite. We have it on Christmas Eve and sometimes also for our “all white dinner” on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and it’s perfect for a German saint day. It’s always in the Lenten “soup and stations” rotation, and the kids often choose it for their special days. I have very fond memories of cutting dumplings into bubbling soup with my grandfather, and I love doing it with my kids now. It’s not exactly a quick and easy process, but the results are so worth it. The soup thickens up with time and gets even better. It can be made a day or two ahead if desired. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding water if necessary. Stir very often to keep from scorching the bottom when reheating.

British chef Fergus Henderson’s renowned restaurant “St. John” is named for the street on which it sits in the Smithfield area of London. Chef Henderson specializes in “nose-to-tail” eating and gourmet versions of British comfort food. This is an adaptation of his recipe for a classic American dish, which—if not officially associated with St. John the evangelist himself—bears the saint’s name and makes for a lovely meal on a cold winter’s day.

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.

Saint Joseph models the holiness of labor to us. Pope Pius XII emphasized this when he said, “. . . no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by [the spirit] than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work.” This crossword highlights his pursuit of virtue and dedication to work!

Saint Brigid is said to have woven rushes (a grass-like plant) into a cross as she helped convert a pagan man upon his deathbed. If you’ve got access to rushes, weave away! Or, if you’re feeling less outdoorsy, we’ve provided pipe cleaners for you instead!

While other Marian feasts celebrate events in Mary’s life, this feast commemorates the part she played in the mystery of salvation. So, after you attend Mass (today is a holy day of obligation), come home and reflect on the motherhood of Mary as you color this beautiful page!

Show some love for this relatively new Marian feast day by praying this prayer composed in her honor by Pope Francis in 2013.

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 member-leaders, brought education, arts, order, law, and culture to a forsaken community. Since his death from the disease in 1889, he has been remembered and celebrated by the people of Hawaii. 

Any combination of apples will work. My favorite is Granny Smith + Honeycrisp.

Here are four different ideas for how your family can pray for your grandparents this month. Don’t forget to cut out your spiritual bouquet to send along with your Grandparent’s Day card!

Learn more about Saint John the Baptist by reading about him in the bible, simply turn your spinner to reveal a new verse about his life!

The relics of Saint Mark took an exciting journey from Alexandria, Egypt to Venice, Italy. Help them find their way through the maze!

Because St. Joseph worked with his hands, we like to highlight finger foods on his feast day! Get the whole family involved with making these easy appetizer skewers and then enjoy the delicious fruit of your labors at dinner time!

On this feast day we honor the papacy. Use this stationary to write a letter to the pope! It’s a chance to say “hi,” or say “thank you,” offer a suggestion, or tell him about your family.