Collection: May

In the section Trinity Sunday in The Catholic All Year Compendium, I wrote: I have a liturgical living bucket list of crazy foods I would like to someday be able to serve for feast days. They haven’t happened yet because they are difficult to obtain or prepare or are prohibitively expensive. On that list is my dream food for the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity: Turducken. It’s a chicken, stuffed into a duck, stuffed into a turkey (all deboned and sewn back together with various veggies and stuffings in there too). Three birds in one meat. The chicken is meat. The duck is meat. The turkey is meat. The chicken is NOT the duck. The duck is NOT the turkey. The turkey is NOT the chicken. How perfect would that be?

The “croque madame” is a French grilled cheese sandwich with ham inside and a fried egg on top. Sounds odd, but it’s SO good. It was my very favorite meal on our pilgrimage to Lourdes a few years back. THEN I realized that the name of the sandwich basically translates to “crispy lady” and I knew it was meant to be a part of our feast day celebration of Saint Joan of Arc. Gruyere is the cheese that’s traditionally used, but swiss works in a pinch.

Celebrate the birthday of the Church with a festive cake! We recommend a white cake with red frosting or fruit on top. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can add twelve candles for the apostles and seven strawberry hearts for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Consider adding the twelve fruits of the Spirit somewhere, too, using fruit or frosting!

The symbols of Pentecost are wind, fire, and a dove! Although a dove isn’t specifically mentioned in Acts, it recalls the imagery at Jesus’ baptism: “After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him” (Matthew 3:16 RSCVE).

Authentic Mexican street tacos are simple, delicious, and easy to make at home.

This feast was established in 1955 to remind everyone that the dignity of work is a very Christian tradition, rooted in the Garden of Eden, despite what Communists were trying to tell everyone at the time. Today is a great day to tackle a hands-on project, like these time intensive donut holes! As you knead–or “work”–the dough, remember to pray for laborers and for the conversion of communist nations.

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 . . .

The seafaring Portuguese have a love for shellfish and seafood, and are especially known for mussel recipes like this one. Mussels in the shell make for a FAST, fun, and memorable family meal my kids love. A crusty loaf of bread is lovely to sop up the tasty broth. Serve with a salad and some dancing sun cupcakes for dessert.

Your original 2" calendar medallions for the month of May!!

Bring out this stained glass style coloring page on June 22nd. Your kids can color as you read the story of these two brave men who were imprisoned and martyred for standing up to the king!

Your calendar medallions for the month of May!