Stars - Advent Waiting Through Baking - Fourth Week of Advent

We all remember those childhood verses, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star..." or "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight...."  And of course, we remember the famous Star of Bethlehem, the star guiding the Magi from the east.

This week we will make and bake star cookies as we finish our last week of Advent. Star cookies are perfect for Christmas. The star of Bethlehem, the star guiding the Magi is the penultimate star, but the Old Testament is full of references to stars, too.  So while we wait and bake this last week of Advent, we will look at a reference to a star that the Chosen People of God were waiting for.

I mentioned there are many references to stars in the Old Testament. There are references right from the very beginning of Genesis 1:16. "God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also." Psalm 148:3, "Praise Him sun and moon. Praise Him all stars of light." The Chosen People of God knew that God made the stars and that the stars and all creation are meant to praise their Creator. There are many references in the Old Testament to pagans worshiping the sun, moon, and stars. The prophets foretold their doom if they continued to worship creatures instead of the Creator who made the stars.

Stars have many lessons to teach us, but the Advent waiting lesson of the star is the Morning Star found in the book of Numbers. It is in this prophetical scriptural verse that the Morning Star becomes our waiting star of the fourth week of Advent. Listen to these verses and share them with your bakers. "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh: a star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; and crush through the head of Moab...." Numbers 24:17  

To develop our understanding of the Morning Star a bit more. (This may be of interest to adults but a bit too specific for younger bakers. It is your judgment call.) We can look at the definition of scepter. A scepter is a decorative staff used by a king or ruler. It signifies royalty, power, and authority.  Observant Jews were waiting for the Morning Star who would come from the line of Jacob (King David's line), who would be royal (divine), and have power and authority, and would crush the head of the serpent as foretold in Genesis 3:15. Jesus fulfilled that prophecy. He was of the line of King David who was of the line of Jacob. Jesus is Divine; He is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity who became man. He is the King. He has power, authority, and through the Cross crushed Satan and defeated death. The birth of Jesus represents many truths. For all of us, young, middle-age, and old, it speaks of the total love of our Creator for each one of us, His creatures, in a deeply loving and very personal way. May the Morning Star dawn in your heart and the hearts of your children as we wait together this last week of Advent for the birth of Christ.

Here are some two of my granddaughters baking Star Cookies the last week of Advent. 

The recipe for this week's sugar cookie is Moravian Sugar Cookies.  It is from Mimi Sheraton's Vision of Sugarplums Cookbook. I have used some of her recipes before and enjoyed them. I was somewhat disappointed with this one. I prefer other sugar cookie recipes. Recipe 3 of the 4 I have offered these past weeks is still my favorite!

 

All done and out of the oven!  

 

Psalm 8:3

Our Prayer for the Fourth Week of Advent

 When I ^aconsider thy ^bheavens, the ^cwork of thy fingers, the ^dmoon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is ^aman, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou ^bvisitest him? 5 For thou hast made him a little ^alower than the ^bangels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

This week is a bit busy for me as I am sure it is for you. I have not had an a chance to look for children's books on the Morning Star. I will have to save that research for another day. If any of you know of a good children's book or want to write one about the Morning Star the Jewish children were waiting for before the birth of Jesus, please contact me. Thank you!

Happy Fourth Week of Advent

A few decorated cookies from the Rooney/Findlay Family Christmas in July, 2021

                  

Candlelight - Advent Waiting Through Baking - Third Week of Advent

This is a mini Advent Wreath lit with 
birthday candles, 3 for Week 3 of Advent.

Light is one of the most powerful images in Scripture. It can be found multiple times in the Old Testament and throughout the New. We refer to it every Sunday in the Nicene Creed when we profess: "...God from God, Light from Light..." During Advent we light candles beginning with one and adding another each week until all four are ablaze. Our Christmas trees are decorated from head to foot in strings of lights. And homes, stores,  churches, and cities abound in lights throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons. Light is meant to lift up our spirits as we wait for the birth of Christ.

Children can appreciate the image of the growing light during Advent. Physical light speaks to all of us through out senses. We appreciate the candles on a birthday cake. With little ones we have to be careful with the light of candles, but it is a powerful image. Our candle cookies are a way to share the knowledge that Christ is the Light of the World and we are celebrating His birth on Christmas Day.

So here is our little baker and decorator, just barely age two, frosting her candle cookie! 

You will find the recipe for this Sugar Cookie in the Blog Archive, 2009/12/04 under the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. To locate the blog archive look on the right hand side of this post midway down.

The frosting can be found here, Buttercream frosting

Below is a picture of Meredith, Piper's Mom's candle cookies right after they came out of the oven. Don't they look yummy?  Piper thought so. We have a few more photos of Miss Piper frosting the cookie or should I say eating the frosting!!!!

Books

The Christmas Candle by Richard Paul Evans

The Christmas Light by Claudia Cangilla McAdam

24 Christmas Stories for Little Ones by Magnificat

The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen

Lucia Child of Light by Florence Ekstrand

Lucia Saint of Light by Katherine Bolger Hyde

Prayers

Isaiah 9:2 A people waiting in darkness have seen a great light.

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom should I fear?

Dear God, awaken us, that we may be ready when your dear Son comes, that we may receive him with joy and serve you with pure hearts.

Happy Baking as we wait for Christmas!

What can I give Him, 

   Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd

I would bring him a lamb,

If I were a wise man

I would do my part,

Yet what can I give Him,

    Give my heart

by Christina Georgina Rossetti

This is Gaudete Sunday. Let us be glad and rejoice!

Shepherds - Advent Waiting Through Baking - Second Week of Advent

Just as the Old Testament is full of angels who are God's messengers to the human family, so is the Old Testament full of shepherds: Abraham, Jacob, Moses, to name a few.

One very famous shepherd was King David. David was the youngest of eight brothers. When he was a young boy he tended the family's sheep and killed a very threatening warrior named Goliath by using a slingshot. David had mastered the use of the slingshot by protecting the sheep from the wolves which terrorized them. David trusted that God would give him the courage to use this skill to defeat Goliath, an enemy of the Chosen People of God, and God did!

David had a heart that was like the heart of God. God loved David very much for this and chose David to become the king of the Israelites. David was now to shepherd a kingdom not simply a flock of sheep. He was not a perfect man, but he was a very good ruler, and God rewarded him with a very special promise. 

God promised King David that the Savior that the Chosen People of Israel were waiting for would be born from his family line. (2 Samuel 7:12 & 13) The young shepherd boy and now the triumphant king of Israel would be the favored ancestor of the Savior. Between the Shepherd/King's death, 970 B.C. and the birth of the Savior many shepherds waited for the fulfillment of God's promise. 

Just as the many shepherds waited for God's promise to be fulfilled, so we are waiting now for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. This is the second week of Advent. We have only two more weeks after this one before Christmas.

Shepherds use staffs to guide sheep when they are driving them from one location to another. The staff is a symbol of guidance and for a king or a bishop the staff also represents divine protection. This week we are going to make, bake, and decorate some staff cookies. We will retell the story of David the brave shepherd, born in Bethlehem, who slew Goliath, became king, and received God's promise that from his family line the long-awaited Savior would be born. At the end of this post, there will be a few books that you can share with  children. Most focus on the David/Goliath story and do not include God's great promise to David. You will have to tell them about it yourself.

Sugar Cookie Recipe for the Second Week of Advent

This recipe is taken from the sprinklebakes blog which I am linking here. https://www.sprinklebakes.com/2018/12/flowers-of-scotland-sugar-cookies.html The recipe has the measurements in the metric system, also, for those who use that system. The oven temperature would be 177 degrees celsius for the 350 degrees F. used in the U.S.  I have used this recipe many times and it makes an excellent sugar cookie. These cookies are frosted with ready-made frosting but I am linking a frosting that I often use when making my own.  https://www.hersheyland.com/recipes/perfectly-chocolate-chocolate-frosting.html All but one staff have sprinkles of one kind or another. Use a large candy cane cookie cutter for the staff. You can cut the shape out from the rolled dough if you don't have the candy cane cutter. Make it big for small children; otherwise the staff breaks in two quite easily while decorating. Even for Grandmother!

Shepherds' Staff Cookies w/out icing

Shepherds' Staff Cookies frosted and decorated

The Shepherd's Prayer composed by King David. I am sure you will recognize it.

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd;*

there is nothing I lack.a

2In green pastures he makes me lie down;

to still waters he leads me;

3bhe restores my soul.

He guides me along right paths*

for the sake of his name.

4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,c

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff comfort me.

II

5*You set a table before me

in front of my enemies;*

You anoint my head with oil;*d

my cup overflows.e

6Indeed, goodness and mercy* will pursue me

all the days of my life;

I will dwell in the house of the LORDf

for endless days.

From the USCCB.org

Or a very short prayer from one of King David's Psalms:

139  Search me God and know my heart. Amen

Books 

For younger children:

David and Goliath by Tomie dePaola - Leaflet Missal, Magnificat, Amazon, etc.

David and Goliath Little Golden Books - Amazon.com

David and Goliath Board Book, Amazon.com

For ages 8 and up - There are a number of books for this age, but I am only familiar with the following author whom I recommend. She does mention the promise God made to David in her retelling.

King David and His Songs: A Story of the Psalms by Mary Fabyan Windeatt

Angels - Advent Waiting through Baking, First Week of Advent

18p, Angel Gabriel, St James, Pangbourne, Christmas, 1992*

Here is a little background as you prepare to bake angel cookies with your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or students.

Angels are messengers from on high, from the divine realm. They are sent by God. We can read of their presence throughout the Old Testament, (Gen. 3:24, Gen. 22:11-15, etc.). We know of them in the New Testament beginning with the Archangel Gabriel's mission to the Virgin Mary. Mary was asked to be the mother of the Son of God. (Luke 1:26 - 37). 

We know that between Mary's acceptance of God's plan for her, "I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word," (Luke 2:38) and the birth of Jesus, there was a period of waiting. Joseph the husband of Mary was also visited by an angel in a dream, Matt. 1:20 - 21. Joseph and Mary waited together for the birth of Jesus.

We are waiting, too. It is the first week of Advent, 2021, and we are waiting for Christmas, the solemn feast of the birth of the Son of God. It is a time of excitement for children. and also a time to teach them the true meaning of Christmas. This period of waiting for adults is meant to be a time for spiritual renewal, a time to reflect, and recall the waiting of our spiritual ancestors, the Jews, and the fulfillment of the promise by God(Gen. 3:15) that a Savior would be born that would crush the head of the evil one. The birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of that age-old promise. For children it is a period of learning the true meaning of Christmas while experiencing many enjoyable activities.

Baking with angels is the perfect start to Advent 2021 with children. You may choose to share the story first of the Archangel Gabriel's mission to Mary by explaining it in your own words, or going directly to St. Luke's Gospel, or finding a children's book and reading the story to them. Or you might bake angel cookies first and then tell them the amazing story of Gabriel's mission to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Choose the way that suites the age(s) and backgrounds of the children.  At the end of this post are some suggestions for books you might find helpful. 

Here is a picture of an angel cookie cutter and the first recipe we are using. I recommend large cookie cutters for young children. It will be easier for them to try a cut-out and definitely a bigger cookie is easier for them to decorate. If you don't have time to make a recipe you can always use a sugar cookie mix. The most important part is to share the story of the Angel Gabriel's mission to the Blessed Virgin Mary telling her of God's plan for her.  

Have fun making the cookies. Eat a few. Share a few and save some for Christmas! You can put the cookies in the freezer, and looking forward to hearing more of the Christmas story while we wait for Christmas day.

 Here is the link to the recipe I used for the cookies  that I baked. Pictures are below. The recipe is easy, tasty, and the cookies hold their cookie cutter shape.

Sugar Cookie Recipe

I did not have a large cookie cutter like the one here. I used two different sizes. See below. The small angel cookies I sprinkled with decorating sugar. I knew they were too small for anyone to ice or frost. To frost you may use store-bought frosting. It is very easy with young children and then let them decorate with colored sugars, sprinkles, and different colored frostings. For older children, fondant is fun to use. You simply roll it out and then use your cookie cutter to cut out the fondant. With a tiny bit of milk, you put a drop or two on the backside of the fondant and then gently press it on the angel cookie. You can buy decorator tubes to make eyes and a smile like the angel above, even hair and a heart! The older the child the fancier the decorations. I love a simple lemon icing glaze on my sugar cookies. Here is a link for  Lemon Icing Glaze or if you like a butter cream frosting here is a recipe for Butter Cream Frosting

Sugar Cookies Sprinkled with Decorator's Sugars

Unfrosted and Yummy Sugar Cookies

Prayer to Saint Gabriel the Archangel

Blessed Saint Gabriel the Archangel, we

beseech you to intercede for us at the throne

of Divine Mercy:

As you announced the mystery of the

Incarnation to Mary, so through your prayers

may we receive strength of faith and courage

of spirit, and thus find favour with God and

redemption through Christ Our Lord.

May we sing the praise of God our Saviour

with the angels and saints in heaven forever

and ever.

Amen

Books for Children 

Below are links that will take you to books that include the story of the Archangel Gabriel appearing to the Blessed Virgin Mary with God's plan for her. Click the link to take you to the website where you can order the books. Some of them may also be found on Amazon.

https://www.orderosv.com/product/children-s-mary-bundle

https://www.ignatius.com/Search.aspx?k=My+First+Pictures+Christmas

https://www.ignatius.com/Search.aspx?k=Mary+Mother+Jesus

https://www.ignatius.com/The-Catholic-Bible-for-Children-P1594.aspx

*

Stained glass is often used in churches to illustrate biblical stories, where the natural light illuminates the characters and scenes. This design of the Angel Gabriel can be found in the church of St James in Pangbourne, Berkshire. It was produced by Karl Parsons, a member of the Arts and Crafts Movement which sought to raise the importance of craftsmanship.

HAPPY BAKING!

ReplyForward

Advent Begins November 27/28 - Advent Waiting through Baking

Advent Calendar by Vermont Christmas Company

What is Advent waiting? We hear many references to the Christmas story, and we know that means the story of the birth of  Jesus, the Son of God and the son of Mary. But what do I mean by Advent waiting? 

 During the Season of Advent the Church calls to mind the Chosen People of God in the Old Testament who were waiting for the birth of the Messiah. The Church reminds us of their waiting every year in her liturgical calendar. There are four weeks in Advent. The last week in Advent may be only a few days before Christmas. This year it is almost  a full week.

  During Advent there is the retelling of the the waiting by a people who Isaiah the prophet tells us, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." (Isa. 9:2) The people were waiting for the fulfillment of the promise issued in Gen. 3:15 by God after the sin of Adam and Eve, " I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. They were waiting for the promised savior.

 As we recall week by week the waiting of the Chosen People for the Messiah, we wait. We wait in expectation of the celebration of the birth of the Messiah for He has come! Each week in Advent reminds us of those who waited and longed for Jesus. Each week the Christmas story unfolds as we near Christmas day. The Church reminds us in her liturgical readings during Advent that we are still waiting. We are waiting for Christ to come again at the end of time. Advent is a period of waiting.

In a simple and fun way, each week during Advent I am choosing a cookie cutter symbol of the Christmas story as we wait with our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and students for the Christmas celebration. For week one it will be an angel. We will use angel cookie cutters to make sugar cookies and decorate them all the while learning the part angels played in the Christmas story. Week two we will use the candy cane cookie cutter for the shepherd's staff. We will use a different sugar cookie recipe and learn a bit about shepherds in the Christmas story. Week three will be a candle cookie cutter and we will see how the light was becoming brighter as the Messiah prepared to enter the world. Our last cookie cutter will be the star. The star guided the Magi to Jesus. Star cookies will be our last batch of cookies. They will signal the great solemn, feast of Christmas is about to arrive.

The cookie cutter, recipe, and story will post on the Friday before the weekend of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays of Advent, so you can choose to try the recipe and share its story each week.

Here is the schedule:

November 27/28 First Sunday of Advent

Blog Post:

Friday, November 26            Symbol/Cookie Cutter: Angel                        Recipe: Sugar Cookie 1

December 4/5 Second Sunday of Advent

Blog Post:

Friday, December 3                Symbol/Cookie Cutter: Shepherd's Staff     Recipe: Sugar Cookie 2

December 11/12 Third Sunday of Advent

Blog Post:

Friday, December 10                Symbol/Cookie Cutter: Candle                    Recipe: Sugar Cookie 3

December 18/19 Fourth Sunday of Advent

Blog Post:

Friday, December 17                Symbol/Cookie Cutter: Star                        Recipe: Sugar Cookie 4

If you do not have the cookie cutters already, you can find them in many of your Catholic religious goods stores, Walmart, or Amazon. Below are pictures of cookie cutters from Amazon.

Wishing you a fun and joyous time of waiting with children!

A Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, November 18

For those of you who have a chance to visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., there is a statue of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne on the crypt level with many American-born saints. You might ask why is her statue there?

French-born to wealthy parents in Grenoble, France, Rose's family was well-connected and various members held posts in the French government. Born in 1769, she was sent to a monastery school run by the Visitation sisters to be educated along with her cousin.  From her earliest days she longed to be a religious. Her father, however, had other ideas. When Rose was 17, she went for a visit to the Visitation convent and asked for admittance. She was admitted as a postulant and remained there until the Reign of Terror in France closed the convent in 1792, and sent her and other sisters home. 

Rose remained at home until the Reign of Terror was over. While there she worked nursing those who had been imprisoned and others in need.  After the Concordat of 1801, when the government allowed the Church to function again, she purchased the Visitation monastery building. With a few other sisters she attempted to restore their original Visitation convent, Sainte-Marie- d'en-Haut.  They did not succeed. 

In 1804, Rose heard of a new French congregation of women religious, the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus under the inspiration of Mother Madeleine Sophie Barat. She offered herself and the monastery to Mother Barat who accepted it, along with Rose, and several other sisters who had been with the Visitation Order.

The work of the Society of the Sacred Heart like the Visitation Order was to give young women a Catholic education. Rose continued to do that work between 1804 and 1818 in France. After a visit by Bishop William DuBourg, S.S.,  a Frenchman who was serving in the territories of the United States.  Sister Rose answered his request for religious women educators to teach French and Indian children in his diocese of Louisiana, and the two Floridas.  Like St. Therese of Lisieux, Sister Rose had always desired to serve in the missions.

Recipe for Madeleines taken from SugarSpunRun.com

At age 49, Sister Rose arrived in New Orleans but settled in Saint Charles, Missouri, near St. Louis where she began missionary work. It was here that she opened the first free school for girls west of the Mississippi River. For the next twenty years she founded many schools. At age 72 in 1841, she was invited to serve in a school for the Potawatomi Indians, in Sugar Creek, Kansas. Many thought she was too old to teach and that was true.  However, the Jesuit priest head of the mission insisted she come with these words, "She must come; she may not be able to do much work, but she will assure success to the mission by praying for us . Her very presence will draw down all manner of heavenly favors on the work." She remained in Sugar Creek for one year praying constantly for the success of the mission. The Potawatomi named her Qua-kah-ka-num-ad, which means "Woman who prays always." Her health would not allow her to remain in this poor and isolated region. She returned to Saint Charles to spend the rest of her years praying before the Blessed Sacrament. She died in 1852 at the age of 83.

 In 1988 Sister Rose Philippine Duchesne became the fourth naturalized U.S. citizen to be canonized. Her love, tireless work, and prayer for the missions are honored in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception by a statue depicting her teaching French and Indian girls.

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, Pray for Us !

A French Recipe: Madeleines

https://sugarspunrun.com/madeleines/#recipe-video

Madeleine Recipe

I recommend viewing the video. It is six minutes long and covers details that are helpful in ensuring you have a delicious, light, and tasty cookie to celebrate St. Rose's virtues of prayer and perseverance.

Below is a picture of a madeleine pan which you will need to for these cookies. You can find them online and in many department stores.

A Prayer of Dedication to Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne 

Kim King, RSCJ

 When we are asked to be bold and courageous, You are our inspiration When our imaginations dream and see beyond the limits of our sight, You are our hope When we fail to meet a challenge and need to accept our limitations, You are our model When we pray with the desire for deep union with God, You are our Saint And with your blessing, to the greater glory of God, we seek to be loving people who live and serve others with your same purpose, vision, and quiet humility. Amen

BOOKS for Children

The book by Margaret Ann Hubbard is a Vision book. The book by Barbara Yoffie is from Liguori and the other two are written by Sisters of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne religious order, Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

All Saints Day, November 1, All Souls Day, November 2, Baking with the Brown Sisters

Bread Dough All Saint Dolls, Mint Oreo Truffles, Pumpkin All Souls Cakes

One of my favorite activities is to bake. Yesterday I had the opportunity to bake with these three young ladies, the daughters of Cal and Luis Brown. We mixed, prepared, and baked All Saint Bread Dough Dolls, a traditional European bread that is made not only on All Saints Day but on the feast day of any of your favorite saints, left item. Center is Mint Oreo Truffles which is a contemporary celebratory treat, and to the left is Pumpkin Soul Cakes. Below are more pictures and brief write-ups and/or links.

It is this book, Cooking with the Saints that we found the Saints Bread Dough Doll recipe. The upper righthand corner of the book shows the finished product. Here is the Recipe from page 167.

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp. dry yeast

1/2 cup of milk - I used 2%

4 tbsp. sugar

3 cups All-purpose flour

4 tbsp. cold butter

pinch of salt

1 lemon

2 eggs separated

DIRECTIONS: Oven 400 Fahrenheit

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm milk, 98 - 110 degrees F

Add 1 tsp. sugar and 1 tsp, flour. Stir and let stand for 15 minutes

In a bowl, add flour, sugar and salt. 

Grate the lemon rind. I used a zester. This gives the bread a wonderful flavor. Add to flour mixture.

Cut cold butter into small cubes. Add to flour mixture and knead with your hands or a pastry cutter until the flour mixture is crumbly. 

Add yeast mixture, then 

Add egg whites to flour mixture and knead thoroughly until dough is smooth.

Roll dough out on lightly dusted pastry mat to 1/2 inch thickness. Cover and rest dough for 15 - 20 minutes.

Using cookies cutters, such as ginger bread men and women, cut out shapes for saint dolls. You can add trim with left over dough for hair, boots, symbols of your favorite saint. The recipe says to cut out with a sharp knife. I did that the first time I made the bread dough dolls, but I knew it wouldn't work for children. I will always use cookie cutters in the future. It is much easier.

Mix the egg yolks with a tbsp. of water or a little more for the egg wash. Brush the egg wash on your saint dolls and any leftover dough you are baking. I fashioned my leftover dough in snail like shapes!

Bake dolls at 400 degrees F for 15 - 20 minutes. 

Makes 4 large dolls and many small left over buns.

Kneading the Bread Dough

                                                                                  

Arranging the Cookie Cutter Figures

Mint Oreo Truffles being dipped in chocolate

Here is the link for the Mint Oreo Truffles. They are yummy. Be sure you have plenty of friends to share them with you because they are addictive!

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/mint-oreo-truffles/

Soul Cakes for All Souls Day

There are many customs both secular and religious associated with the Eve of All Saints Day, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day. One charming religious custom found in the Old North Country of England is the offering of a plump, fruity bun to children as they go from house to house begging for a treat. According to the custom, children beg for Soul Cakes either from their neighbors or at a party. They say,

 "A soul cake, a soul cake,

 I pray thee good mistress, a soul cake. 

An apple, a pear, a plum or a cherry, 

Any good thing to make us all merry.

 A soul cake, a soul cake,

 Please good missus a soul cake! 

One for Peter and two for Paul

And three for Him who make us all."

A Soul Cake is then given to the child in return for prayers promised for the loved ones that have departed. 

Adapting the practice to contemporary life seems to be a delightful way for parents or teachers to encourage children to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. All children can be given a Soul Cake, say a Hail Mary for the souls in purgatory and a fun and devotional custom has begun.

We adapted the traditional fruity bun to a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin. Below is a photo and the recipe.

Adding the pumpkin batter to the muffin tin

Pumpkin Muffins or One Loaf of Pumpkin Bread

This recipe made 12 muffins and two mini loaf pans 

Ingredients

1 cup of canned pumpkin

2 eggs

1/3 cup of water

Sift together:

1 2/3 cup of All-Purpose Flour

1 ½ cups of sugar

½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. of salt

¼ tsp. cloves

¼ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. cinnamon

Directions: Heat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Stir wet mixture into flour mixture incorporating well. Add ½ cup chocolate chips or raisins if desired.  For muffins bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Check after 18 minutes by poking a toothpick in the center of one. For a loaf pan, bake for 50 – 60 minutes. Test with a knife for doneness. Enjoy

Happy Feast of All Saints!

 Together let us pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory on the Feast of All Souls

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and bless is the fruit of your womb. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.