Mothers are Christ-like in that they lay down their lives for their children. Whether it is in the delivery room, the office, the kitchen, or many miles away interceding on our behalf, our mothers teach us the important message of Christ: that there is no greater love than sacrificial love.
Our homes are meant to represent the Church, specifically the celebration and sacrifice of the Mass. We are called to imitate the same love that Christ has for His Bride. At Mass, we are fed both spiritually and physically. So, too, within our own homes.
Meals from Our Moms
Reflecting upon this reality, I thought about my own mother and how she nourishes both the body and soul of my family.
Some of my most treasured memories are of my mother baking in our kitchen. Her inviting warmth and love—as she stood over the counter peeling apples and rolling out dough—helped me through the struggles and joys of childhood. She wasn’t just indulging our family’s sweet tooth, she was imparting to our family a gift of herself. She was offering her time, energy, and love for our joy.
In honor of Mother’s Day, I asked some women to share how their mothers fed them both spiritually and physically. These beautiful women shared the impact their mothers had in their Catholic Faith along with their favorite meal.
I hope these witnesses of love along with these delicious dishes inspire you! (I’m sharing my mom’s apple pie recipe at the bottom!)
Christie Peters // Mom's Salsa
“All my life, I've seen my mother pray. In the morning, in her chair, she carved out a special time to be with the Lord and give Him her attention. Even as a young child I was amazed at her consistency and slightly wondered how she could spend so long praying. I remember asking her about it once, and she said she was no good to anyone if she didn't take the time to let herself be filled up first. It's something that has always stuck with me. And now as an adult, when I'm tempted to skip my own prayer time or get caught up in my own to-do list, I am reminded of a lifetime example of watching my mother pray. And I remember the type of woman I want to be.”
Mom’s Salsa
Ingredients:
- 7-8 roma tomatoes
- 1 fresh jalapeno (remove seeds)
- 1-1 ½ lime
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1/4 or 1/8 onion
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
- 1/8 tsp oregano
- 1/8 tsp cumin or chili powder
Instructions:
- Wash all ingredients and pat dry.
- Blend 1 tomato, garlic, and lime juice in a high speed blender
- Add in half of remaining ingredients at a time and blend on low setting.
- Add in handfuls of cilantro in between tomatoes and blend to desired consistency.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight jar. Lasts up to two weeks in the fridge.
Christie Peters is an art teacher turned full time artist and co-founder of Every Sacred Sunday. She specializes in watercolor and has illustrated the last three Every Sacred Sunday journals as well as writing and illustrating for other independent projects. This past year she started taking aerial dance classes for fun and likes to daydream about joining the circus. Come say hi to her here.
Melissa Tablada // Tortellini with Pesto
“My family is culturally Catholic, based in our Italian heritage, but we were not practicing the Faith and I had no concept of the role Jesus wanted to play in my life. I am so grateful that my mom saw the importance of me receiving the Sacraments as I grew up. I was baptized, received my First Communion and Reconciliation, went through Confirmation, and occasionally attended Sunday School, all due to her promptings. It wasn't until I was 18 years old that I had an encounter with Jesus that transformed my heart and life. My mom planted the seeds that God would water and cultivate over time, and would later blossom into deep faith. She played a profound role in allowing the foundation to be formed and I am so grateful for that.”
Tortellini With Pesto
“Although my mom was not the cook in our family growing up, there were a few things that she put together that I still absolutely love to this day.
My all time favorite is a simple, yet delicious, tortellini with pesto dish.
She would always use the Buitoni brand of tortellini as well as Buitoni's pesto.
She would chop up some cherry tomatoes to throw into the mix, along with pine nuts and Romano cheese.
It is such a classic, it can be ready to eat within 20 minutes and my mouth is now watering.”
Melissa Tablada is a devoted Catholic & wife of two years, living in Miami, Florida. She works as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Creighton Fertility Care Practitioner and SoulCore Leader. She is passionate about healthy relationships, fostering community, and exploring the outdoors. You can follow along Melissa here!
Fabiola Millican // Corn Lasagna
“My mom, Fiorella Grillo, was a beautiful woman inside and out. She was a woman of faith that showed kindness and love with a gentle smile. My mom taught us to love the Lord and give thanks often. We had a beautiful and blessed life with constant reminders from that it was all thanks to Him, our Savior. My mom had a love for the Eucharist and for the Holy Spirit that I admired from a young age. I wanted to grow up to be just like her, with faith as strong as hers.
When my mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017, she held onto her Faith in a beautiful way. She felt peace knowing that she and her health were entirely in God’s hands. Instead of fearing the inevitable truth that she faced, she gave thanks for the beautiful life she lived. She opened her eyes every morning with joy and said, “Thank you for another day.”
When the day came that God called her home, her last moments consisted of receiving the Eucharist with a smile on her face, making the Sign of the Cross, and waving to her husband and three daughters as she slowly went away.
I feel her with me every single day.”
Corn Lasagna
Ingredients:
- Shredded mozzarella
- Parmesan cheese
- Heavy whipping cream
- No-boil lasagna pasta
- Sweet corn
- Aluminum (lasagna) baking pan
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven 350-400 degrees.
- Pour a half inch of heavy whipping cream at the base of the baking pan and lay the pasta side by side creating the first layer.
- Pour enough cream on the pasta layer to cover the pasta and then top by mozzarella and sweet corn, be as generous as you’d like.
- Repeat Step 3 until you have built at least 4 layers.
- Cover the last pasta layer with mozzarella, sweet corn, and add parmesan cheese this time.
- Stick into the oven and cook for at least 30 minutes (monitor depending on the oven temperature).
- Note: A crispier top is more delicious, so maybe low broil towards the end.
Fabiola Millican is a Florida girl with an Italian mom and Venezuelan dad. Her two sisters are her best friends. Family (as you can tell) is the most important thing to her. She is married to her favorite person in the world, Cole. They were blessed to be married in St. Peter’s Basilica, in Vatican City. She is a marketing manager that specializes in Social Media. She speak three languages, has traveled to over 30 countries, and loves Jesus with her entire heart. Her biggest and most beautiful blessing is in her belly right now: a little boy arriving in May 2020, God willing. She loves the beach, the sun, and talking about how good God is in almost every sentence. Follow along here!
Allison Seitz // Coffee Cake
"My mom took great delight in helping and serving others and passed that on to me. Growing up, I remember fondly making meals for families who just welcomed a new baby, doing laundry for someone who just lost a parent, and being a place where children knew they were always welcome. She taught me how to be a servant.
My mother has a profound trust in God. She taught me the importance of prayer, always, but especially when faced with uncertainty. When my father left, there were some very hard years, but she kept on serving, she never stopped loving, and she relied completely on God to get her though. She taught me how to trust that God will provide.
A little over three years ago, she packed up her life in New York and moved in with our family in Indiana. We are very grateful. She continues to love and serve in our home, as well as in our community. She recently went as far as watching a 15 month-old, for 5 days, while his mother was in the hospital having her second baby. I was out of town loving my best friend whose mother had just passed. Oh, and all three kids in her care got sick! She is still teaching me how to love radically.
It was never difficult for me to know what God’s love is like because I have a mother who truly embodies God’s love. What God pours into her, she gives, and gives. I pray that I can become more like my mother."
Marmie Paolini’s Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter - soft
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/3 cup sour cream
Topping:
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup soft butter
- 1-2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Then add to the butter mixture.
- Stir in sour cream until just blended.
- Option 1: Put in a greased 9x13 pan; Option 2: Put in 2 greased 8 inch round pans.
- Mix topping together in a separate bowl. Sprinkle topping and cook for 18-25 minutes. Use a toothpick to check if the cake is cooked.
Allison Seitz currently lives in Indiana with her husband, two sons, and mom. She spends her days running after her boys and making rosaries. She enjoys singing the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with her sons, drinking hot tea, making rosaries, and binge watching Netflix. You can see more of the beautiful items she makes and sells here!
Claire Couche // Apple Pie
"When I think about Catholicism, I think about my mother. She carries with her the strength, dignity, determination, and passion of her patron, Saint Catherine of Siena. She loves Christ with all her being. She taught me about the Faith through her witness and has always spoken and defended the Truth in season and out of season. She has always transformed her suffering into beauty and makes every opportunity to use the graces Christ bestows upon her. Even though we live many miles away, I feel her intercession throughout each day and know she continues to sacrifice for me through her love and prayers."
Mom’s Apple Pie
Pie Crust Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 2/3 cup and 1 tablespoon butter flavored Crisco
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup cold water, or more as needed
Pie Filling Ingredients:
- 10 medium apples or enough to fill but not mounding pie plate, peeled and thinly sliced (Mom uses a mix of Cortland and Empire)
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons apple pie spice
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, with oven rack in middle.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, Crisco, salt, and sugar.
- Using a knife and then your hands, mix ingredients until completely combined.
- Slowly add cold water and mix until a ball forms. The dough should be soft, but not sticky.
- Cut the dough ball in half.
- Flour your surface and rolling pin.
- Take half of the dough ball and roll out to about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer it to a 9″ pie plate, and trim the edge so there is only 1/2-inch of overhang all around.
- Fill the pie plate with apples.
- Sprinkle flour, sugar, butter, and apple pie spice onto apples.
- Lift and gently shake the pie plate to distribute ingredients. Gently set the pie plate back onto the surface.
- Roll out the top crust on a floured surface. Slit pie openings. Place over filling.
- Press the top crust to the bottom crust gently to seal, then trim the excess top crust away, leaving just 1/2-inch overhang all around. Tuck the overhang under itself, making a thicker edge around the pie plate. Use your fingers and crimp the edges to seal.
- Bake pie at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for fifteen minutes.
- After fifteen minutes, turn down the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for another 35 minutes, or until golden-brown.
Happy Mother’s Day! Please share a favorite recipe from your mom or how she inspired your faith life in the comments below!
Meals from Our Moms #BISblog //Click to tweet
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Claire Couche is a wife, etiquette instructor, blogger, homeschooling mother, and registered nurse. She is passionate about sharing content that helps her community live a beautiful and virtuous life. Using her degrees in theology and history, Claire shares about the Catholic faith often on her IG account @findingphilothea and her website, Finding Philothea. You can often find her reading a good book in a beautiful dress! Learn more about Claire and all things etiquette here.
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