Liturgical Year Summer Desserts!

We have enjoyed making some cool summer treats in celebration of the liturgical year! We celebrated Trinity Sunday with these trinity sundaes... neapolitan ice cream (three flavors in one ice cream!) along with three topping choices (shredded coconut, almonds, and chocolate chips).

We served them in these fun cone-shaped dishes that I have had for years.

This one isn't a dessert... honey cornmeal muffins for St. John the Baptist's feast day. John was described as eating honey and locusts, so we had these honey muffins with our dinner (which did not consist of locusts!). In the original recipe, sesame oil is called for, but I subbed coconut oil. I also used more whole wheat flour than was called for... and even Cecilia, who is not a big bread-eater, loved them! We had them alongside a vegetarian Friday evening dinner.

But speaking of the locusts, we did have grasshopper parfaits for dessert! Apparently, the term "grasshopper" when used in desserts means something that is green and minty. They used to sell grasshopper cookies, I seem to recall, although I cannot remember what they looked like now and haven't seen them in ages! These are made with mint-flavored chocolate pudding, Andes mint baking bits, and whipped cream that has been tinted green.

Caroline colored a John the Baptist coloring page.

See, it's green... see??? ;) It actually has some green tint to it, but it was very light and didn't show up in the photos...

Next up we had a key lime pie on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. We also had beer-battered fish for dinner, since the early apostles were referred to as "fishers of men." The key lime pie was specifically for Peter, the first Pope, to whom Jesus told he would give the keys of Heaven in the Gospel of Matthew.

It was the first time I have ever made key lime pie... and technically, they weren't even key limes, because I couldn't find any at the two grocery stores where we shop... but the idea is still there. I topped it with fresh whipped cream - mmmmm!

For the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we had Sacred Heart Sundaes: strawberry ice cream (scooped out in a heart shape), with peach slices to represent the flames, and chocolate chips and sunflower seeds to make the crown of thorns which encircles the heart. Here is an image of the Sacred Heart for those who may not be familiar.

...and you can see how hot it is during June in Georgia as the ice cream begins to melt instantly...

One quick photo before it all melts away!!!

Hope everyone is having a fun-filled summer! We are about to begin our school year again, but we will still have to take some time to enjoy more summer treats and water-related activities over the next couple months... still haven't made it to the lake once yet!