Good Friday Recipes

Ok...so having Good Friday recipes is probably an oxymoron given that it is THE fasting day of the year, but nonetheless....here goes.  After Mass this past Sunday, a fellow parishioner invited us on a Good Friday Walk.  I had never heard of such a thing!  It is a really cool idea, too.  Basically, you meet in downtown New Orleans (or other large city rich with Catholic culture, cuisine, and large beautiful Cathedrals) with other families.  We will then walk around the city to 9 different Catholic Churches and stop to say one or two Stations of the Cross at each one - all to be done before the 3:00 p.m. services.  It should be a really amazing experience.  A beautiful way to commemorate the Passion of our Lord, I think.  Kids are expected to come (we are Pro-Life here, after all ;), and the only rule is you bring your own wagons, slings, water, snacks, and other paraphernalia needed to tote lots of kids around for several hours.  I can't wait for our family to experience this.  I'm hoping this will quickly become a LeBlanc family tradition.  Now for the recipe part of this post.  While most of us are expected to fast on Good Friday, obviously a 5 year old, 3 year old, 1 year old and her accompanying nursing mom are more limited in that regard.  So, I plan on bringing some light snacks to get us through the day.  I got both of these recipes from my mother-in-law, and I think they will pack up nicely for this occasion. 

 Sweet & Spicy Nuts

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp each cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder, chipotle powder

1/8 tsp nutmeg

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 cups nuts (I used fresh pecans)

¼ cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp water

½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

dash hot sauce

In small bowl, combine salt and spices; set aside.

In a large heavy skillet, melt butter. Add nuts.

Cook over medium heat until nuts are toasted, about 4 minutes.

Sprinkle with spice mixture.  Add brown sugar, water and sauces.

Cook and stir for few minutes until sugar is melted.  Spread on foil to cool. 

Store in airtight container.

*these are actually not that spicy...you can leave out the hot sauce and chipotle powder if you like, though*

Peanut Butter Balls

1 c. peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)

1/4 c. honey

1/2 c. instant dry milk

1/2 c. raisins 1/4 c. sesame seeds (optional - I don't use this)

MIx peanut butter and honey together.  Thoroughly mix in instant dry milk.  Stir in raisins.  Scoop out 1 T. of mixture and roll into balls with hands and place on a plate.  Optional:  Roll balls in sesame seeds to geta nice even coating.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before eating (they are better this way).

My husband says he remembers coming home from school all the time and his mom would have a plate of these waiting for him =)  She is one of those moms we all aspire to be.  I actually made these as a surprise for him tonight...I hope he likes them!  And, really, depending on the choice of peanut butter, these are probably a nice alternative to other unhealthy snacks for kids.  I know my kids really enjoyed making them, so that's a plus too!

I wish I had pictures to post of these (I tried the nut recipe last night), but my sister is holding my camera hostage 2 hours away!  Not really...I left it there from my Mardi Gras visit.  Ah well...such is life.  Enjoy the recipes!

Oh!  For good measure, here is an actual simple, meatless recipe that is probably more Lent-ish.  It is Pioneer Woman's Simple Sesame Noodles.  They are very good and easy to make.  She also has a baked lemon pasta that looks awesome, but I haven't tried yet...I would like to one Friday soon!   

Happy Feast Day of the Chair of St. Peter!