There are actually two of us under the title of "Gourmet Nun!" One of us came at age 13, the other in her 30s. We have been sisters for 43 and 38 years respectively. One of use came with her mother (who felt called to this community), the other drove down in a red Carmen Ghia, leaving behind a job in a flower shop in Boston. Between us we have almost a century of cooking experience (that actually sounds kind of frightening!) having cooked since we were young. We have been in choir, wind ensemble, orchestra, painted, made quilts and both have been or are executive chefs in our events kitchen. We both love food; but especially the relationship between hospitality and the dining room, the Eucharistic table and the banquet table. Nothing makes either of us happier than a well-planned and well-executed meal that speaks of the love of God.
Stuffed Mushrooms: Practically Perfect in Every Way!
Recently, we had the joy of celebrating the 80th birthday of one of our Sisters. What better way to celebrate this milestone than a Mary Poppins-themed party? Beautiful table settings, colorful flower arrangements and fanciful kite decorations added to the festivities, and the food was not far behind! Among the offerings that evening was a favorite of many of our Sisters: stuffed mushrooms. Warm and savory, this appetizer is reserved for special occasions and doesn’t last long on the plate!
Gently clean mushroom caps by wiping black dirt off with a paper towel
Remove mushroom stems, and finely dice.
Coat the bottom of a skillet and sautee the garlic until tender. Add the diced mushroom stems and cook until soft.
Remove skillet from heat, and set aside to cool.
In a mixer or hand mixed, combine cream cheese, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Once mushroom stems are cool, add to bowl and thoroughly combine.
Grease a 9x9 glass casserole dish, and arrange mushroom caps hollow side up.
Using small spoons, gently fill the mushroom caps with the cream cheese filling and bake for 20 minutes in the oven, or until moisture begins to form in the cap.
Remove from oven, garnish with chive and serve alongside other hors d’oeuvres.
We are blessed by having visitors from all over the United States coming to stay in Bethany, our lovely Guest House—and the cooking Sisters love to serve them the best of Cape Cod cuisine. Situated right on the water, with fishing boats arriving and departing on each tide, it’s sometimes easy for us to forget what a fantastic opportunity we have to enjoy fish fresh from the catch. Our eager guests often prove to be an incentive for us to investigate new ways to prepare a Cape Cod classic, such as Filet of Sole—and this particular recipe has proven to be a big hit!
Preheat the oven on warm. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a pie plate
Heat 1 Tbsp of oil and 1 Tbsp of butter in a skillet. Add cherry tomatoes, toss until thoroughly cooked; at the last minute, add most of the basil, saving some to sprinkle on when served. Place in a warm oven.
In the same skillet, melt 3 Tbsp butter. While that’s heating, dredge the fish in the flour, then cook on medium to hot in a skillet until golden—about 2 minutes per side. As it’s browning up, add a little wine for flavor!
When ready to serve, tumble tomatoes onto the fish, and garnish with chopped basil leaves or parsley and a lemon wedge.
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and mix until batter is smooth ( 15-20 seconds).
Spray non-stick cooking spray onto a 8 inch frying or crepe pan. Pour 1/4 cup batter into the pan and cook over medium-low heat. Turn pan immediately from side to side to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.
Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, or until lightly golden. Remove from heat and stack with a piece of baking paper between each one until ready to serve.
Serve with your favorite toppings...we love fresh fruit!
As we were planning a reception for an upcoming Organ Concert, we all agreed on the perfect savories, but couldn’t make a decision about a complimentary sweet. “How about Thumbprint Cookies,” piped up a nearby sister, “but this time, try rolling them in chopped nuts.”
Great idea – they’re colorful, and above all, they’re an old-time favorite that everyone loves.
Butter, brown sugar, chopped nuts, and your jam of choice – a definite Yum!
Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
Add vanilla and egg yolk; keep egg white separate in a little dish.
Toss the flour and salt lightly together and then gently mix in.
Shape dough into 20 balls; dip in egg white and then in chopped nuts
Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart; make a thumb indentation, and be sure the dough isn’t splitting apart.
Bake for about 15-17 minutes. When golden and done, remove from oven, and indent each cookie again. Then spoon a little of your favorite jam into each thumbprint. Cool completely.
With the return of warmer weather, we also welcome the return of guests to our community either for retreats, workshops, or events that we host. As hospitality is a hallmark of the Benedictine life, these events offer us an opportunity to put this monastic practice in place!
Hosting guests will sometimes limit our time spent in meal preparation, and our solution to providing our sisters with a delicious home-cooked meal and caring for our guests can be found in a vital (and in our case, under-used) kitchen appliance: the crock pot!
We made these slow-cooker ribs recently for our main meal, and it was a hit! Even our sisters with restricted diets just had to have a taste. Simple, easy and delicious, this is a recipe that we will be using again this summer.
Brush the bottom of the crockpot with olive oil, just enough to coat
Place the sliced onion in an even layer on the bottom of the pot.
Sprinkle the ribs with salt, pepper and brown sugar. Top with the minced garlic, and place in the crockpot.
Pour the apple juice over the ribs and set the temperature on the crockpot to the lowest temperature setting. Place the lid on the pot and let cook overnight or 7-9 hours.
After 7-9 hours, the ribs should be very tender and falling off the bone. Remove from crockpot and place in a 9x13 casserole dish. Liberally cover the ribs with barbecue sauce and cover the pan with foil.
Cook in a low oven (200 degrees) for another 2 hours and enjoy!
With daffodils and crocuses springing up everywhere, what could be more appealing on these beautiful April days, than a coconut cream pie—and prepped in a surprisingly simple way!
Combine salt and flour; cut in shortening with 2 knives or pastry cutter, until pea-size pieces.
Add water a little at a time, using a fork toss lightly and mix until it holds together. Don’t over mix!
Shape dough into a flat disk, gently roll out and place in a pie plate, crimping until the edge firmly grips the top of the dish.
Brush lightly with the egg mixture to make if flakey and crisp; with a fork poke holes
Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until golden
Pie Filling
While crust is in the oven, make pudding following the directions on the box, adding salt, coconut flavoring; chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 20 minutes
In a small pan, toast 1/4 cup of coconut in the oven for 3-4 minutes until light brown
Fold a generous spatula full of cool whip into pudding, adding 1/4 cup of coconut
Spoon into cooled pie crust, top with more cool whip (or whipped cream) and sprinkle toasted coconut on top
