Prayer to St. Rita by Margaret Ullrich

Happy Halloween!!



Some folks were really impressed by how St. Rita was able to help me.

Well, so am I.

Since I've already published the prayer to St. Jude, I agree it's only fair to 

do the same for St. Rita, the other "Saint of the Impossible".





St. Rita of Cascia (1381-1457) lived a remarkable life.

She was a wife, mother, widow and nun.

Her husband was abusive.

Both of her sons

Prayer to A Saint by Margaret Ullrich

Just one more sleep.

Halloween.

All Hallows Eve.



Recently I posted about the feastdays of All Souls and All Saints.

I also posted about Danny Thomas and St. Jude.



Timing or what?



St. Jude is a major saint.

But there are many more saints.

I've received a few e mails asking for prayers for special patron saints.

Also for prayers for special concerns.

Some saints are experts at

Anna Sultana's Hobz - Maltese Bread l Quick Cheese Pizza

Like I said, maybe Carmela just popped into a good Italian bakery for 

a few loaves of Italian bread.

In New York, Italian bakeries are a dime a dozen compared to Maltese bakeries.

Ma had no choice.

If she wanted a taste of home, she had to bake it herself.



And so can you.



Don't get excited by the number of loaves.

Hobz loaves are small.

Orange-size balls of dough can only get so big

Anna Sultana's Crusty Italian Bread

Is there anything more basic than bread?



Carmela's Entertaining with The Sopranos included a few bread recipes, 

including a recipe for a loaf of Easter Sweet Bread in the Holidays chapter.

But, there wasn't a recipe for basic Italian bread.

Bread to accompany meals.

Bread that, with a chunk of cheese and a bottle of wine, could be a meal in itself. 





Maybe Carmela had a really good

Bye, Bye, Carmela Soprano by Margaret Ullrich

All good things must come to an end.

It's been fun cooking my way through Carmela's Entertaining with the Sopranos.

No, more than fun.

It was a reminder of where I came from.



I was an immigrant kid, just off the boat.

Stuck in Queens.

Some of my classmates and neighbors were kind.

Some were not.



Enjoying Ma's cooking was a guilty pleasure.

I loved our food.

Packing leftovers for

Anna Sultana's Pastizzi / Ricotta Tarts, Maltese Style

Okay, the Pasticiotti was the last Soprano recipe.

It was what we've come to expect from Carmela.

Delicious.

But... a bit labor intensive.



And it's a little hard to believe that she actually would make a batch for the family.

Let alone a houseful of company.



All that work for 8 tartlets.

It was supposed to serve 6.

Right.

Can't you picture Tony eating 4 all by himself?

And JR

Carmela Soprano's Pasticiotti / Tartlets with Vanilla Cream Filling

I can't believe it.

We've cooked through Carmela Soprano's Entertaining with the Sopranos.

All of it.



And we have the extra pounds to prove it.



Okay... this is the last recipe.

I'm feeling verklempt.





In the Come to My House chapter of Carmela's Entertaining with the Sopranos, there's a recipe for Pasticiotti (little vanilla cream tartlets).  

It's a nice recipe to bake to end this

Prayer to St. Jude

I got a few emails asking for the prayer to St. Jude.

No problem.

Happy to share it.

Here's a bit of info about St. Jude.
It's good to know to whom you are talking.



                        Prayer to St. Jude



St. Jude, apostle of Christ,

the Church honors and prays to you universally

as the patron of hopeless and difficult cases.

Pray for us in our needs.



Make use, we implore you,

Ma and St. Rita by Margaret Ullrich

Okay... mind wandering time again.

I'm over 60.  It happens.



A lot of Malta's special recipes are tied to our holy days.

That's HOLY days, not holidays.

Ma's Dead Man's Bones recipe was traditional for All Souls' Day.

November 2, All Soul's Day, a holy day when we remember our dead.



On All Soul's Day we remember our not quite hallowed friends and family.

Catholics are big on the '

Anna Sultana's Ladyfingers Cookies

Before I go any further, I must say Maltese are NOT cannibals.

I don't know where our recipes got their names.

I know that a few weeks ago a posted Ma's Death Man's Bones recipe.

A simple, light cookie.

Not a bit of bone in sight.

And wasn't that a nice recipe for All Souls' Day?





Okay... this week I'm posting Ma's recipe for Ladyfingers.

Chill.

You've most likely had them before.

Carmela Soprano's Anginetti / Italian Lemon Knot Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Hopefully, all your Thanksgiving leftovers are long gone.

Or at least in the deep freeze.

No, I can't face another slice of pumpkin pie, either.



Time to have some cookies.

Simple, basic cookies.

Your waist will thank you.

Your stomach will thank you.

Your family will thank you.

Really.





In the Fit for a Bride chapter of Carmela's Entertaining with the Sopranos,
there's a recipe for

VOTE!!! by Margaret Ullrich

Lately it seems like all we Canadians do is vote.I know...What, again?How many months has it been?Been there, done that. 
Familiarity breeds contempt.
But, really, this is a new election.Not the same candidates as we had a few months ago.No, really.

It's none of my business who you vote for.I'm tired of the commercials, too.In a perfect world, they'd be able to keep all their promises.The

Anna Sultana's Ravjuletti bl-Irkotta / Deep fried Ravioli Appetizers, Maltese Style

Have leftover ravjul?

Need an appetizer? 

You're all set.





Small, deep-fried ravjul is a popular Maltese appetizer.

These are a little different from the ravjul we made last week.

They're smaller, hence the -etti added to the name.

The filling is also different.

Make both.



Well, not this week.






                        Ravjuletti bl-Irkotta



Rub together

250 g  flour

60 g