According to Lutheran Service Book, the commemoration of St. Monica falls on August 27 each year. But who exactly is St. Monica? And how does one celebrate her? To answer these questions (and more), the Party Planning Committee is back!

Monica, mother of St. Augustine of Hippo, is remembered today as an example of faith, patience, and godliness in the face of complicated family relationships.

In this episode, Rachel briefly tells Monica’s inspiring life story before suggesting an appropriate menu and party plan befitting the saint’s fabled austerity — featuring vegetable porridge, bread, water, loud weeping, and all-night prayer vigils. Thankfully, Erin and Sarah intervene with a much more festive set of ideas, including Erin’s original recipe for St. Monica buns (see below) and Sarah’s home-grown party games: pin the collect on the saint, “Aqueducts and Leviathans” (a fun “Shoots and Ladders” spinoff), and, of course, a hymn sing.

St. Monica's Buns

Recipe by Erin Alter

Makes 12 buns (can easily be doubled)

Dough

½ c (117 ml) milk, any kind, lightly warmed

1 ¼ t (½ packet) instant yeast

2 T (25 g) granulated sugar

¾ t salt

1 large egg

4 T (57 g) butter, softened

1 ¾ c (227 g) flour

Filling

3 T packed brown sugar

¼- ½ t cinnamon

Scant 1/8 t ground ginger

Good pinch of salt

2 peaches, pitted and diced

Garnish

Milk

Turbinado sugar

Whisk together warm milk, yeast, sugar, and salt a large bowl. Whisk in eggs. Add softened butter, chunked up. Use Danish dough whisk to incorporate flour. Stir vigorously for the duration of one of your favorite songs (ideally 4-6 minutes; the song will help it go faster). The dough will be smooth but still extremely sticky. This is proper.

Transfer the whole mess into an oiled bowl big enough to hold it when doubled. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and from here there are two possible schedules:

• Method 1: Let the dough rise at room temperature until it just shy of doubles, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Transfer dough to the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. It is impossible to work with this dough when still at room temperature; don’t even try.
• Method 2: Let the dough rise in the fridge a minimum of 8 hours, and up to 2 days. It will be just about doubled when it comes out.

From this point, you are now back on the same track, regardless of your rising method. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a muffin tin. Combine brown sugar, spices, and salt. Mix in the diced peaches. Set aside to get juicy.

On a well-floured counter, divide the dough in quarters, and then divide each quarter into 3 pieces, so you have 12 pieces of dough.

Roll each piece of dough into a ball. On a well-floured counter, use a rolling pin to flatten it out into a circle, ~ 4 inches wide. Add flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Work fairly quickly, so the dough doesn’t get too warm.

Holding the circle of dough in your palm, add two heaping spoonful’s of the peaches to the center. Gather the edges of the dough up around the sides, forming a little nest. Nestle the nest into the muffin tin and repeat. If you have extra peaches at the end, you can see if there are any buns that you could scoop a little more into.

Brush the dough edges with a little milk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake for 16-18 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Let cool at least 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin and serving.

Optional: Serve with crème fraiche.

Note: If you add extra peaches to a bun, don’t let the peaches heap up over the dough much at all. If you do, they will probably overflow in the oven and you will have delicious buns that are very, very sticky to eat and an extremely messy pan to clean. And non-overflowed buns are just as delicious, and much more pleasant to eat.

Crème Fraiche

Combine 1 c heavy whipping cream with 1 heaping T sour cream in a container with a tight fitting lid. Shake for 15 seconds (don’t turn this to butter!). Leave it on the counter for 24 hours, covered. Stir it 2-3 times during that time. It will become thickened (similar to yogurt, but not nearly as thick as Greek yogurt) and delicious. Note: If your kitchen is too cold, it won’t thicken.

Resources referenced:

Accounts of St. Monica:

• St Monica – The Patron Saint of Alcoholics & Mothers! (bishoysblog.com)
• St. Monica - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online
• Saint Monica - Wikipedia

Recipe for Roman puls porridge:

• Romans in Britain - Recipe for Puls Fabata (Fava bean porridge) (romanobritain.org)

Recipe for Roman bread:

• How to make Roman bread: a Roman bread recipe (vita-romae.com)

Aqueducts and Leviathans!

Want to play a fun game of Aqueducts and Leviathans? Download the PDF Aqueducts and Leviathans Board Game here!

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!

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