Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist!  Fun catechetical tidbit:  He and the Virgin Mary are the only two lucky saints who get to celebrate their earthly birth within the liturgical calendar of the Church.  St. John because his birth marked the beginning of the new Covenant, according to Scripture.  Mary, because she's Mary and she was kinda important in the whole making salvation available to us sort of thing.  The rest of the saints' feast days usually occur on the anniversary of their earthly death, or if that one is taken, a day close by or of other significance.  

So today we observed the feast of the prophet who dined on locusts and honey with my own version of Grasshopper Parfaits.  (For lunch we had peanut butter and honey sandwiches.  They pretty much have that every day.  But I'm all about finding the catechesis in even the mundane and ordinary so it totally counts.)

So simple and since the ingredients are all organic, it's completely healthy.  Ahem.

Crush a whole bunch of mint flavored sandwich cookies.  I used our immersion blender's chopper attachment which is the awesomest tool ever.  Make the pudding according to the box but add a few drops of peppermint extract and chill.  (I'm getting really gourmet for you now, aren't I?)  Whip up a cup of raw cream with 2 tbsp. confectioner's sugar and a few drops of the peppermint extract.  (Fine, you can use pasteurized cream if you must.  But don't tell me if you're using 'whipped topping'.  I can't take it.)

Layer the cookies, pudding, and whipped cream in a fancy little dish (these ones happened to be part of my recently bestowed heirlooms from my Grandpa).  Chill the parfaits in the fridge.

Before we indulged we did a little bit of grasshopper hunting in order to earn our treat.  

It was hot and the hoppers were elusive.  We weren't able to catch anything but a tiny cricket.  

We didn't eat it.

Instead we enjoyed our treat in honor of the great voice crying out in the wilderness.  

I'm sure he would've liked parfaits.