O Come Holy Spirit!

O Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.

When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in once place Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of fie which spread out and touched each person there. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.
Acts 2:1-4

Pentecost is a Jewish Feast. When we look at Acts from a Jewish perspective, the entire event makes perfect sense. Luke’s account is filled with old testament imagery. Fire that suddenly appears while not burning what it touches is not new. Mysterious windstorms coupled with fire or lightning are consistently associated with God’s presence. Yahweh is present before Moses in the form of a burning bush that is not consumed. The stories of Moses and the burning bush, Mount Sinai, the tabernacle and finally the temple all include God’s presence through fire. Those gathered in the upper room for Pentecost would have immediately recognized God’s presence.

Just before Christ ascended into heaven, forty days after His glorious resurrection, He instructed His disciples to stay in Jerusalem. He wanted them all together on Pentecost to receive God’s Holy Spirit. Christ instructed His Chosen to tarry in Jerusalem. Tarry is translated from the Greek word Kathizo, which means to sit down. What Jesus was telling His restless disciples was that it was important for them to relax. Soon enough the power of God would fill them and send them out into the world to preach the gospel while harvesting countless souls for the Lord. They would be the Firstfruits.

For Catholics Pentecost marks both the establishment of Mother Church and the close of the Easter Season.

Pentecost Sunday Tea
Benedictine Spread Cucumber Sandwiches
Pinwheel Spiral Platter with Smoked Turkey and Roast Beef
Classic Lemon Tartlets with Meringue Kisses
Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
Favorite Teas Hot or Cold

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Benedictine Spread Cucumber Sandwiches
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
2 Cucumbers, divided
1/2 cup Green Onions
4 tablespoons fresh Dill
1 tablespoon Mayonnaise
4 tablespoons Sour Cream
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Green Food Coloring as desired
16 sliced Country Bread

Set cream cheese on the counter to soften. Peel one cucumber, split lengthwise. With a small spoon remove seeds and discard. Finely mince cucumber, drain well. Finely snip green onions. Snip fresh dill, set aside.

Place softened cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Pulse to blend well. Season with salt, black pepper, dill and a pinch of cayenne.

Add cucumber and green onion, mix well. Add food coloring, one drop at a time to reach desired beautiful green tint. Chill spread well.

On a cutting board lay out the slices of bread. Spread the Benedictine Spread over the bread.

Peel remaining cucumber. Slice cucumber paper-thin. Lay cucumber slices, slightly overlapping, on half of the bread slices. Close with remaining slices. Trim crust, then cut sandwiching into quarters. Secure with a cocktail pick and arrange on a serving platter.

Finishing Touches
Arugula
Grape Tomatoes

Garnish as desired with Arugula and tomatoes. Serve and enjoy.

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Pinwheel Spiral Platter
Garden Vegetable Smoked Turkey Pinwheel Spirals
3 Spinach Tortilla Wraps
6 tablespoons Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread
6 Red Leaf Lettuce Leaves
12 oz Deli Smoked Turkey

Lay wraps out on a flat surface. Spread about 2 tablespoons Vegetable Cream Cheese on each wrap. Add 2 torn lettuce leaves, overlapping slightly, toward one end. Divide turkey slices between the wraps over the lettuce.

Starting at the end closest to the filling, roll up tightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours.

Roast Beef Horseradish Pinwheel Spirals
2 tablespoons Prepared Horseradish or to taste
4 tablespoons Mayonnaise
3 Sun-dried Tortilla Wraps
6 Green Leaf Lettuce Leaves
12 oz Deli Roast Beef

In a small bowl mix horseradish with mayonnaise. Lay wraps out on a flat surface. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the mayo mixture on each wrap. Add 2 torn lettuce leaves, overlapping slightly, toward one end. Divide Roast Beef slices between the wraps over the lettuce.

Starting at the end closest to the filling, roll up tightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours.

Spiral Pinwheel Platter
Grape Tomatoes
Handful Arugula

When ready to assemble the platter, remove the wraps from the refrigerator. Working with one wrap at a time, remove the plastic wrap and place seam-side down on a cutting board. Trim ends with a serrated knife. Cut pinwheels into 1-1/2 inch slices with a sawing motion to avoided crushing the roll.

Arrange pinwheels on a serving platter. Garnish with tomatoes and Arugula.

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Classic Lemon Tartlets with Meringue Kisses
Pasty Shells
1 (2-disk) package Refrigerated Pie Crust
Cooking Spray

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 30 mini muffin tins with cooking spray. Set aside.

On a floured surface, carefully unroll the pie dough. Using a cookie cutter, fluted biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass, cut out rounds from the pie dough. Place each circle into the muffin pan, press down. Prick the inside of each cup with a fork to prevent crust from puffing up.

Bake shells for 10 minutes or until they begin to brown. Remove from the oven, set aside to cool before filling.

Lemon Pudding Filling
1 box Instant Lemon Pudding and Pie Filling
2 cups Milk
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

In a bowl, whip pudding mix with milk. Add lemon juice. Blend until pudding reaches a soft-set consistence. Place pudding in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to fully set. Once set, fill a squeeze bottle with pudding. It makes the shells much easiery to fill.

Meringue Kisses
3 Egg Whites
1/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
6 tablespoons Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Yellow Food Coloring as desired

Heat oven to 200 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking pan with parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar on high speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, scraping the sided of the bowl as needed. Continue to bean until stiff, glossy peaks form and the sugar has completely dissolved. Beat in the vanilla. Tint with food coloring as desired.

Place Meringue in a pastry bag or cookie press fitted with a star tip. Pipe enough “kissed” to top each lemon tartlets. Just to be safe, pipe a few extras.

Place in the oven and bake until fully dry, about 30 minutes to an hour. Let cool completely.

Fill pastry shells with the lemon pudding. Top with a kiss. Arrange on a serving platter or tier cupcake platter. Garnish with tiny flowers if desired.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
10 tablespoons Butter
1 Lemon, zested
3 cups Flour
1 cup Sugar
3 tablespoons Poppy Seeds
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 large Egg
1/3 cup Milk

Position rack in the top third of the oven and heat oven to 375-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Freeze butter. Once frozen, dice into small pieces. Keep chilled until ready to use. Zest lemon, set aside.

Mix flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, lemon zest and salt in a food processor. Add butter and cut in in quick pulses until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Whisk egg with lemon juice. Add to the flour mixture and pulse until moist clumps form. Add milk and pulse until dough comes together.

Using floured hands, gather the dough into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten dough slightly and shape into an 8-inch round disk. Cut dish into 8 wedges.

Finishing Touches
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Milk
1 tablespoon Sugar
Lemon Curd as desired

In a small bowl whisk lemon juice with milk. Brush top of the scones with the mixture. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake scones in the heated oven until golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Remove from oven, let cool for just a few minutes. While still warm brush scones with Lemon Curd, serving additional curd on the side to use as desired.

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Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth