The first order of business for Easter is to resurrect the Alleluia sign that we buried on Fat Tuesday. My kids take the rule of not saying “Alleluia” during Lent very seriously. Every once in a while, I’ll get a song in my head that contains that word and accidentally sing it. They never fail to let me know that I made a mistake! “Mommm! It’s LENT!” This wooden Alleluia sign is from Catholic All Year. It is so much fun when we finally get to belt out “Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia!”
Liturgical Breakfast: Empty Tomb Donuts or Rolls?
We’ve tried two different liturgical breakfasts for Easter over the past three years. Which did we like better? Read on to find out…
Empty Tomb Donuts
Donuts can easily be used to illustrate that the tomb was found empty. Simply cut the donut in half, and stand them up to signify the tomb, and use a donut hole to signify the stone that sealed the tomb.
So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.
Matthew 27:59-60
Next, roll away the donut hole. Bam! You now have an empty tomb. Delicious.
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene ad the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.
Matthew 28:1-2
Empty Tomb Rolls
Another idea is to make Resurrection Rolls, which are similar in concept to the Easter Story Cookies that we’ve previously made.
Begin with 12 Rhodes Rolls. They will need to be thawed for 1-2 hours on the counter. This is less time than instructed on the bag, but they should be just thawed enough to be able to be flattened with a rolling pin.
While they’re thawing, assemble your other ingredients:
- 12 large marshmallows
- 4 Tbsp of butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Also, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
When the rolls are ready, use a rolling pin to flatten one. Dip a marshmallow into the butter and then roll it in the cinnamon sugar. The marshmallow signifies Jesus, who was innocent and sinless. The butter, cinnamon, and sugar signify the oils and spices that would have been used to anoint His body before burial. The dough is the tomb.
Wrap the dough around Jesus (the marshmallow), dip it in butter and then cinnamon sugar, and place it seam side down in the muffin pan. Repeat until all 12 rolls are ready, and let them rest 15 minutes.
Next, cook them in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
When the timer sounded, I eagerly retrieved them from the oven. We couldn’t wait to see the hollow, empty tomb!
As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.”
Mark 16:5-6
However. Something went wrong, and these rolls were not empty. For some reason, the dough was as hard as a rock, and the marshmallow did not melt as advertised. At least I never said this was a cooking blog!
Maybe my dough was too old, or maybe the marshmallows weren’t fresh. I really have no idea what went wrong! But, at least we had the Hashbrown Casserole to eat, and the lesson and experience of making the rolls.
Apparently I should have warned my kids that we weren’t having the donuts this year. They were looking for them and were not as excited about the rolls, even before they found out that they weren’t edible.
The Verdict is In
Needless to say, I’m planning to serve Empty Tomb Donuts on Easter morning for the foreseeable future!
Such a cute idea! Love it