Louisiana Holiday Feast

Holiday Food - North vs South Louisiana

If you are not from Louisiana, you probably don't know how different the northern part of the state is from the southern part of the state. We cook different foods, pray in different churches and celebrate in very different ways. I have lived in both parts of the state and in this lens I will give you a taste of the best holiday recipes from north and south Louisiana.

What's On the Menu

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Two Different Worlds within the Same State
Holiday Feast in North Louisiana
North Louisiana Menu
Mardi Gras to Mistletoe
North Louisiana Recipes
More Pumpkin Treats
What Wikipedia says about Shreveport, LA
Feeding the Flock Monroe
Holiday Feast in South Louisiana
South Louisiana Menu
Who's Your Mama
How to Roast a Turkey Video
New Orleans St. Louis Cathedral
Best of the Best II
South Louisiana Recipes
Le Bontemps
What Wikipedia says about New Orleans, LA
More Louisiana Cookbooks on Amazon
Cajun Cooking Gift Ideas on Amazon
Food Fight!
Louisiana Holiday Lenses
More of Our Recipes
Christmas Kitten on CafePress
Ya'll Better Leave Us a Note, Dawlin'
This Lens donates 10% to Action Against Hunger
LA Holiday Recipe Blog Posts
New Orleans Food RSS Feed

Two Different Worlds within the Same State

I exist in two very different worlds. I was born in North Louisiana and grew up in a small town in Red River Parish, but I have spent the majority of my life in South Louisiana. My Father's side of the family has strong roots in New Orleans and France. There is even have a street in New Orleans that is named after one of our great uncles. My Mothers people hail from Virginia and settled on a large piece of land in Red River Parish along the Red River. This is where she was born. She lived most of her life in North Louisiana, but also lived in Texas.

North and South Louisiana are like two different states. The north was settled by predominately protestant people of English or African American heritage. It is mostly rural and agriculture and cattle ranching prevail. The diet and culture is more like Texas or Arkansas.

In the south, it is a different world. The French Catholic culture prevails in Acadiana and in New Orleans French, Spanish, Italian, German, Irish and other Catholics have blended to form a boisterous and fun loving group of people. The food is rich and the celebrations are grand.

Because of my mixed heritage, I am comfortable with either style of cooking and have prepared holiday meals in both the North and the South Louisiana styles. I've included recipes for most of the items in both meals. We hope you enjoy using these recipes.

Louisiana Holiday Feast was featured on Cabaret Squidoo on December 24, 2008.

Holiday Feast in North Louisiana

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North Louisiana Menu

Holiday Dinner Menu in North Louisiana Homes

Turkey
Cornbread Dressing
Giblet Gravy
Green Bean Casserole
Cranberry Sauce
Mashed or Baked Irish Potatoes
Brown and Serve Rolls
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Christmas Cookies

Mardi Gras to Mistletoe

Mardi Gras to Mistletoe: A Cookbook of Frestive Favorites from the Junior League of Shreveport-Bossier

by: Junior League of Shreveport-Bossier Inc

Amazon Price: $20.48 (as of 11/26/2009)

North Louisiana Recipes

Cornbread Dressing
9 cups (enough for a 12-pound turkey).

3/4 cup minced onion
1 1/2 cups chopped celery (stalks and leaves)
1 cup butter or margarine
9 cups cornbread cubes
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed sage leaves
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup of chicken or turkey stock or broth

In large skillet, cook and stir onion and celery in butter until onion is tender. Stir in about 1/3 of the cornbread cubes. Turn into deep bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss. Add 1/4-1/2 of broth or stock until mixture is moist. This dressing can be stuffed in the turkey right before roasting or spread into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish the night before. Cover and place in the refrigerator over night. Then bake it at 325 degrees F for about 45 minutes.

Giblets to add to gravy
Wash gizzard, heart, liver and neck. Cover all except liver with water; season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 peppercorns, 2 cloves, small bay leaf and a little onion. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer 1-2 hours or until gizzard is fork tender. Liver is very tender and can be fried, broiled or simmered in water, 5-10 minutes.

Giblet broth can be used in stuffing, gravy and recipes where chicken broth is specified. Cooked giblets can be cut up and added to gravy or stuffing. Refrigerate giblets and broth separately unless used immediately.

9-Inch Pumpkin Pie

Pastry for 9-inch One-crust Pie
2 eggs
1 can (1 pound) pumpkin (or 2 cups baked pumpkin)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or cloves
1 2/3 cups evaporated milk or light cream

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare pastry. Beat eggs slightly with rotary beater; beat in remaining ingredients. Pour into pastry-lined pie pan. (To prevent spills, place pie pan on oven rack or on open oven door when filling with pumpkin mixture.) Bake 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake 9-inch pie 45 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool If desired, serve with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream.

More Pumpkin Treats

Pumpkin Cake and Other Fall Goodies

Pumpkin pie is one of our family holiday favorites, but there are many other delicious concoctions to which this nutritious and tasty fruit can be added. We enjoy the old favorites, pumpkin cake, muffins, cookies and even soup. Any of these recipes w...

What Wikipedia says about Shreveport, LA

North Louisiana

Shreveport is the third-largest city and the principal city of the third largest metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Louisiana, as well as being the 99th-largest city in the United States.

It is the seat of Caddo Parish and extends slightly into neighboring Bossier Parish. Bossier City is separated from Shreveport by the Red River. The population was 200,145 at the 2000 census, and the Shreveport-Bossier City Metropolitan Area population exceeds 375,000.

Shreveport was founded in 1836 by the Shreve Town Company, a corporation established to develop a town at the juncture of the newly navigable Red River and the Texas Trail, an overland route into the newly independent Republic of Texas and, prior to that time, into Mexico.

Shreveport is the commercial and cultural center of the Ark-La-Tex, the area where Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas meet. Many people in the community refer to the two cities of Shreveport and Bossier City as "Shreveport-Bossier".

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Feeding the Flock Monroe

Feeding The Flock Highland Baptist Church Cookbook West Monroe Louisiana 2001

by: Golden Age Senior Adults

Amazon Price: (as of 11/26/2009)

Holiday Feast in South Louisiana

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South Louisiana Menu

Holiday Dinner Menu in New Orleans Homes

Roasted Turkey or Baked Ham
Oyster Dressing
Stuffed Mirlitons
Cranberry Sauce
Sweet Potatoes
Italian Salad
Twisted Italian Bread with poppy seeds (Usually Gambino's Bakery.)
Bread Pudding
Mince Pie

Who's Your Mama

Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make A Roux? (Book 1): A Cajun / Creole Family Album Cookbook

by: Marcelle Bienvenu

Amazon Price: $15.61 (as of 11/26/2009)

How to Roast a Turkey Video

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New Orleans St. Louis Cathedral

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Best of the Best II

Best of the Best from Louisiana 2: Selected Recipes from Louisiana's Favorite Cookbooks (Best of the Best from Louisiana II)

Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 11/26/2009)

South Louisiana Recipes

Oyster Dressing
makes 8-10 servings

1 long loaf French bread, stale
3 10-ounce containers (about 3 dozen medium) oysters
2 cups chicken or turkey stock
1f stick butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Salt, pepper, Creole seasoning and cayenne

Directions:
Buy a po-boy loaf of French bread in paper (not plastic_ several before making dressing and let it go stale. (A good way to crumb the bread is to beat it with the side of a meat mallet while it is still in the paper bag.)

In a large bowl, break bread into small pieces and cover with water strained from the oysters and the chicken stock. Let soak 30 minutes to an hour.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet and saute' white onion and celery until soft. Add garlic and saute' a few minutes more. Add this mixture, the green onion tops and parsley to the soaked bread and mix well. Check oysters to eliminate any shell, chop them and stir into mixture. Add seasonings.

Place in a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish, making sure there is plenty of liquid. Add more stock or water if necessary to make dressing very moist. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until dressing has firmed up and is lightly browned on top.

This dressing can be stuffed into a turkey and baked, but the turkey should be stuffed at the last minute to avoid salmonella poisoning. If baked inside the turkey, make sure the dressing reaches 165 degrees.

Bread Pudding
1 (8-ounce) loaf French Bread (stale)
1 quart milk
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 cup raisins
3 tablespoons butter

Break up bread. Soak in milk, using your hands to crush it and mix well. Add beaten eggs, sugar, vanilla and raisins. Pour melted butter into bottom of a 12x7-inch baking dish. Pour in egg mixture. Bake at 300 degrees 1 hour or until very firm. Let cool slightly.

Bread pudding can be served with several types of sauces including Bourbon, Amaretto, Whiskey and Lemon.

Bourbon Sauce: Cream 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Heat in top of double boiler over hot water until very hot and sugar is dissolved. Whisk in 1 beaten egg very quickly; do not boil. Cool slightly; add bourbon to taste.

Amaretto Sauce: Over low heat melt butter and sugar together, stirring constantly. Add amaretto. Add egg. Heat slowly a minute or two more to set egg. Pour over bread pudding.

Tart Lemon Sauce: In one-quart saucepan combine 1 1/4 cups water, one-half cup sugar and 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel; bring to boiling. In measuring cup combine one-quarter cup lemon juice and 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch; mix into sugar mixture. Cook and stir until thickened, two to three minutes. Stir in two tablespoons butter or margarine. Makes about 1/3/4 cups.

Le Bontemps

Le Bontemps: A Louisiana Menu Cookbook Featuring Settings and Party Menus for Twelve Occasions

Amazon Price: (as of 11/26/2009)

What Wikipedia says about New Orleans, LA

New Orleans (, , or by locals, by many non-locals, and in ) is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state.

New Orleans is located in southeastern Louisiana, straddling the Mississippi River. The boundaries of the city and Orleans Parish are the same. It is bounded by the parishes of St. Tammany (north), St. Bernard (east), Plaquemines (south) and Jefferson (south and west). Lake Pontchartrain, part of which is included in the city limits, lies to the north and Lake Borgne lies to the east.

The city is named after Philippe II, Duc d'Orléans, Regent of France, and is well known for its multicultural and multilingual heritage,Cultures well represented in New Orleans' history include African American, Creole, Cajun, French, German, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Latino, Spanish, and Vietnamese. cuisine, architecture, music (particularly as the birthplace of jazz),

and its annual celebrations and festivals, particularly Mardi Gras. The city is often referred to as the "most unique"The term "most unique" is grammatically controversial. See for example: Merriam-Webster Dictionary of American Usage, Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1994. Fowler, Henry, A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 2003. Nicholson, Margaret, A Dictionary of American English Usage, New York: Oxford University Press, 1957. city in America.Institute of New Orleans History and Culture at Gwynedd-Mercy CollegeBehind the Scenes: Hurricane on the BayouDavid Billings, "New Orleans: A Choice Between Destruction and Reparations", The Fellowship of Reconciliation, November/December 2005Bring New Orleans BackSpike Lee offers his take on Hurricane Katrina, by Damian Dovarganes, Associated Press, July 14, 2006

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Louisiana Holiday Feast

Holiday Food - North vs South Louisiana

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

What's On the Menu

Two Different Worlds within the Same State

Holiday Feast in North Louisiana

North Louisiana Menu

Mardi Gras to Mistletoe

North Louisiana Recipes

More Pumpkin Treats

What Wikipedia says about Shreveport, LA

North Louisiana

Feeding the Flock Monroe

Holiday Feast in South Louisiana

South Louisiana Menu

Who's Your Mama

How to Roast a Turkey Video

New Orleans St. Louis Cathedral

Best of the Best II

South Louisiana Recipes

Le Bontemps

What Wikipedia says about New Orleans, LA

More Louisiana Cookbooks on Amazon

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Cajun Cooking Gift Ideas on Amazon

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Food Fight!

Which is best, food in North Louisiana or food in South Louisiana?

North Louisiana Food Rules!

Mortira says:

South Louisiana has the Best Food!