Holiday – Hungry for Louisiana

Holiday, Hungry for Louisiana, Louisiana, Vegetables

Spinach Madeleine’s Yummy Back Story

Last week, on my 225 Magazine food blog, Spatula Diaries, I posted about Spinach Madeleine, the iconic spicy spinach side dish that helped make the Junior League of Baton Rouge’s River Road Recipes one of the best selling community cookbooks of all time. The dish has a great story arc. It was invented on the spot, became wildly popular and was thrown into confusion when one of its key ingredients, Kraft’s jalapeño cheese log, was discontinued.

In 2011, I had the pleasure of interviewing its creator, Madeline Wright. Here’s that story, which ran in 225 in 2011.

Desserts, Holiday, Hungry for Louisiana

How I Fought My Fear of Pie Crust

In all my years of food writing, I’ve never once blogged or written about my awesome skills with pie crust.

Because I have none.

Pie crust has been like Pennywise, the scary thing in the closet I battle from time to time but haven’t fully defeated.

This has always irritated me. Plenty of people make pie crust! But, no, not me. Instead, I hide behind easy stuff like cobblers, crisps and the occasional cake. A good friend of mine effortlessly bakes a pie every couple weeks, despite also being a working mom of three. And every time I visit my favorite cooking blogs or watch the Food Network, I’m met with another set of hands rolling out dough with confidence and sass.

Crawfish, Holiday, Hungry for Louisiana

In Louisiana, Easter means boiled crawfish

Easter signals ham, lamb and casseroles in other parts of the South, but in Louisiana, boiled crawfish is front and center. In recent years in the state, Holy Week has become the pinnacle of the crawfish harvest, with farmers working double time to meet demand and consumers often having to plunk down deposits to reserve sacks.

My Easter weekend routine likely resembles many of my fellow Bayou State residents: immediate and extended family gathered outside on a (hopefully) warm and clear spring day while sacks of live crawfish wait to be poured into roaring, spiked water.

Boiling crawfish, like so many native dishes, is highly personal — and those who boil have strong opinions on how it should be done…

Holiday, The Writing Life

My secret date with cornbread dressing

Ahh, the holiday rotation. Years ago, my hubby and I put a system in place that divvied up the holidays as fairly as possible among the grandparents, none of whom live here in Baton Rouge. I won’t bore you with the drama (you can probably relate), I’ll just share the result. For the last 15 years, the system has pretty much had us traveling to someone else’s house for Thanksgiving, while we host Christmas. I love planning and hosting the Christmas meal, but I have to admit, I miss the opportunity to cook — really cook — traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Sure, we bring stuff. But it’s minor. The main meal, and especially the dressing, is claimed by our family’s various Thanksgiving hosts. And you gotta respect territoriality, especially where cornbread dressing is involved.

Appetizers, Cooking with Kids, Fall flavors, Halloween, Healthy, Holiday

Remember popcorn balls? Try these with honey and trail mix

Popcorn balls, at once gooey, sweet and crunchy, are a classic fall treat. They’re perfect Halloween party fare and they’re great for Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings, too. This version, developed by nutritionists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center here in Baton Rouge, is also nice for after school snacking because it’s made with honey instead of the typical binder, corn syrup. You can really get creative with the trail mix additions, too.

Easy, Holiday, Southern

The only mac-and-cheese recipe you’ll ever need

In time for Mother’s Day, here’s a recipe for that timeless and versatile Southern side, macaroni and cheese. It was passed down to me from my paternal grandmother who made mac-and-cheese frequently and often serve it with fried fish, ham or pork roast. When I taste it today, it’s a tether to memory: I can’t help but think of large family gatherings and plates overloaded with food. My favorite item among the crowd of casseroles and platters on the kitchen counter was always the mac-and-cheese.

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