Explore every episode of the podcast The Catholic Foodie

I must confess that Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. That might sound strange to you, since I’m the Catholic Foodie. But Halloween is a Catholic feast day and celebration. Not only is All Hallow’s Eve the vigil of the Solemnity of All Saints, it also kicks off a month dedicated by the Church to remembering and praying for the dead. Perfect time of the year for it… Fall… as we prepare to enter the death of winter. For me Halloween carries with it so many memories from my childhood and adolescence. Good memories. I have Halloween and all the spooky otherworldly trappings that surround it to thank for instilling in me a deep understanding that there is something more to life than meets the eye. There is a mystery just beyond the veil of visible life. And this time of the year the veil seems to thin between the visible and invisible.  So, see, not strange at all, right? Or is it?  Today, on Halloween, I bring you a special Halloween edition of The Catholic Foodie Show. So get ready. Turn on the lights and grab your rosary and holy water if you scare easily, and join me along with a couple of Sick Pilgrims – or perhaps today we should say Stranger Pilgrims – as we dive into the Catholic weirdness of Halloween.  Jessica Mesman Griffith and Jonathan Ryan of Sick Pilgrim blog join me today for this special Halloween edition of The Catholic Foodie Show! Full show notes available at CatholicFoodie.com.

Dr. Gregory Bottaro of the Catholic Psych Institute joins me today to talk about Catholic Mindfulness and a new introduction course that he has available at CatholicMindfulness.com.

The full course title is Introduction to Catholic Mindfulness: Learn how to get control of your mind by trusting God, letting go, and tuning in. I'm taking the course right now, and I am finding it immensely helpful!

Do you find yourself frequently frazzled, anxious, worried? Do you try to trust in God but feel like you fail on a regular basis? Then this new Catholic Mindfulness course might just be for you.

Listen to the Show

Listen in to my conversation with Dr. Gregory Bottaro of the Catholic Psych Institute as he tells us what exactly Catholic Mindfulness is and more about the course that he has available. Full show notes can be found at CatholicFoodie.com.

Pope Francis’ letter Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), love and hospitality in the family, and Robin Davis’ book Recipe for Joy… all this and more on The Catholic Foodie Show! Full show notes available at CatholicFoodie.com.

The lazy days of summer are gone and school is back in full swing. But it is still possible to put good food on the family table...

Chef Joe Smith is passionate about cooking. He just celebrated 10 years of service at Cafe Reconcile in New Orleans. Listen as we...

We did not know it at the time, but Chef Justin Devillier was tapped by Bravo to compete on Top Chef New Orleans. Listen in as...

We are talking jazz brunches in New Orleans and jazz music with singer Kitty Cleveland. New Orleans is known as the birthplace of jazz...

Lisa Hendey is probably best recognized as the founder and editor of CatholicMom.com. She recently started a new project: CatholicTourist.com.

On the show we talked with Marcelle about fishing and all the fresh Gulf shrimp and crabs that are available during the summer months.

We are talking jazz brunches in New Orleans and jazz music with singer Kitty Cleveland. New Orleans is known as the birthplace of jazz...

There are many ways to look at that statement, but Cafe Reconcile takes an approach to “Feed Your Soul!“ that is very similar to The Catholic Foodie and to...

Chef John Besh joins us to talk about the importance of family meals, healthy food, and his passionate plea for home cooking. Monsignor Christopher Nalty joins us too.

Recipe for Joy is an inspiring story, one that can help all of us find joy in the midst of a hectic life that often dishes out suffering and heartache when we are really hungry for love.

The French Quarter Festival, known as the “largest free festival in the South,” is this weekend in New Orleans. Leading tourism officials call it the “kickoff to the festival season in New Orleans,” and it is referred to by many as the “World’s largest Jazz Brunch.”

WHAT IS THE FRENCH QUARTER FESTIVAL?

The French Quarter Festival is four days of live performances by local musicians that draws people from all over the world. On twenty-one of its twenty-two stages, only Louisiana musicians are featured. One stage is reserved as an “international stage” where traditional jazz bands from all over the world perform. This year the 33rd French Quarter Festival will feature more that 400 hours of live music and welcome more than 1700 local musicians to its stages. In addition to traditional jazz, attendees will also be treated to contemporary jazz, Cajun-Zydeco, world, brass band, blues, rock, and pop from some of New Orleans’ most well-known musicians. And accompanying the music, over 60 New Orleans restaurants will serve both classic and creative New Orleans food. 

Listen to the show to hear more on the food, the music, and the event known as “the world’s largest Jazz Brunch!”

Full show notes can be found at CatholicFoodie.com.

This broadcast of Around the Table radio aired on April 19 2013. Guests join us to talk about Louisiana Seafood.

This is the debut of Around the Table radio show that aired for the first time last Friday. It will have its own podcast feed soon. Enjoy!

Around the Table radio show and the French Quarter Festival. The world's largest jazz brunch features over 60 local restaurants serving Cajun and Creole cuisine...

Did You Hear the One About the Alligator and the Archbishop? It all started on Ash Wednesday. Archbishop Aymond clarified that it’s OK to eat alligator on Fridays in Lent. Included in this episode is an interview I did that aired on NPR.

Louisiana Caldo is a thick, nourishing soup that is traditional to the Isleños… settlers of St. Bernard Parish (outside of New Orleans proper) who came from the Canary Islands over 200 years ago. It’s not a gumbo, yet it is thick, hearty and nutritious. It features two unique ingredients: mustard greens and pickled pork.

The last few days the Louisiana alligator has been in the media spotlight. Again. But this time it’s not because someone is screaming, “Choot ‘em! Choot ‘em!” Instead folks are screaming, “Cook ‘em! Cook ‘em!” On Fridays in Lent, that is.

When I was a child Lent was all about ashes, fish sticks, the Stations of the Cross, and the Rice Bowl. In those days it was called “Operation Rice Bowl,” and I remember the excitement I had every Lent as I assembled my bowl and marveled at the fact that I could do something that would help suffering people...

From Fat Tuesday to fat pretzels, carnival season and Mardi Gras are now over. Lent is here. And that is a good thing. Life if full of seasons and there is a time for everything. We turn now from our revelry and rejoicing to face our own shortcomings and sinfulness, and to acknowledge our deep need for a Savior.

The Blood Orange Vodka Martini recipe that I am going to share with you today is not, in the strict sense, a martini at all. It is so named solely because of the glass in which it is served. A Martini glass.

This is cabbage season. Cabbage is usually available from late fall through the winter. Cabbage is abundant and cheap. It can be served as a side or as a main dish. That means cabbage is an excellent choice for Fridays during Lent too.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes it seems like everything in life conspires against us when we desire to draw closer to God? Dr. Paul Thigpen joins us today to share some hope and encouragement from the saints. Author of Saints Who Battled Satan, Dr. Paul Thigpen understands that just as the New Testament states, in our Christian journey we daily encounter three obstacles: the world, the flesh and the devil. With love and gentleness, Dr. Paul engages us with stories from the lives of seventeen saints... practical wisdom that can help me and you to draw closer to God no matter the struggles we encounter in our daily lives. I received a review copy of Saints Who Battled Satan. When I saw the title, I first thought of The Exorcist movie and stories of extraordinary encounters with evil… the kind of stories that make me feel uncomfortable to be alone at night. Well, happily, I can say that this book is so much more that than. I don’t know about you, but I have never encountered a demon in real life. But you know what I have encountered? What I do encounter every day of my life? Temptation. Saints Who Battled Satan is full of stories of saints who battled and overcame Satan in very real, practical ways. Not just extraordinary, sensationalized stories, but overcoming temptations in the nitty-gritty parts of life. This is a book I can use. A book that gives me hope and encouragement in my own journey with God. Full show notes can be found at CatholicFoodie.com.

The Grilled Cheese Sandwich: quick, easy, buttery, warm, filling. And coupled with a hot bowl of Campbell’s Tomato Soup sprinkled with black pepper… Oh my goodness! I loved that! Just thinking about it, I’m in 70s heaven! Wait! Is that the Bee Gees I hear?

Red Beans and Rice is like a staple down here. Believe me, I know. I also know that I really like Red Beans...

But what if it’s really not about food? What if, on the personal level at least, some of the “issues” we have with food really spawn from something deeper? Something… relational?

There’s nothing like a good sandwich. And, lucky for me, New Orleans is the birthplace of a couple of legendary and world-famous sandwiches: the Po-Boy and the Muffuletta. But today we’re talking kicked-up sandwiches by Emeril Lagasse.

There’s one thing about being The Catholic Foodie that is not necessarily highlighted all the time. I guess you can say it is a secret of sorts. Maybe the secret. The Catholic Foodie, you see, is really not about the food. It’s about communion.

Yesterday, December 12, was the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas. But she is more than just the Patroness of the Americas. Our Lady of Guadalupe holds a special place in my heart.

Beef stock is always a treat. This stock comes out deep, rich and dark, almost like coffee. It is nutrient-dense, and it is so good and delicious.

There’s just something good about beef stew. It’s hearty. It’s warm. It’s comforting, filling, and delicious. It’s comfort food for sure.

Thanksgiving talk with the folks from Baton Rouge Catholic Radio, Pepper-Stuffed Turkey, Creamed Spinach and Sweet Potato Pudding. Also an interview with author Jim Seghers about his new book, The Fullness of Truth.

Do you like pizza with soggy crust? I don't either. Home ovens by themselves cannot produce the kind of pizza you find at your favorite pizza parlor. But with The Baking Steel you can have the crust you crave.

Lent, the Jennifer Fulwiler Show, talking food and faith at Mater Dei High School, and visiting with friends old and new at the L.A. Religious Education Congress in Anaheim.Full show notes available at CatholicFoodie.com.

FAITH IS A GIFT - We can’t earn it. We can’t buy it. We can’t make ourselves grow in it. We can only do things that dispose us to receive the gift of Faith from God. But, WHAT IS FAITH?

Chicken stock is an absolute necessity in our house. For years I bought cans of chicken stock at the grocery store. Then I discovered how easy and inexpensive it is to make a far better chicken stock right in my own kitchen.

This is the real deal, folks. This is authentic gumbo. This isn’t store-bought. This isn’t frozen. This isn’t pre-packaged. This is something you make with your own hands in your own kitchen in your own house. Or maybe at a friend’s house. There’s nothing like the warm nuttiness of a roux pervading the rooms of a house in the late afternoon. Gumbo-making is a community event (which is something we’ll talk about a bit more later in this post). Not only can everybody smell it, but you need a big pot to make it in. I can still think back to my days as child of 7 or 8, and I can recall the smell of my mom making roux and the happiness that smell brought me. My mom used to make chicken and sausage gumbo regularly. umbo is a dish of smells. Roux. Sauteing onions, celery and bell pepper. Fresh garlic. And after all of those delicious smells comes yet another delicious smell: sausage cooking in a skillet (because you have to de-grease the sausage before adding it to the gumbo).

I hated squash as a child. And during the summers we used to get a lot of it. My grandfather grew it in his garden, along with corn, tomatoes, and string beans. I loved the corn and tomatoes, but you could keep the squash and beans. I am very happy to say that my palate developed quite nicely as I grew up, and I now enjoy both squash and beans. And this dish is one of my favorite ways to prepare squash. Kousa Mahshi has been handed down by generations of Lebanese families. The recipe here is our version of this classic dish. The mahshi (or mihshi… or filling) for this recipe is about the same as it is for the Lebanese Grape Leaves, except here we are using beef instead of lamb.

OK. I’m gonna say it… This dish is INSANE. So insane that I made it two weeks in a row. I just couldn’t help myself. Masala is a combination of dry and roasted spices, typical in Indian and Pakistani cuisines, and they are used to add spice and flavor. I call this a Cajun-Indian fusion because I used fresh Gulf shrimp and lots of cayenne (and crushed red pepper flakes!). And, of course, this Shrimp Masala was served over a bed of Louisiana Jasmine rice. This recipe is a keeper. If you try it, you just gotta let me know!

I grew up eating round steak at least once a week. My dad used to buy the whole round steak and cut it up into small cutlets. Then he would dredge the cutlets in flour seasoned with salt and black pepper, fry them up in a pan, and then deglaze the pan and make a rich brown gravy that we would pour over rice. The look and the smell bring back so many memories for me. It wasn’t until I was almost married that I first had grillades (pronounced gree-yahds).

On the show today… Today we are talking Shrimp and Okra Gumbo and the whole gluten-free phenomena. Are you gluten-free or not? Why or why not?

On the show today… #SundaySupper and Kids in the Kitchen. What are the benefits of getting your kids into the kitchen? We will talk about that today. And what is the #SundaySupper movement all about? Join me as I talk about FamilyFoodie.com and the #SundaySupper movement… and as I reach into the archives of the Catholic Foodie to bring you an interview with Rebecca Lindamood of FoodieWithFamily.com. All this, and more, right here at the Catholic Foodie… where food meets faith!

It’s HOT! I don’t know about you, but summer means two things to me: heat and busyness. Summer in south Louisiana is HOT! We definitely do not want to turn on the oven, if possible. Grill outside instead? Sure. But that's HOT too! How about fresh, cool, delicious salads for supper on those hot summer evenings? I love fresh veggies! There’s nothing like fresh summer tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuces! On this episode I talk about a FREE eCookbook that contains a "family secret" recipe of one of our favorite salads… Tabouli! This episode also includes: a shoutout to Fr. Roderick and SQPN, a reminder abou the upcoming CNMC, and my recipe for Greek Salad with Fresh Spinach and Kalamata Olives. All this, and more, right here at the Catholic Foodie… where food meets faith!

What exactly do I mean by “Easter Crawfish?” Well, crawfish season and Easter coincide each year since the high point of crawfish season spans the months of March, April and May. And, by the way, Easter is not over. Nope, not at all! We are now in the Easter Season… Looking forward to the Gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Anyway, it’s no coincidence that there are crawfish boils all across south Louisiana on Easter Sunday… And on Good Friday too. But more on that later in the show. Why are crawfish are such a big deal down here? I tell you in this episode. I also have some tips for you on boiling your own crawfish and a quick tutorial on how to peel a crawfish. This past weekend was French Quarter Fest in New Orleans and we spent the day there Friday. I’ll tell you more about the history, the music and the food of what has been called the “kickoff to festival season in New Orleans.” All this and more right here, at the Catholic Foodie, where food meets faith!

On the show… join me in New Orleans for the Thoth parade for an on-the-street experience of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. We talk Lundi Gras (Fat Monday) and Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). Peek behind the scenes of how the Mardi Gras floats are made, and find out what you absolutely need to know to parade like a New Orleanian at Mardi Gras! It’s a family event. Listen in to find out more. 

Full show notes at CatholicFoodie.com.

Today is Holy Thursday. This evening the Triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord's Supper. I have to secretly confess that I often find myself more excited about tonight's celebration than I do about Easter. Don't get me wrong… Easter is the highpoint. It is the feast of feasts. But, for reasons you will hear later, I often experience Holy Thursday in a more real, intimate, and personal way than I do Easter. But, that's a secret, so don't tell anybody. Sarah Reinhard joins us today to talk about her experience of Holy Thursday. And we also discuss her new book, Catholic Family Fun: A Guide for the Adventurous, Overwhelmed, Creative or Clueless. In this episode I also share with you a Holy Thursday interview with Dr. Brant Pitre that I first recorded in 2009. All this and more right here at the Catholic Foodie… Where food meets faith!

On the show today… my recent guest appearance on Wake Up Baton Rouge on WPYR to talk about St. Joseph Altars and how they bring together food and faith… Sarah Reinhard's Mary in the Kitchen segment, and some great news about Sarah's most recent book… and I reach back in the Catholic Foodie archives to bring you an amazing story about the powerful ways that St. Joseph answers prayer, and how people show their gratitude to St. Joseph with special altars. All this and more right here at the Catholic Foodie… where food meets faith!

On today's show… Why fish? Why can we eat fish on Fridays in Lent? Isn't fish a kind of meat too? I give you two spiritual explanations for the Church allowing us to eat fish on Fridays in Lent. Also, Celeste Behe of the "A Perpetual Jubilee" blog joins us to discuss her Lenten "40 for 12." Sarah Reinhard reflects on a Lenten experience of failure in her Mary in the Kitchen segment. All this, and more, right here at the Catholic Foodie… where food meets faith!