The Catholic Foodie

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!

It's Mardi Gras, folks! What a busy weekend we had. And it was tons of fun! This year we hit Thoth and Bacchus on Sunday and Proteus and Orpheus on Monday. Then we went to a pig roast with some friends this afternoon. And I brought you along! It's a Mardi Gras "sound-seeing" tour!

We’re in the middle of Carnival season down here in New Orleans. Only one more week before the parades start to roll! Can’t wait! You may have never been to Mardi Gras. You may not even have pleasant thoughts when you think of Mardi Gras… Maybe the only thing you know about Mardi Gras is what you have seen on MTV and the news channels. For those folks bad news is good news, so they like to portray the seedier side of things. But that’s not what Mardi Gras is all about. Believe it or not, Mardi Gras is Catholic through and through. And on today’s show, were going to talk about the Catholic roots of Mardi Gras and the delicious tradition of the King Cake. Sarah Reinhard joins us with her Mary in the kitchen segment, and today Sarah reflects on finding Mary in the hunker-down days of winter and discovering the kitchen as the heart of her home. All this and more right here, at the Catholic Foodie, where food meets faith!

Since I am still recuperating from bronchitis, I decided to hijack an episode of SQPN's Catholic Weekend (with permission, of course) for you. I had the joy of joining the Catholic Weekend crew two weeks ago, and we talked about food, faith, Mardi Gras, King Cake, oysters, and more! Join us in the fun! I'll be back next week with a full episode talking about the history and tradition of the King Cake during Mardi Gras season. Until then… Bon appetit!

You may love ‘em, you may hate ‘em, but one thing is certain… the Louisiana oyster has a certain mystique and a large loyal following. Although many would argue that the best way to serve oysters is in the raw, there are so many ways to prepare them. In this episode we are going to talk about a few of those ways. Drago’s famous Chargrilled Oysters (and our variation of it). I have a few recipes for you too: fresh cocktail sauce for those yummy, slimy raw oysters, and sauces for grilled or BBQ oysters. Oh, and a special recipe for what I call the Bayou Mary Oyster Shooter. Sarah Reinhard joins us with her Mary in the Kitchen segment. and today Sarah reflects on resolutions, failure, and Our Blessed Lady. All this and more right here, at the Catholic Foodie, where food meets faith!

Christmas in New Orleans, Feast of the Seven Fishes, SQPN Giving Campaign, and @NOLAmaven (Susan Whelan) from Twitter joins us to discuss Reveillon dinners in New Orleans.

John Besh. My Family Table cookbook. Real Food. Home cooking. Home cooks. Louisiana cuisine. New Orleans. Recipes.

A special Thanksgiving message from Sarah Reinhard, producer of "Mary in the Kitchen" and the "Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering" blog at www.SnoringScholar.com.