Would you like to learn how to build a Saint Joseph Altar from beginning to end? Understand all the ins and outs? Learn Saint Joseph Altar history and tradition? Become accomplished in baking and cooking delectable Saint Joseph dishes and pastries? If so, this book has your name on it--a labor of love by Laura Padron, with contributions from Saint Joseph Altar experts and devotees in the Rockford, Illinois area.Enjoy the pictures and stories, recipes, and helpful hints, along with strategic guidelines and to-do lists to ensure your success in building a beautiful Saint Joseph Altar in your parish or home. Start the tradition, and you will see how your life becomes more enriched.Viva San Giuseppe!

The acclaimed New Orleans photographer captures the celebration of St. Joseph’s Day through images and traditional Sicilian recipes. According to legend, Saint Joseph sent rain to save the people of Sicily from drought during the Middle Ages. To thank their patron saint, Sicilians made offerings of their finest crops to feed the poor—a display of food and faith that continues today. This beautiful custom, La Tavola di San Giuseppe, came to America as immigrants formed what is still the largest Sicilian population in the United States in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 120 color photographs, Kerri McCaffety shows a sparkling array of Saint Joseph altars where flowers, candles, and photographs of lost loved ones crowd around statues of saints on three-tiered shrines piled with biscotti, pane, cuccidati, frittate, and pignolatti. In addition to describing the spiritual symbolism of these foods, McCafferty includes recipes for the most important dishes, including a cannoli recipe from Emeril Lagasse. Nineteen recipes contributed by local Saint Joseph aficionados—from a Sicilian grandmother to New Orleans’ most famous chef—include traditional Italian cookies and sweets, baked fish, and bread believed to have the power to calm a storm.

Every year on March 19, Roman Catholic churches and households in and around New Orleans celebrate St. Joseph’s Day. As centerpieces of these celebrations, the elaborate tiered displays of foods, prayers, and offerings known as St. Joseph Altars represent a centuries-old tradition established in south Louisiana by immigrants from Sicily. In Celebrating with St. Joseph Altars, Sandra Scalise Juneau expertly documents the stories, recipes, and religious symbolism of this rich tradition passed down through multiple generations. While the altars have adapted over time to local ingredients and tastes, most of the customary dishes still follow cooking and baking methods that remain relatively unchanged from over a century ago. Juneau traces the history and symbols associated with the St. Joseph Altar from its Sicilian origins to its establishment among Louisiana’s celebrations, then its later embrace by multicultural communities across the United States. She also provides a guide for preparing an altar, complete with recommended timelines and suggestions for physical setup. She offers over sixty carefully selected recipes centered on delectable breads, fish, pasta, and spring vegetables. Pastries receive special attention, with detailed instructions for carving the intricate fig cake designs known as cuccidati. Celebrating with St. Joseph Altars chronicles a cultural tradition that continues to draw families and communities together in a generous spirit of hospitality.

This book is more than just a record of the New Orleans “YAT” language. It was written to provide the true history of why New Orleans speech and dialect are being called the YAT language and how it all began. Many have written about the YAT language, but no one ever mentions the “true” reason why the name YAT came to be applied to our New Orleans speech. The true story of how our speech and dialect came to be known as YAT began way back in 1950’s. The word YAT evolved through three decades then came into existence in the late 50’s and early 1960’s. This book will explain the true story of what happened in New Orleans that brought about the name YAT to describe our unique speech pattern and pronunciations of words, plus a fun dictionary of the YAT words we use. Why did it become popular throughout the United States and many parts of the world? Well, it was because THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS football team and their loyal fans created the WHO DAT NATION by using the YAT lingo, when they would yell, “WHO DAT SAY DA GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS, WHO DAT, WHO DAT.”

A brief history for New Orleans' greatest admirers. This concise history of the Crescent City contains chapters covering the Mississippi River, the city's founding, European rule, and more, updated with expanded jazz and African American sections. It is a must for every library and home, and for those who love New Orleans and its rich history.

Between 1850 and 1870, New Orleans boasted the largest Italian-born population of any city in the United States. Its early Italian immigrants included musicians, business leaders, and diplomats. Sadly, in 1891, 11 members of the large Sicilian settlement in New Orleans were victims of the largest mass lynching in American history. However, by 1910, the city's French Quarter was a "Little Palermo" with Italian entrepreneur, laborers, and restauranteurs dominating the scene.