Louisiana's Italians, Food, Recipes & Folkways
Blending recipes, personal memories, and cultural history, this volume offers a delectable celebration of Lousiana’s Italian heritage.
After decades of collecting stories and recipes from Italian immigrants throughout Louisiana, Nancy Wilson shares her findings in this spirited and multifaceted collection of Italian food and folkways. Undertaken to preserve her children’s Italian heritage and inspired by her mother-in-law, a first-generation Italian American, Wilson presents cultural traditions and anecdotes alongside lively personal commentary and historical and cultural facts.
Included here are authentic, user-friendly recipes ranging from Mama’s Italian Bread to eggplant casserole, homemade wines, olive salads, codfish balls, osso bucco, St. Joseph’s Day breadcrumbs, biscotti, and more. Wilson also includes a glossary and an illustrated how-to for making your own mud oven to bake authentic Italian bread.
Nancy Wilson
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Ann and Nancy Wilson first showed the world that women can rock when their band, Heart, stormed the charts in the ’70s with hits like “Crazy on You,” “Magic Man,” “Barracuda,” “Straight On,” and so many more. Not only did the Wilson sisters lead the band, they wrote the songs and played the instruments too, making them the first women in rock to do so. Heart continued topping the charts through the ’80s and ’90s with huge hits like “These Dreams,” “Alone,” “What About Love,” “If Looks Could Kill,” “Never,” and a string of other hits that showcased the sisters’ enormous talents as musicians, singers, and songwriters. Heart sold more than 35 million albums, sold out arenas worldwide, and found their way into the soundtrack of American life through radio, motion pictures, television, and associations with branded sponsors.
As individuals, the sisters have also achieved significant success. Ann has contributed to songs that were both chart successes and motion-picture themes, like “Almost Paradise” from Footloose, “Best Man in the World” from The Golden Child, and “Surrender to Me” from Tequila Sunrise, while Nancy has composed and performed the scores to a half dozen motion pictures including the award winning Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous.
In 2012, Ann and Nancy released their first-ever memoir, Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock & Roll, which was a New York Times bestseller. They also wrote and illustrated Dog & Butterfly, a picture book for all ages, inspired by the song of the same name.
