For Release 2011 - Louisiana Hometown Cookbook

Louisiana’s home cooks are well-known for good food. Now everyone can enjoy that special flavor in the new Louisiana Hometown Cookbook by Kent Whitaker and Sheila Simmons. Published by Great American Publishers (www.greatamericanpublishers.com; Kosciusko, MS) the book is available locally in bookstores and gift shops.

The 272-page cookbook contains more than 300 of the Pelican State’s favorite recipes submitted by hometown cooks throughout Louisiana. In addition to selecting recipes that represent Louisiana’s signature style of cooking, the editors chose recipes that are easy to prepare. “We pay particular attention to the way the recipes are presented to ensure the ingredients are presented in order of use with instructions that are clear and concise. We focus on good old-fashioned home cooking and bring you recipes that can almost always be made right from your pantry,” says Simmons.

“Don't expect a lot of difficult, gourmet recipes that require a special trip to the grocery store,” adds Whitaker. “Because these are just down-home recipes like your Momma and her Momma made.” Simply reading a few of the recipe titles makes it obvious this is truly a Louisiana cookbook with recipes for many classic dishes like... Beignets in the French Quarter... Seafood Gumbo, King Cake, Shrimp Etouffee, and Alligator Stew in South Louisiana... And from North Louisiana, there are favorites like Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits, Hot Sausage Black-Eyed Pea Casserole, and Collard Greens.

Beyond the traditional favorites, a new generation of hometown cooks will enjoy updated favorites like Crawfish Cakes with Creollaise Sauce, Holy Trinity Mardi Gras Potatoes, and Party Pecan Rum Cake. From traditional dishes like New Orleans Bread Pudding, Grits and Grillades, Corn Maque Choux, and Banans Foster... to other favorites like Crab Stuffed Deviled Eggs, Cajun Beer Bread, Grannies Hot Crockpot Candy, and Grilled Fish Orleans, Louisiana cooking is diverse and delicious and this cookbook brings a taste of it all.

Those of you who confess to reading your cookbooks like novels, will enjoy the sidebars found throughout the book and containing a generous helping of stories about food-related festivals across the state. From the Louisiana Oyster Jubilee in New Orleans to the Zwolle Tamale Festival, from Mudbug Madness in Shreveport to Abbeville's Giant Omelette Celebration, Starks Mayhaw Festival to Mandeville Seafood Festival, Ponchatoula’s Strawberry Festival to Ruston’s Squire Creek Louisiana Peach Festival, there is a celebration to suit every taste.

Louisiana Hometown Cookbook is great for the armchair traveler as well as the perfect addition for any home cook’s library. It is a collection of tried and true recipes that will be enjoyed by Louisiana natives, visitors or anyone who enjoys a good cookbook. With so many recipes for dishes that families have enjoyed over and over again, Louisiana Hometown Cookbook, the latest book in the State Hometown Cookbook Series, meets the series’ goal of “preserving your recipes for the next generation of hometown cooks.”

- end -