Lidia Celebrates America: A Heartland Holiday Feast

In Bethlehem, PA, Bonnie Boyer and her grandson Adam show Lidia how to make shoofly pie. Bonnie is locally renowned for her Pennsylvania Dutch recipes; she has the reputation for making some of the best shoofly pie in the area. In her latest special A Heartland Holiday Feast, Lidia Bastianich travels cross-country meeting Americans with diverse heritages and culinary traditions.

As part of her latest special A Heartland Holiday Feast, Lidia Bastianich travels to Lawton, OK, and learns the history of the Buffalo soldiers, and their role in the 1800s, making the West safe for settlement. Lidia and Wallace, a soldier who works to keep the history of the Buffalo Soldiers alive, share cornbread, some dumplings, baked beans, and coffee, cooking everything over an open fire.

Lidia visits Natchitoches, Louisiana, in Creole Country, where she meets Lillie Delphin, who is renowned in the area for her Creole cooking. Together they make a delicious Gumbo to share with friends. In her latest special A Heartland Holiday Feast, Lidia Bastianich travels cross-country meeting Americans with diverse heritages and culinary traditions.

At Milpa’s Kitchen, in Denton, TX, Lidia connects with owner Jorge Landeros and his cousin Cecilia. Together they make some of the legendary tamales that Milpa's is known for. In her latest special A Heartland Holiday Feast, Lidia Bastianich travels cross-country meeting Americans with diverse heritages and culinary traditions.

While in Denton, Texas, Lidia spends time with Kate Swan, age 12, who raises pigs and shows them at the State Fair. Kate show's Lidia how to wash brush, and feed the pigs, getting them ready for showing. In her latest special A Heartland Holiday Feast, Lidia Bastianich travels cross-country meeting Americans with diverse heritages and culinary traditions.

In Wasau, WI, Lidia joins Lee Lor, to prepare Pork and Mustard Greens, a traditional dish of the Hmong community, refugees from Southeast Asia. Lidia Bastianich's latest special A Heartland Holiday Feast, shows her traveling cross-country, and meeting Americans with diverse heritages and culinary traditions.

On the frozen Leech lake in Walker, MN, Lidia and her grandson Miles meet Jason Rylander, an expert eelpout fisherman. He helps them catch the elusive fish, and because it's an eelpout fishing tradition they each give the fish a kiss! In her latest special A Heartland Holiday Feast, Lidia Bastianich travels cross-country meeting Americans with diverse heritages and culinary traditions.

To learn about Walker, MN and its traditions, Lidia visits local chef Maxwell Mraz. He shows Lidia how to prepare salted eelpout cakes. Eelpout is found in Minnesota’s lakes. They also make Lefse, a recipe from Max's Scandinavian grandmother. In her latest special A Heartland Holiday Feast, Lidia Bastianich travels cross-country meeting Americans with diverse heritages and culinary traditions.

In rural Pennsylvania, Lidia hosts a celebratory meal for the family and friends she connected with on her journey through America's heartland. Here she toasts her friends, and a guest sings a beautiful operatic song. In her latest special A Heartland Holiday Feast, Lidia Bastianich travels cross-country meeting Americans with diverse heritages and culinary traditions.

In rural Pennsylvania, Lidia hosts a celebratory meal for the family and friends she connected with on her journey through America's heartland. Here she makes an Italian Risotto for her guests. A Heartland Holiday Feast is Lidia Bastianich's latest special, in which she travels cross-country meeting Americans with diverse heritages and culinary traditions.