Angelle Kean McQueen had just moved to Hattiesburg in the early 2000s when she noticed the city’s similarities to her hospitable hometown in south Louisiana.
“Hattiesburg reminded me of the Baton Rouge I grew up in—the one where everyone was social together, young and old,” McQueen recalls. “I grew up going to parties with all ages of ladies, and I knew I wanted that in Hattiesburg.”
McQueen soon met Elizabeth Schwartz, an equally entertaining-minded neighbor who lived just a couple of blocks away in the historic Oaks District. It wasn’t long before the two concocted the concept of an annual Christmas tea. “It was a way to celebrate the season with ladies of all ages—from young mothers who were picking up children from Trinity Play School to older women picking up presents at McKenzie’s on Main or Walnut Square,” McQueen says. “We wanted them all to be able to stop by our special tea and celebrate with friends to help start that Christmas feeling.”
And thus, “Toast in the Oaks” was born. The two hostesses alternate holding the event at their homes each year—“and since we live so close to each other, sometimes people go to the wrong house only to drive two blocks over to that year’s party house,” McQueen says.
The 2022 iteration of the tea marked its 20th anniversary, with McQueen opening the doors of her family’s 1920-built Italianate-style home for the occasion. Fresh cedar and magnolia garland framed the front terrace, where guests were welcomed with a table set with flutes of the party’s signature cocktail, “Mr. Funk’s Punch.” In the gracious foyer, a familiar hand-illustrated invitation was set inside the guestbook atop a round entry table, alongside a collection of blue and white porcelain pieces and white flower arrangements. “Elizabeth and I do the same invite every year,” McQueen says. “We thought the artwork captured the feel of our old and traditional neighborhood. We just change the background color and address each year.”
Overhead, garland was intertwined into the chandelier, and more fresh cedar garland draped from the arched doorways to the rooms beyond. The Christmas spirit continued as guests mingled throughout the house, where heirloom holiday decorations mixed with satin-bowed wreaths and collected treasures. A 1950s silver aluminum tree McQueen and her husband Christian found in the French Quarter when they were dating sat on the kitchen island, while across the room a tree was adorned with ornaments of handmade clothespin dolls of Broadway and storybook characters. Among the other holiday highlights were an array of nativity sets found at estate sales and displayed on mantels and buffets, and a traditional German Christmas pyramid perched on a coffee table.
The tradition-filled holiday hospitality was perhaps most on display in the dining room, where the freshly polished silver, pressed linens, and gleaming china were all arranged to show the guests how welcome they were. The oval table was set buffet-style with an assemblage of beloved dishes. “Years ago, we figured out what everyone loved, and now we serve the same menu every year,” Schwartz explains. That menu includes Schwartz’s homemade Mushroom Puffs, McQueen’s Cream of Artichoke Soup, as well as a crab spread from the Junior League of Baton Rouge’s popular River Road Recipes cookbook series. Sweets included macarons in unexpected flavors and iced sugar cookies by Paige Saulters Zachary. “It is a light lunch so ladies can come and go.”
The party has evolved over the years by expanding to include daughters. “My mother, Charlotte Anne Kean from Woodville, and my daughter Charlotte Anne McQueen, who was a freshman at Ole Miss at the time, were both able to come to the party and enjoy it with me and all of our friends,” McQueen says. “It made the 20th anniversary extra special.”
The guest list is made up of friends old and new, and though it is ladies only, the hostesses note that Charles Brown, Jamie Farris, and Terry Leggett help with the event. “Everyone is excited for the holiday and ready to mingle and visit,” Schwartz says. “We have ladies who tell us they see certain friends only at this party and that it is their favorite of the season.”
Schwartz and McQueen say their favorite part of putting on Toast in the Oaks each year is the way it brings together women of all ages in the name of holiday merrymaking. “The social scene in Hattiesburg is multigenerational, and to me that is so Southern,” McQueen says. “That is what roots and tradition are all about. This party is to show all the ladies of Hattiesburg how much we love them.”
Menu
Mr. Funk’s Champagne Cocktail
Angelle’s Cream of Artichoke Soup
Elizabeth’s Mushroom Puffs
Crabmeat Green Goddess with fresh breads
Open-Face Tomato Sandwiches
Balsamic and Goat Cheese Macarons
Saltine Toffee
Dutch Almond Diamond Cookies
Iced Holiday Cookies
Assorted sweets
Angelle’s Cream of Artichoke Soup
¼ cup butter
½ onion, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
¼ cup flour
4 cups chicken broth, warmed
2 (14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you double this recipe, don’t double the spice or it will be very spicy)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
Toast rounds
Grated parmesan cheese
Paprika
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add onion and celery, sauteing until softened. Stir in flour; stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. Add broth, artichokes, lemon juice, thyme, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes. Purée soup in food processor or blender for a smooth consistency. Strain for artichoke “hairs.” Return to heat and stir in cream. Cook until warmed.
Serve warm with toast rounds topped with parmesan cheese and paprika. Freezes well.
Yield: 4-6 servings
Elizabeth’s Mushroom Puffs
2 packages crescent dinner rolls
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 (4-ounce) can mushrooms, drained, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay out crescent roll dough and press perforations to seal. Mix cream cheese, mushrooms, onions, and salt, and spread over dough. Roll up jelly roll fashion and slice into 1-inch pieces. Brush with egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Yield: 48 puffs
Crabmeat Green Goddess
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, softened
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, divided
2 tablespoons green onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
Red pepper to taste
Tabasco sauce to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice for crabmeat mixture, plus more to taste for cream cheese mixture
½ cup sour cream
1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 pound lump crabmeat, drained and shells removed
In a mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until blended, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, green onions, 2 crushed garlic cloves, salt, black and red pepper, Tabasco sauce, and lemon juice to taste. Spread mixture ½-inch thick on a serving tray. Chill, covered, in refrigerator.
In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup mayonnaise, sour cream, parsley, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 crushed garlic clove; mix well. Season with salt, black and red pepper, and Tabasco sauce. Season with salt, black pepper, red pepper and Tabasco sauce. Fold in the crab meat. Spread the crab meat mixture over the cream cheese mixture just before serving.Serve with crackers.
Yield: 12 servings
River Road Recipes IV: Warm Welcome
Junior League of Baton Rouge
Saltine Toffee
“This recipe is from Barbara Jane Foote, who was one of my father’s best friends’ older sister back in Baton Rouge,” says Angelle. “My daddy said they would go to Terrell Brown’s house just to see Barbara Jane—she was that pretty! She married and moved to Hattiesburg, and she and her daughter Laura Foote have been so good to me and my family since I moved here.”
1½ sleeves saltine crackers
1¼ sticks butter, divided
1¼ cups light brown sugar, divided
2 cups chocolate chips (milk chocolate is best)
Nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange crackers side by side on baking sheet. Put 1 stick butter and 1 cup brown sugar in saucepan over medium heat. Stir until mixture reaches a rolling boil. Pour mixture over crackers evenly (it will spread in the oven). Bake for 5 minutes or until toffee is bubbling all over. Carefully remove from oven and let cool for 1 minute. Mix chocolate chips with ¼ stick melted butter and ¼ cup light brown sugar. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of hot toffee, allowing to soften for 1 minute. Spread chocolate over entire surface while chocolate is still hot. Sprinkle nuts on top. Refrigerate pan for 30 minutes. Once set, break into pieces. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.
Dutch Almond Diamond Cookies
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced almonds
Orange zest
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, cream butter, sugar, and extract until light and fluffy. Add flour, milk, and salt; mix just to blend. Spoon and spread dough onto back of a baking sheet or jellyroll pan with an offset spatula dipped in hot water. Clean blade and dip in water as needed to spread a thin, even layer; try to stay away from edges of pan. Sprinkle almonds evenly over batter, pressing them with hands to adhere. Bake until edges turn golden brown and dough is set but center is still pale, about 18 minutes. (If dough drips down sides, don’t worry; you will trim cookies later.)
Remove pan from oven. While still hot, use a pizza wheel or small sharp knife to trim outside edges evenly. Cut crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips, then cut diagonally into 2-inch-wide diamonds. Return pan to oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until golden brown. Carefully transfer hot cookies to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with orange zest for garnish.
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