Welcome to Mardi Gras season! This is my third year writing a post about one of my favorite cities so please join me in the celebration.
My husband Doug and I love New Orleans, the delicious food, lively
music, eclectic and friendly people. I don’t need a reason to cook up some
great Cajun or Creole foods, but with Mardi Gras season upon us I usually find
myself in the kitchen whipping up our favorite New Orleans cuisine and
preparing to host a Mardi Gras party, usually the Saturday prior to Fat
Tuesday.
Several weeks ago prepared a large pot of Gumbo and froze a
portion of it and I just pulled it out of the freezer to thaw for this
Saturday’s celebration.
I wrote my
first Mardi Gras post in 2011
on the Friday prior to Ash Wednesday 2011
and that year we experienced a long cold winter in the Carolina’s. Last year in
2012
we had an usually warm winter and it was my first Mardi Gras post on BlogHer. As
I write my post for 2013 the sun is shining in my part of the Carolina’s
however snow is piling up in the Northeast; closing airports, stranding
travelers and who knows how long the kids will be on “snow blizzard” break
which of course the children love!
Whether
you are snowed in or enjoying a sun filled day, today it the perfect time to indulge
in the great food’s of the Mardi Gras season! So take a look at my recipe’s or
pull out your favorite New Orleans inspired recipes and come along with me to
Mardi Gras!~
I was
reviewing my past posts and decided to re-post my menu, that’s not cheating is
it?
It can be
a little confusing trying to figure out when Ash Wednesday falls, so just to
clarifyJ according to www.mardigrasneworleans.com
“Ash Wednesday is
always 46 days before Easter and Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash
Wednesday. Easter can fall on any Sunday from March 23 to April 25 with the
exact date to coincide with the first Sunday after the full moon following a
Spring Equinox! There you have it! Voila!
For those
of you preparing a Mardi Gras celebration or a New Orleans themed dinner here
is my go to menu that is always a crowd pleaser.
Mardi Gras Menu
Appetizers-
Fresh vegetable platter with dip, smoked salmon spread with crackers, chilled shrimp
cocktail. What are your favorite app’s?
My friend
Janet introduced me to the Mardi
Gras salad, which is a festive salad incorporating the colors of Mardi
Gras; purple (red) onion, slices of mandarin oranges and green spinach. The
Mardi Gras Salad is a colorful salad that is one of my favorites which I
prepare all year long, always pleasing to the palate.
Whether
you are entertaining a large crowd or preparing an intimate dinner this salad always
delivers and is a great pairing with a spicy gumbo.
I really
love to prepare Gumbo on the stove, the aroma from the Gumbo always reminds me
of a warm sultry night in the French Quarter of New Orleans, eating fresh
steamed crawfish, savoring a bowl of Gumbo and listening to New Orleans jazz.
To satisfy
the seafood lovers here is my Etouffee recipe for Mardi Gras or make this any
time you are in the mood for a little something spicy. Traditionally Cajun
Etouffee is tomato based, where as Creole Etouffee is roux based. Enjoy!
Seasoning:
I make my own spicy seasoning which includes herbs, spices and dehydrated
onion. So if you don’t have any Cajun or Creole seasoning in the house, here is
my blend of what I call “New Orleans” style seasoning. If your want to test
your tolerance to hot peppers you can add more cayenne or red pepper and heat
up your taste buds! And remember, as you cook your Gumbo the hot peppers
increase in intensity!
Ingredients:
•
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
•
2 tablespoons dried garlic powder
•
1 tablespoon black pepper
•
1 tablespoon dried oregano
The
perfect bread to sop up your gumbo and etoffee! I usually purchase a fresh Baguette
from my local bakery and one of these days I am going to try my hand at baking
my own Baguette!
King Cake is a
pastry style cake decorated with frosting in the colors of Mardi Gras; purple,
green and gold. In New Orleans traditionally a small baby Jesus or trinket is
inserted in the cake and whoever finds the trinket in their slice of King Cake
hosts the next Mardi Gras party or brings the
King Cake
the next year. I have had the good fortune of finding the baby Jesus two years
in a row.
Now that
you have your menu for the Mardi Gras party, music is a must so don’t forget to
have a great selection of Jazz, Zydeco
and any of your party favorites ready to liven up the festivities. And do not
forget the Mardi
Gras beads, I usually purchase beads at my local party store, toss them in
a bowl as gifts for my guests to wear.
Always a
good time to be had!!!!
If you are
heading down to Nawlins steer clear of Bourbon Street and enjoy the festivities
all over the city and in the parishes. “A time for Local Mardi Gras krewes
who bring you the "Greatest Free Show on Earth" do not even parade
through the Quarter. That is why you have never seen a parade filmed from a
balcony in the Quarter -- you just see the crowds after the parades.” As for me, I will be celebrating Mardi Gras
from the comfort of my home, maybe one day I will attend Mardi Gras in New
Orleans.
Have you
ever attended Mardi Gras in New Orleans? What is your favorite New Orleans
style recipe?
Cook Something! Cheers!
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