Tag-Archive for » Mardi Gras «
13
Feb 2015
Feb 2015
Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. The Saturday before Mardi Gras. That means this year that Hallmark holiday is not going to receive a whole lotta love in the Crescent City–at least not from me and several thousand of my closet friends who will be hanging out on the parade route. Nope. For us, purple, green and gold will trump red and pink. And we will toast our sweethearts and the Olympian God of Fertility and Eternal Youth–Endymion–with Mardi Gras go-cups full of beer and Carnival cocktails while indulging in sexy street food consisting of mini-muffulettas, mini-poor [ ... ]
Category: Desserts, Finger Food Fridays, Mardi Gras
Tags: Desserts, Finger Food Fridays, Mardi Gras, Snacks One Comment
10
Feb 2015
Feb 2015
We’re in the final and most exciting stretch of the 2015 Carnival Season. Mardi Gras is a week from today. That means everyone’s busy making plans for the extended final weekend that begins this Friday and lasts through Tuesday. Between now and then, folks will be closely monitoring the weather to determine what to wear when, mapping out various neutral ground or sidewalk side parade-watching locations, plotting courses to the nearest public bathrooms, dusting off family parade ladders, packing vehicles with parade route necessities (like folding chairs, throw bags, rolling ice chests, go-cups, koozies and extra toilet [ ... ]
Category: Chicken, Finger Food Fridays, Main Dishes, Mardi Gras
Tags: Chicken, Mardi Gras One Comment
02
Feb 2015
Feb 2015
This may come as a big surprise to many, but most of us New Orleanians do not make our own King Cakes. We prefer, instead, to patronize our favorite bakery for our Carnival confections. And there’s a certain lineage that typically dictates our most cherished bites. That lineage, more often than not, is defined by family loyalty to a specific bakery. For instance, if mom favors Haydel’s King Cakes, chances are those are the King Cakes her kids and grandkids will ultimately prefer.
As a kid, my favorite King Cakes were the simple brioche-based, icing-less ones from [ ... ]
08
Mar 2011
Mar 2011
Happy Mardi Gras everyone! I’m so bummed that we couldn’t get home this year for the parades, but the kids’ school schedule wouldn’t permit it. We’re there in spirit, however, and are celebrating in our own way by listening to some funky tunes–think Mardi Gras Mambo and Hey Pocky Away by The Meters, Carnival Time by Al Johnson, Mardi Gras in New Orleans by Professor Longhair and Second Line by Stop, Inc.–eating bowl-after-bowl of Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, over-indulging in King Cake and reminiscing over a bunch of family photos from Mardi Gras’ past. Here are several of my favorites [ ... ]
06
Jan 2011
Jan 2011
Today is January 6, 2011. The Twelfth Night. The Feast of the Epiphany. Little Christmas. King’s Day. It commemorates the Three Wise Men’s visit to the Baby Jesus on the twelfth night following his birth. In New Orleans, today marks the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of the carnival season. This is also the City’s first official day for King Cake sales.
King Cakes, which were originally prepared to honor the Magi’s journey, are circular or oval shaped pastries braided with cinnamon-sugar and topped with white fondant icing and tons of purple, green and gold sugar (carnival colors [ ... ]
