Tomorrow is Mardi Gras! Literally translating as Fat Tuesday, this is a day of indulgence before Lent begins. And since there aren't going to be any PBS Masterpiece premieres for a while, I decided to organize a Mardi Gras celebration. It should be a terrifically fun evening at home, with shrimp and Cajun rice for supper, New Orleans jazz on the stereo, and decorations of green, purple and gold.
The Table
Oriental Trading Company has a bunch of cute, festive decorations for this holiday. And masks too! The gold foil chocolate coins are from Vermont Country Store (we wanted decent quality chocolate, not waxy, if you know what I mean.)
The Menu
Cajun Black Beans and Rice
This is such a simple recipe - just make rice and add stuff! I don't know why oregano surprises me in Cajun seasoning. I guess I think of it as only an Italian flavor. Anyhow, make sure to use it here. This dish turns out wonderfully spicy, so nobody's getting sick this week. Ha! Serve with shrimp for a complete New Orleans-inspired meal.
And let's not forget dessert...
Paczki
This isn't a New Orleans thing exactly, but a Polish tradition for Fat Tuesday. Paczkis are a deep-fried, sugar-coated, jelly-filled donut. Doesn't get much more fattening than that. :) They come in almost any flavor you could imagine - apple, blueberry, cherry, raspberry, lemon, prune! We got ours from a local bakery this past weekend to avoid fighting the crowds on Tuesday.
The Music
Watch Harry Connick Jr. perform "Mardi Gras in New Orleans." This is a real hoot!
If your as obsessed with Dino as I am, here's another great jazz piece... "Basin Street Blues" sung by Dean Martin.
Thank you for stopping by,
Eva
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