Mardi Gras!

katharina

Anyone else going to celebrate Mardi Gras this year? I will be making my Jambalaya and this time I'm ordering a King Cake from a New Orleans bakery. I can't wait! We have masks and beads and stuff from last year.

alaine

That sounds so awesome! I wasn't thinking of a Mardi Gras party, but now I want to have one. How do you make Jambalaya? Is it vegetarian? I cook a lot, but I usually go with Indian dishes because there are a lot of options for vegetarians.

Jambalya sounds like it may be meat based. I could use a vegetarian substitute, though. Any suggestions?

katharina

Definitely not vegetarian, no. In fact, there's more meat than most dishes have because it uses a choice of chicken, pork, ham, shrimp, and sausage. I usually use at least two of the meats. I really can't think of how you'd substitute anything to make it vegetarian unless that soy based meat-like product would work.

Besides that, there's onion, olive oil, garlic powder, a few spices, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and lots of rice. And hot sauce.

katharina

What did you choose to have for your Mardi Gras party, Alaine? I ordered our King Cake from a bakery in New Orleans yesterday and it will be delivered on Tuesday.

For my Jambalaya I choose chicken and ham this time. Can't wait to party!

Taggart

I make a dish that I call Jambalaya, but I'm not sure how far it varies from the real thing. I steam brown rice then add diced onions, chicken stock, sliced hot sausage, shredded chicken breast, shrimp and then I season with chili powder.

We like it...

katharina

Well that would be Jambalaya alright. All mine has in addition to yours is some herbs, stewed tomatoes (chopped/processed fine), and a small can of tomato sauce.

Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday... can't wait for this meal! And my King Cake is supposed to arrive overnight FedEx tomorrow, too. Ummmm!

SageMother

A friend of mine tries to talk me into going every single year, and I refuse, every single year.

There's something about all of those people in one area that makes me incredibly nervous.

heretoday

I am wondering about the Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans; after Katrina, are they still able to have as large a parade or party? I hope so.

heretoday

I never had Jambalaya when I was a meat-eater, so it sounds I've missed out on an interesting dish.
My father-in-law lived in Louisiana as a child, and on New Years Day he always made black eyed peas. That was supposed to bring good luck and money in the new year.
As to the King Cake, isn't there a little charm baked into the cake? Any idea why they call it King Cake?

Taggart

I'm unfamiliar with a King Cake. What is it like?

Also I love the idea of Mardi Gras, but would you ever be a little uncomfortable at times in such a "colorful" area with so many strangers in masks?

katharina

Not for the first year... possibly two. But it's getting back to more like like "the old days" now.

katharina

Precisely why we celebrate here and not in New Orleans. I'd feel that way, too, with all those people in one place... and then all in masks to boot.

katharina

It's made in a circle... it's almost like a coffee cake consistency... only there's filling in it. I chose Pecan Praline. THEN there's icing on top... again praline for mine, and six sections of heavy colored sugar on top of the icing. The sugars are in the Mardi Gras colors of green, purple, and yellow.

There's a little golden baby baked into it and the person who gets it gets good luck. I was actually a little surprised that the baby was as small as it was. If someone is a gulper when it comes to pastries and cakes, that would be a choking hazard.

Taggart

Katharina, that sounds decadent, which I guess is what Mardi Gras is all about.

I love praline ice cream, but I don't think I've had them in a cake like that.

SageMother

I saw a few clips on TV and the parade looked just as large as it has been in the past. I heard that hotel reservations were down, though. The economy can't be helping tourism anywhere!