Mardi Gras

I am thrilled to announce that I actually got the date right this year!

Remembering the year we are currently in does wonders for my planning.

The funny thing is that I was trying to plan what I was going to make this year and couldn't remember what I made last year.  (Except for the beignets - because those are always memorable).  So, I went back through my blog archives and researched it.

Thank goodness for this blog!  Otherwise the majority of my experiences would be forgotten.  I blame it on the ungodly amount of hairspray used in the 80's. And too much Mtv.  My parents both have good brains, so there is no other excuse.  In fact, when I started telling my Mom what we did this year for Mardi Gras - she recounted the details from last year like it had just happened!

Sometimes I don't even remember what I blogged the day before.  Yikes!

Anyway, we had a special (belated) Valentine's Day dinner date with my parents on Tuesday - so, we went ahead and celebrated Mardi Gras on Sunday. 

I had to work all day on Sunday but lucked out and found the perfect jambalaya recipe on Pinterest.

Easy Slow Cooker Jambalaya.

Thank goodness for slow cookers. 

And for Kev who made sure to turn it on at the right time.

All I had to do when I got home was put the shrimp and rice in and make the cornbread.

The jambalaya was pretty good - we skipped the sausage and just used chicken and shrimp.  I just can't ever seem to get things as spicy as we would like them.  But it is nothing that a little hot sauce can't fix!

The cornbread was perfection!  As always.  It is truly my favorite cornbread of all time.  And I ALWAYS seem to get it as spicy as we like it!  In fact, if I am making the cornbread for people that don't care for spiciness - then I just leave out the jalapenos.

And then I pout in the corner because the bread doesn't taste as good.

I also sauteed some okra on the side.  Kev is not necessarily a fan - especially when it is not fried - but me and okra go way back and I just think that it is delicious!

For dessert I went with King Cake.

I knew by the time that I got home and we ate dinner that it would be too late to start making beignets.  Plus, Kev had never had King Cake so I felt like it was my job to introduce it to him.

When I was growing up, I had a friend whose Dad worked construction in New Orleans during the week.  We would go to pick him up from the airport on Friday nights ( and would take anything and every thing we could think of to run through the x-ray machine to see what was inside.  ie; cabbage patch dolls, barbies, stuffed animals, etc - good times!) and he would always bring us a King Cake.

We would stuff it in our faces as fast as we could to see who would find the hidden baby and receive good luck.

I don't remember the cake actually tasting that great - but finding the prize more than made up for it.

It's too bad that finding the prize as an adult doesn't do the same.

Publix didn't even hide it for us....

I had to quickly hide the baby inside to give Kev the full experience.

Luckily, he found it with the first cut!

Because he didn't really eat much more than that first slice - he was not a fan.  It was basically a danish COVERED in sugar.  With a little more sugar poured on top.

But at least he got to experience it.

And at least he will have good luck all year!

He also will be eating jambalaya until the end of days.  Just a warning:  It makes a TON!  And since I only had one helping, he is responsible for the rest.  He doesn't seem to mind, though, because he gets to eat the cornbread right along with it.  And we could eat that cornbread every day FOREVER.