Happy Mardi Gras 2011

Happy Mardi Gras Yall!

I have been offiically off work for 2 days for Mardi Gras, can you believe that places close for 2 days just so we can PARTY! I know... awesome isn't it!?! Even the kids are out of school! Yeah, Mardi Gras is THAT big of a deal, but then again its an amazing event that no one should miss, if given the opportunity! We've had beignet's for breakfast already and I am making po-boys and gumbo for dinner tonight and topping it off with some king cake! ... Don't look at me like that... it is FAT TUESDAY after all... ;) Saturday we went to D'Iberville's parade "Kewe de Mystique". A crew is a organization that puts on the parade or ball... just in case your wondering, there's been alot of things down here (not just all Mardi Gras related) that I've had to learn, but its amazing how they do things down here. This is why I never want to leave... I seriously think I could live down here for forever, now just to convince our family to move from Florida to here LOL!

And in case you wanna try some good cajun recipe's and experience a little Mardi Gras yourself... here's a few of my recipes for what I'm making... except my Gumbo... that's a secret I'm taking to the grave... just like most cajun ladies do! LOL! Just know... "The secret's in the sauce" ;)

Jess's Easy Beignet's

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 16 minutes
Ingredients:

* ½ cup butter
* 1 cup water
* ¼ teaspoon salt
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 4 eggs
* Oil for deep frying
* 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter in the water. Add salt and flour, and stir until a sticky batter is formed. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the batter is smooth.

Heat the oil to 375F. Fry mounded teaspoons of dough, several at a time, for about 6 minutes. They are done when they are light, golden brown on each side. Drain them for a few minutes on a clean kitchen towel and serve warm, dusted with the confectioners’ sugar.

This beignets recipe makes 28 to 32.

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Spicy Shrimp Po-Boys

Yield: 4 sandwiches
Ingredients:
For the remoulade sauce:
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. light mayonnaise
2 tbsp. stone ground mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1½ tbsp. pickle juice
½ tsp. prepared horseradish
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. hot paprika
Dash of hot sauce

For the sandwiches:
1 lb. medium-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning blend
1 baguette (or 4 sandwich rolls)
Shredded lettuce
Sliced tomato

Directions:
To make the remoulade sauce, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. (If you don’t have a blender or food processor, you can just mix it in a small bowl with a spoon.) Adjust seasonings to taste. Chill until ready to use.

To prepare the sandwiches, combine the shrimp with the olive oil and cajun seasoning in a medium bowl. Toss well to coat the shrimp. Heat a grill pan to medium-high and grill the shrimp just until opaque, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.

Slice the baguette into 4 servings, and cut horizontally to open the bread. Spread some of the remoulade sauce onto both pieces of the bread. Layer the bottom slice of bread with shrimp, then top with lettuce and tomato as desired. Top with the remaining piece of bread and serve immediately.

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Here's a few pics from Saturday's parade too :)

(Yes, those are in deed thongs on his head ;)


So as you can see... its not just all about the partying (ok maybe lol ) but its about taking it easy, having a good time with the people you love and letting the good times roll...
...its a way of life down here!