King cake

I love Mardi Gras! Truth be told we never really celebrated it growing up... although we did get a couple of days off from school when I was in high school. (It was during state basketball playoffs, though, so I still had to go to school for practice.) Now that I live in Arkansas, it's just a great excuse to cook Cajun food and feel happy homesick. Our delightful friends the Grahams joined us for lunch today to mark the occasion. On the menu: chicken, sausage and okra gumbo; French bread (I love my bread machine!); and homemade king cake.

I'm impressed every year when my king cake turns out like the photo in Chef John Folse's cookbook. Especially when you consider that the first year I made it, I used every bowl in the kitchen and it cooked over the sides of my baking stone! What a mess!
Special thanks to Amy Roscoe, who saved my Mardi Gras by finding just enough purple sugar for my king cake!

There are still 2 more days to celebrate Mardi Gras... I'm posting recipes for gumbo, jambalaya, muffaletta pizza (which we plan on having on Tuesday), and king cake. Laissez les bons temps roulez!



Recipes and links:

Gumbo www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/chicken-ham-and-smoked-sausage-gumbo-recipe/index.html

Jambalaya
I've posted this before, but just in case you missed it the first time... This recipe is from Dr. Randall Wight's Cajun grandmother. You can also add 1 c. chopped celery, but she omitted it because he didn't like it. You can also substitute cream of mushroom soup for either of the cream soups.
1 stick of butter
2 c raw rice
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cans French onion soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 pkg. sausage (not the breakfast kind), sliced, browned
2-4 chicken breasts (as needed or desired), cut bite size
Melt butter in rectangular pan. Add everything else. Mix well. Bake 1 1/2 - 2 hours at 375 (until rice is done).

Muffuletta pizza www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/muffuletta-pizza-recipe/index.html

King cake www.jfolse.com/recipes/desserts/cakes12.htm
Find this and lots of great Cajun and Creole recipes and foods at Chef John Folse's website, linked left. You can even order a king cake if you don't want to make one yourself. I recommend his Hot Beignets & Warm Boudoirs cookbook-- one of my favorite wedding gifts! (Thanks, Kodie!)