Happy Mardi Gras!

I'm not so sure if Mardi Gras is celebrated much above the Mason Dixon line.  But since I have always lived in the south it's something I have grown up being around.  My mom goes hog wild ape shit bat turd crazy over the holiday.  She's been to New Orleans during carnival time and I have a suspicion she has even shown her ....you know whats...in return for some fancy bead throws during the parade.  I am not a super huge fan of the holiday, myself.  I don't like being in crowds at the parades and I don't want any cheapo plastic beads.
The one Mardi Gras tradition that Mr. Husband likes is getting a king cake every year. A king cake is an oval shaped brioche pastry usually with a cream cheese or fruit filling.  It's element of fun is there is a little plastic baby hidden somewhere inside.  I have heard several different meanings if you happen to get the slice with the baby in it.  First, if you don't choke on the baby, then you will have good luck for the upcoming year.  But other sources that have been prevailing claim that if you get the baby you have to bring the cake the next year.  That's not fun, that's a punishment.
King Cakes are sold in local grocery markets, mostly shipped out from New Orleans.  They are super expensive and always taste stale to me.  I decided to take it upon myself starting last year to make us our annual king cake, because I am a cheapskate and I want something that tastes decent. 

I used this recipe, but with a few changes.  I made a cream cheese filling using brown sugar, cinnamon, and a package of cream cheese instead of the suggested butter/brown sugar/cinnamon in the recipe.  The original recipe claims it as a "Quick King Cake" but I wouldn't say that, since there is at least 2 hours of rising time involved.  It tastes like a fresh traditional King Cake should and for a fraction of the cost.

Since I am on the side of the baby should be a good luck omen, I placed mini babies all over the top along with one great big baby! But, if someone who is under the belief that getting the baby is bad luck (meaning you have to bring the cake the next year), then they may find it hard isolating a piece non-babyfied.  I guess they will have to bake up a 3 hour cake in the future!

As I mentioned above I don't care to be in the crowd for parades.  But I love being on a float!  This year Mr. Husband and I got to be a part of one sponsored by a local Comic Con.   The Nightmare Theatre group were all there and I dressed up as my character Edna.
We all had a great time during the 4 hour pre-line up, while you're waiting to roll.  It's a contagious happy energy being around all of the awesome floats and other Krewes with their particular themes.  We were parked right next to a 70s disco themed float that played the best music and they were dancing in the street the entire 4 hours.  They must have had a Red Bull IV administered beforehand.  Other float themes were pirates (lots of those), 80s, Blues Brothers, 60s psychedelic, Swat team, 1920s Jazz, a double decker Irish bus and bagpipes, a super sized shopping cart with a motor, and a concrete mixer turned into a martini mixer, to name a few.



Here are Mr. Husband and I "back stage". 

Roll on over to a past post from
Mardi Gras 2006