Happy Mardi Gras!
We had a great weekend in New Orleans. We drove in on Saturday morning and spent the rest of the day out on the street watching parades until about 9:30 that night. I didn't want to risk breaking or losing my good camera, so I brought my old one and managed to get only a few decent shots. (None of my photos of the big parade, Endymion, came out because by then it was too dark for my ancient camera, so if you're looking for photos of Grand Marshall Taylor Hicks, you're out of luck.) Here are a few photos just to get you into the Carnival mood; if you're looking for recipes, check the end of this post for links to my previous New Orleans dishes.
This is my favorite photo. I love the joyfully outstretched hands of the guy on the left and the hat and "Adversity" t-shirt of the guy on the right.
Here's E. right after we got there. By the time we left, her little neck was weighed down with about 15 pounds of beads. We were very lucky to be able to spend a lot of time up above the street in a viewing stand (thanks, Cousin Doug!) You can see some guys across the street on a makeshift stand of their own.
This gumbo is definitely not vegan! One of the irreverent floats from the Krewe of Tucks.
Another Tucks float--they really throw a lot of stuff! We got home Sunday with enough bags of beads, toys, and plastic cups to completely cover our kitchen table. Unfortunately, they're still there.
I'd hoped to have a new recipe for you by today, but I've been busy making old favorites. Last night I made "Crab" Cakes using tofu instead of okara, and right now I've got Red Beans and Rice cooking on the stove--I'm bringing them to E.'s school for a Mardi Gras party at lunch. You can bring a little Mardi Gras to your table, too, with any of the following recipes:
Mirliton and White Bean Stew
Not-So-Dirty Rice
Tofu Jambalaya
Black-eyed Pea Gumbo
Eggplant Creole
Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Cajun White Beans
Chickpea Gumbo
Stewed Okra and Tomatoes
Happy Mardi Gras, everyone!
posted by SusanV at 8:41 AM
9 Comments:
Sounds like a wonderful visit!
Happy Mardi Gras to you too, Susan! How wonderful that you got to go to New Orleans. Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos with us. I'm not getting home until late tonight, so I'm probably going to make your okra and tomatoes for dinner tonight, and maybe make something more complicated this weekend... I linked to your recipes from my blog so everyone can get a little taste of the holiday goodness tonight!
Happy Mardi Gras Susan!
This is such a special post, thanks so much for sharing it. Being a multi-generational california girl, Mardi Gras has always seemed distant and exotic to me. It's neat to see the pictures of the floats and the parade, and little beaming E. :) Also, thanks for the great-looking recipes, I think maybe we'll have a little Mardi Gras dinner this weekend ! :) What do you do with all the beads?
Happy Mardi Gras to you too!
I miss New Orleans. Now I am living in my country, Turkey. For two years, I and my husband enjoyed everything about New Orleans except hurricane Katrina. You made me remember many little happy details. Thank you.
I like your blog and put your link on my blog a while ago.
Hi Kristen--Yes, it really was!
Bazu--What a small world that Daiku went to Tulane! New Orleans is one of those places that gets into your blood once you've lived there.
Hi Amey--What to do with the beads is a problem we have every year. I manage to give most of them away to the school or on the local Freecycle list. This year I seem to have more than usual, so I need to get busy getting rid of them!
Defne, thanks for dropping by. If you leave a link to your blog, I'd like to visit it.
SO much fun! I went to New Orleans before the hurricane and had a fantastic time! I am going to try your tofu jambalaya. I always freeze my tofu when I come home from shopping. But I don't even take it out of the package. I thaw it in the same container so it stays sealed.
I'll be more than happy ıf you visit my blog. But it's in Turkish :).
http://www.defneden.blogspot.com/
Susan, I love your recipes! They make ETL meals alot easier to enjoy. I was born and raised in New Orleans. I bought the Camelia red beans last month after you reminded me how much I missed them. I have lived in northern Alabama for the past 10 years and your photos of the parade made me homesick. I wanted to yell: "Throw me something Mister!" to the krewe. Thanks for all your hard work.
Happy Mardi Gras to you! I really enjoyed reading your post & seeing the photos - I've always wanted to go to New Orleans.
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