Celebrate Mardi Gras at Home

Not everyone will get the chance to take the trip to New Orleans this year to soak up the atmosphere during Mardi Gras, but that doesn't mean that you can't be part of the biggest party of the year. People all over the country are planning their own little Mardi Gras to take place in their backyards and living rooms throughout the month of February. You can do it too.

Really it isn't all that difficult. The celebration can be as elaborate or as simple as you want it to be. Just remember to use the right colors, throw in the right food and don't forget to mix the right drinks.

Having the right decorations can make a party atmosphere fun and it doesn't take any great effort to put together. Mardi Gras colors are purple, green and gold. Actually there is a specific reason why those colors are used. The story dates back to 1872, according to New Orleans Mardi Gras officials. That year the colors were chosen by the Mardi Gras king and became the official colors of Mardi Gras, some 20 years later. Each color has a meaning. Purple is said to represent justice, green stands for faith and gold is for power.

Since the three colors have represented Mardi Gras for so long it really sets the mood for the decorations. There are plenty of party centers and stores that will have the colors available throughout the month of February. There should be no problems in finding them available in everything from streamers to beads to little plastic coins and, of course, balloons galore.

If you're keeping it simple and inexpensive just pick up some colored tablecloths, napkins and plates in the colors. Add a little zest by printing out some colorful Mardi Gras pictures from the Web and hang them around the house or lay them on tables and such.

Keeping up with the ambience of Mardi Gras you can't forget the music. If you haven't spent any time listening to the sounds of Zydeco, Cajun or Jazz tunes, you're really missing out on some fun. There are plenty of sounds and styles available on the Web. You may even want to ask friends if they have any CDs they care to bring along to play. There are also quite a few radio stations that are dedicated to this style of music. Some local cable companies even have music broadcast channels that have a channel dedicated to Zydeco and New Orleans Jazz.

Some people like to go all out and invite their friends to dress in costumes for the events. After all, that's what Mardi Gras is all about. Costumes can be anything from the completely outlandishly comical to the very serious belle of the ball. Remember to let your guests know if there will be children invited to the party. Some people can get a little out of control with their idea of a wild costume and they may turn out to be a little more revealing than some parents would like. Again, if you want to keep it simple, you may want everyone to simply wear a Mardi Gras themed t-shirt or just a plain purple, green or gold shirt. Remember it's always all about fun.

Speaking of fun, we haven't gotten to the best part yet and that's the food. There are all sorts of recipes available for Creole or Cajun food online. Below are a couple of recipes for you to try.

A must at any good Mardi Gras party is a King Cake. Like much of everything else related to Mardi Gras, the King Cake has a long history that dates back to the 1870s when it is said that the Twelfth Night Revelers held a ball that featured the King Cake as a main food served. Since then, King Cake has been one of the main features served at almost every celebration of Mardi Gras. One thing to keep in mind though is that it shouldn't be served before Jan. 6 and after the end of the Mardi Gras celebration. The cake is traditionally decorated with white, gold, green and purple icing and adorned with beads, colored plastic coins, and inside each cake is a little surprise.

Tradition states that the person who receives the piece of cake with the plastic little baby inside needs to make the cake for next year's celebration.

The cake can be mail ordered online from various bakeries in New Orleans. For those who want to give the recipe a try for themselves, there are countless numbers of recipes online. Here's one that's pretty easy to put together. Don't forget the little plastic surprise. Usually the baby (or whatever little item you want to use) is inserted after cooking. Don't forget to warn your guests who don't know the tradition.

King Cake

Ingredients:

1 T grated lemon peel

1 1/2 t ground nutmeg

1 gumdrop

1 package (18.25 ounce size) yellow cake mix, batter prepared according to directions

1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1 T lemon juice

1 T water

3 T granulated sugar, divided

Red, blue, yellow, and green food color (red and blue make purple)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9x13 inch baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Make cake batter as directed on box. Add lemon peel, nutmeg and gumdrop, and then bake in the prepared pan according to the cake directions.

Cool completely on a wire rack. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and water until the mixture forms a creamy glaze.

Spread the glaze over the top of the cake. Place 1 tablespoon granulated sugar into each of 3 closeable plastic storage bags. Add 1 drop of red and 1 drop of blue food coloring to one bag to create purple sugar; mix well. Add 2 drops of yellow food coloring to another bag; mix well. Add 2 drops of green food coloring to the remaining bag; mix well. Sprinkle the colored sugars over the glaze to decorate as desired.

There are so many varieties of King Cake. The one above would be a great project for the kids to make, but more sophisticated bakers may want to look at the more authentic varieties.

While King Cake is a necessity at any Mardi Gras party there are any number of other foods that would make great additions to the list. The list is only limited to your imagination and there are various websites available to help you make your choices. Other menu items include: Beignets, Cajun crawfish and shrimp etouffe, crab cakes, Creole gumbo, stuffed Mirlitons with shrimp, Creole corn bisque with crab, Jambalaya, red beans and rice and bourbon pecan cake.

One last thing-below is a recipe for the famous New Orleans Hurricane Cocktail. This beverage has been around long before Hurricane Katrina and it's sure to pack a wallop, so consume carefully.

Hurricane Cocktail ingredients:

2 oz light rum

2 oz dark rum

2 oz passion fruit juice

1 oz orange juice

juice of a half a lime

1 T simple syrup

1 T grenadine

orange slice and cherry for garnish

Directions:

Squeeze juice from half a lime into shaker over ice. Pour the remaining ingredients into the shaker. Shake well. Pour into hurricane or other glass to serve.