The last few weekends were rainy but this one is supposed to be clear as a bell with temps in the high 60s or low 70s. I’ll take that, yes please, don’t mind if I do. There’s a pre-Mardi Gras street party and one-day festival in our neighborhood that may be fun to attend for the spectacular people-watching component alone. I’m sure the beads will be flying, the liquor will be flowing, and there will be lots of shirtless men. If I were throwing a Mardi Gras party, I’d choose food with rich Cajun, Creole, Caribbean or bold seasonings, and I’d wash it down with fun drinks, and liquor-laden desserts, to boot. May as well live it up! Recipes I’d consider including are: Drinks Buttery Nipple Shots Sex on the Beach Shots Appetizers Spinach & Artichoke Dip (Fat Free, Vegan)
Sweet Corn Salsa with Mango, Lime, Red Pepper Rosemary Chipotle Roasted Almonds
Sides & Mains Caribbean Citrus Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Spicy Baked Black Beans with Mixed Vegetables
Caribbean Coconut Rice with Garbanzos & Veggies Chipotle Salsa Lentils with Mixed Vegetables
Mango Balsamic Rice, Beans, & Mixed Vegetables
Pan Seared Lemon Pepper Grouper with Sweet Dipping Sauce
Desserts Dark Rum Caramel Sauce for dipping fruit, crackers, or over ice cream
Vegan Bananas Foster Dark Rum Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Banana Crepes (Raw, Vegan, GF) White Chocolate Vanilla Peanut Butter Puppy Chow (GF)
The winners of the Peanut Butter Cheerios Giveaway are: Jenny@vegetarianhatesvegetables and Angela / Canned Time Are you celebrating Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) in any way? I am not throwing any parties nor are we going out. Similar to the Superbowl, it’s a nice thought to throw a party; and like Valentine’s Day, it’s fun to think about going out for a half of a second until we remember we have a five year old and it’s a school night. We’ll be staying in, and not co-mingling with the party-goers, drinkers, and night-out-on-the-town folks (even though we’ll be able to hear the screaming and craziness from the street below). Have you ever been to any Mardi Gras parties? Either in New Orleans or in another city? I have never been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans although I’ve heard it’s chaos and drunken revelry at it’s finest. The closest thing I surmise that I’ve been to that’s similar to Mardi Gras was Halloween in the Castro about eight years ago. Nothing like 100,000 drunk people, in Halloween costumes, i.e. hardly any “costumes” or clothes at all, in San Francisco, in very close quarters. Pretty much widespread pandemonium. Fun memories but not something I have any interest in repeating in my current old lady stage stage of life. Enjoy your weekend!
