Mardi Gras has been 'round fo'ever, brought over t' da U.S. by da French. Way back when da Romans embraced Christianity dey decided dey bettah go 'head and embrace some dem ol' pagan ritu'ls ratha' dan abolish dem. Da people wear masks t' hide dare identity. Dat way no one know who you be when you bein' a cooyon (dat mean fool, y'all). I t'ink da mos' of us will agree dat da mos' famous celebrashon in our co'ner da worl' is in N'awluns, y'all and Bourbon Street! But Mardi Gras done celebrated all 'round da world. Could be at yo house, too!
Da Mardi Gras season actually starts da twelth night after Christmas- Dat be January 6th, y'all. Dis da day dat da King Cake is tradition'lly served so mark yo calenda' fo' next year. But we won't let dat be stoppin' us, no. We'll bake dat cake no how. A lil' toy bebe is hidden in dat dare cake. Who ever now find dat dare bebe in dare cake is declared da King fo' da day and dey get t' make da next King Cake. Da King Cake is made in da shape of an oval , like a crown and out of da coffee-cake dough, decorated wit' gold, green and purple shugah icin'. Oo-wee, dat sound good, y'all. Y'all know I don' like t' cook but I found dis heah recipe dat look easy. No, no. It' not traditional but dat's ahright. If I can do it, you sho'ly can!
King Cake
1 can of cinnamon rolls, wit' icin'
Shugah sprinkles in yellow, gold and green
Lookie heah at how dese rolls undo. Y'all see dat. Get da generic kin' cuz day squirrly like dese. Shape dem rolls into an oval, twisting dem all togethe', and place it on a cookie sheet. Cook as directed on da package.
When dey done cooking, slip dat lil' toy bebe inside da cake. Cover da tops wit' da white icing. Sprinkle da different colors of sugars on da top, alternating as you go 'round da oval. And dat be all, y'all! Ea-sy!
Now, da Mardi Gras season end on Fat Choosday. Dat be da day you Laissez les bon temps rouler! (You pronounce dat like dis heah: le-say le bon tonh rou-lay!) Dat mean, Let da good times roll! Cuz on Wednesday da Lent Season be on and you good Catholics be givin' up somet'ing dat you love while in reflectin' da up comin' Easter. So, let's get goin' y'all.
Firs', we have t' break out da beads. Beads, beads and mo'e beads. One of da prizes of Mardi Gras. Let's keep our tops on ladies. You don' have to show your ta-ta's t' obtain da much wanted green, gold and purple beads. And don' let no drunken cooyon try tell you ut'erwise. Coins, trinkets and beads have been t'rown from da parade floats since da tradition started. Da "barin' all" tradition is not so much a tradition as much as it's da loss of inhibition after some ladies consume a lot of dos her'canes and encouraged by before mentioned drunken cooyons. Dos mask come in handy tho, should you decide t' 'xpose yo'self.Yes, da her'canes sho'ly help wit dat. Dat be a fruity punch drink dat make yo' insides feel good. oo-wee. It was made most famous by dat famous restaurant, Pat O'Brien's. Hurry on up and make yo'self one! Maybe you could just leave out da rum fo' da chilren.
Now heah is the hard recipe:
Hurricane Recipe
1 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
4 ounces dark rum
4 ounces passion fruit syrup
Crushed ice
Orange and/or lime slice
1 Maraschino Cherry
In a cocktail shaker, add lemon juice, rum, passion fruit syrup, and crushed ice; shake vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes and den strain into a tall glass or hurricane glass. Garnish wit an orange and/or lime slices and a maraschino cherry.
But if you want t' make it easy, head on ove' to World Market and purchase da Pat O'Brien mix. Dat be what I did! Add water t' da mix and shake. Add da rum to dat. Oo-wee, if dat don' make you take yo' top off ladies, no'ting will!
So, what you waitin' fo'? Go make groceries, turn on yo' zydeco music, put on da Jambalaya fo' dinne' , sip on dos Her'canes and say it wit' me,
Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Announcements:
And the winner of the February 18th Shirt is.... Kristen Giger!!! Kristen pick your favorite Ray to be featured on your shirt. If you need a reminder of your choices, email me and I will help you.
Patchwork Denim: Kudos to Peggy and Cassie for submitting their photos of Patchwork Denim. What about the rest of you? Tera, Maureen, Melanie, you know who you are! Don't forget to send them into highlowaha218@gmail.com by Wednesday, February 25th by 5:00pm. This is patch yielding event!
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Dis be da Cruise Director speaking. Signing off 'til Monday, y'all!!
