I didn't used to pay much attention to Mardi Gras, but having been to it several times, it's become an excuse for me to make Cajun food, listen to New Orleans music, and so forth. In fact, we even have a potluck for it at work now. Of course, our conference room was already reserved for something else today so we couldn't get it for our potluck, so we're having the potluck on --gasp!--Ash Wednesday. Thus, I spent all evening cooking a big pot of gumbo and a couple of mouthwatering King Cakes for tomorrow.

Whenever I make a roux for gumbo, it always smokes up the house pretty bad (that's the problem with recipes where it says the oil has to be smoking hot, and the problem with having a range hood that's not vented to the outside [that out to be illegal!]), so my neighbors probably wondered why I had all the windows open (and playing Zydeco) in February. Oh well, it only comes once a year!

roux makes me want to throw up, the end product is good, but the smell of burning oil and flour... ugh! i went to one of the parades for mardi gras, but tomorrow/today is ash wednesday for me, so its time for some crawfish creole (can't eat meat on ash wednesday or fridays during lent) which is where mardi gras came from, the celebration up to lent, the party before the fast.

Yeah, the smell of making a roux is pretty nauseating, but the end result is worth it. If this house had a vented range hood, it wouldn't be nearly so bad, but the dumb thing just sucks the air through a flimsy little filter that couldn't catch anything smaller than a pea, and blows it back into the room.

You're lucky to be living where you are (not often I'd say that to somebody in Texas or Louisiana!) if Lent means crawfish creole. All the Catholic kids I knew in southern Illinois always complained about having to eat tuna casserole. Since I was Methodist and hardly ever got to eat tuna casserole, I couldn't figure out what they were complaining about!

Here we are, one year later. I just finished baking King Cakes and making gumbo, and just closed the windows that were wide open to let the roux smoke out. Next Mardi Gras, maybe the roux won't be an issue. I have a vented range hood in the new house (if I ever get moved in). My boss has the same model of hood in his house, and he jokes that when it's on high, you need to tie the grandkids down to keep them from getting sucked up into it. So I'm looking forward to putting it to the test. Nothing could challenge a range hood like a roux! Except making blackened redfish, which Chef Paul Prudhomme says you have to make outside, unless you have a restaurant-grade exhaust system. Since I'm vegan, though, I won't be making blackened redfish.

I love to make gumbo, etoufe (i can never spell that right), crawfish, jumbaliya, black eyed peas. and some good old fashion SoS. Just hate the fact that it takes so long to make the roux for gumbo and jumbaliya.

It's Mardi Gras again! I just spent the last 6 hours cooking--King cakes are pretty time-consuming, plus I made a pot of gumbo too--so I'm pretty wiped out. I'm just unwinding a bit now and letting the house fan void some of the smoke out of the house--I burned a roux, unfortunately. Paul Prudhomme says a black roux is the best one for making gumbo, but it's also very hard to do without burning it. I ended up doing what I do most years--burn one, throw it out and start over, and make a much lighter roux then put other things in the pot to darken the color.

We're having some pretty bizarre weather for this time of year. We had a big snow and cold weather on Friday. By Monday, we were having temps in the 50s (°F) and all that snow is turning into fog. Seriously, Monday was one of the foggiest days I've seen in my life, and there were lots of car accidents, some fatal, unfortunately. Monday night (as in, ongoing right now), there were/are thunderstorms. It's supposed to be stormy and 50 on Tuesday, then Tuesday night we may get freezing rain and snow.

Ya a dark roux takes forever to do. Took me 1 1/2hr to get a nice really dark peanut butter color for the one I made on Super Bowl Sunday. Lots of stirring hehe

Well tomorrow is Mardi Gras...and I'm not making a King Cake. I came down with a wretched cold yesterday (is there any other kind?) and I just don't think I have the stamina to make it. Plus, I'm not sure who'd want to eat something made by someone who was sneezing and drooling and dripping. So I will buy a store-bought one on the way to work tomorrow (assuming I go to work tomorrow) and promise them a nice home-made cake later in the month.

And happy Mardi Gras to you! I have family in Louisiana, but I'm afraid they're busy cleaning up a tornado's aftermath rather than celebrating at the moment. Luckily it missed their neighborhood. I'm sure they'll find time to party, they always do in cajun country!

I didn't take part in any of the mardi gras celebrations and parades this year... but I may have to take part in the Fat Tuesday celebration tomorrow! "Laissez la bon temps roulette!"

[quote=""BladeCollector""]I didn't take part in any of the mardi gras celebrations and parades this year... but I may have to take part in the Fat Tuesday celebration tomorrow! "Laissez la bon temps roulette!"[/quote]

Food, food, food out of you lately. Jelly filled donuts sound good.

Hey Fin, skip school and make a trip to Hamtramck for me, a dozen should do. Ship them overnight e xp ress C.O.D.

well.. our local yearly carnival type thing starts tomorrow... so I think its time for some nice food on a stick!

Fat Tuesday nomnomnom best Tuesday of the year.

We had our annual Mardi Gras potluck at work (a tradition I founded, I might add), and it was the best ever for me, in spite of my not making a King Cake. There were no fewer than 4 vegan dishes I could enjoy, and that was a record. Being vegan really limits my options at things like potlucks and holiday dinners, and when it actually works out well, I'm pretty happy (not to mention stuffed).

My Mardi Gras cooking is almost finished, and to paraphrase something Emperor Palpatine once said (can't you see him grand-marshaling a parade at Mardi Gras?), "all is proceeding as I have foreseen." Except I would have to add, how can I flippin' be out of rice! I have to go to the supermarket now.