Fat Tuesday

Ever wonder about this Mardi Gras thing? It's a let your hair down party that is a last day of indulgence before the start of Lent. Lent? A period of penance and prayer before Easter. Among other activities King Cakes are part of this annual celebration. Talk about a sugar coma! Grand dessert that traditionally had a baby Jesus figurine in it and the person that finds it supposedly is blessed with luck for a year. To learn more about King Cakes visit NOLA.com

With the advent of the ridiculous dumbasses suing McDonalds because the coffee they clumsily spilled was hot (can i get a big well, DUH right here?), the figurine is now packaged separately in most cakes. You know the person that sued Mickey Ds with the coffee spill is a village idiot, but the damn judge and lawyer should be tarred and feathered then shot into the sun on a rocket or, at the very least, sacrificed to a volcano. Back to the subject, King Cakes come in many flavors. I favor...hmmmm....all of them! Blueberry may be the best, but raspberry is also tasty. Wait, the apple rocks too. So does the lemon. And the strawberry. Just try one, you'll like it!

Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday. The celebration goes back to the time when the Romans embraced Christianity and incorporated a pagan festival into the Roman Catholic rites. Mardi Gras came to America in 1699 with the French explorer Iberville. Mardi Gras had been celebrated in Paris since the Middle Ages, where it was a major holiday. Iberville sailed into the Gulf of Mexico, from where he launched an expedition up the Mississippi River. On March 3 of 1699, Iberville had set up camp on the west bank of the river 60 miles south of where New Orleans is today. This was the day Mardi Gras was being celebrated in France. In honor of this important day, Iberville named the site Point du Mardi Gras.

The center of activities is New Orleans. Needless to say the town is jumping with a Carnival atmosphere. Used to love going, but that was in my younger days. BTW, a word to the wise: If you think you can attend and drink like a fish or act like a pagan please stay home. The NOPD will put your silly butt in jail if you don't obey the law. That said, if you have never been it is interesting. Not for the prudish though.

Mardi Gras is followed by Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of Lent. Holy Saturday is April the 7th this year and will conclude the fasting period. The huge festivity that takes place in New Orleans every year has garnered world wide acclaim. Gambinos is the baker's standard when it comes to King Cakes. They ship overnight and I can certainly testify their product holds up during the trip to your table. The cake pictured at the very beginning of this post is a Gambinos. If in North Mississippi, Kroger supermarkets usually stock these goodies this time of year. Hurry though, they sell out!

Wow, now I must go have another cup of Mello Joy coffee and finish my breakfast grilled cheese sandwich. Shucks, I might even have two.

"Never celebrate until you are really out of the woods. They might be behind the last tree."
~Billy Wobblynife