Way back when it was Mardi Gras season, we had a fun little Mardi Gras meal for dinner one night. It was kind of an impromptu themed-dinner. I don't think much of it was legitimate Mardi Gras food, but it was all southern/Louisiana inspired food.
First we had Swamp Stuff. One family in Destin served this to us and he first had it in Louisiana. Basically it is a red beans and rice mix cooked up with whatever meat (we use half a kielbasa) added in towards the end of cooking. Then you fry an egg (or two) and serve it on top of the beans and rice with grated cheese on top. You aren't supposed to cook the egg all the way and then cut it open and let the yolk ooze into the rice and beans and let it cook there. We both like our eggs cooked thoroughly, so we just fry until hard and it is still delicious. You can also add hot sauce into the dish to give it added flavor. Ben is a BIG fan of this dish. He is always asking to have it for dinner, and it is pretty easy to make.
Next off was some maque choux. We loosely followed Emeril's recipe. It was a nice veggie addition to the Swamp Stuff. I had never made it, but it too was super easy to make.
I also baked up a King Cake. This was really the only reason why we had a Mardi Gras meal. It didn't turn out how I wanted it, but it was still delicious. We didn't have a little baby to bake into the cake, but we did add a coin and Ben found it. Guess he is making the cake next year.
 |
| Ben did a good job making me look hardly pregnant in this picture. |
We will probably have an annual Mardi Gras meal every year. It reminds me a lot of my mission because people in Andalusia we very much into it. Next year, we'll have to plan ahead. I'm thinking some moon pies for dessert along with the King Cake Ben has to provide.
3 comments:
Very impressed. I wonder if Jacob would like that first dish you talked about. It looks nice and cheap and easy.
What if you leave the meat out of the swamp stuff? I have some kidney beans to use up, and this would work well, but beans+rice is already a complete protein, not to mention the egg.
You can totally leave the meat out. Plus, it is really stinkin' easy if you buy the boxed stuff. At Aldi I think it is a dollar (look by the rice). I made it once not using the box but it turned out not very good, and Ben ended up eating it for quite a few lunches.
Post a Comment