King Cake & Milk Punch Recipes For Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras 2017 falls on Tuesday, February 28. It always falls on the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Celebrating the Carnival season, Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday) has been a state holiday in Louisiana since the 19th century. The Milk Punch recipe is below. But first:     WHAT’S MARDI…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Eat Something Presidential

Presidents Day is Monday, February 20, a mashup* of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12th) and George Washington (February 22nd). You can’t, of course, sit down to a meal with a president; but you can have some of his favorite foods. You can find the favorite foods of each president here; plus some highlights…
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DIY Jambalaya Party Bar With Recipes For Mardi Gras

For Mardi Gras—February 28—try a new take on food bars (a.k.a. buffets): DIY Jambalaya. Jambalaya is a delicious, spicy, main course consisting of rice and practically everything else in the refrigerator! It’s a great way to use favorite meats and veggies (shrimp, peas, carrots, bell peppers). You can start from scratch; for a family night,…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Types Of Meringue, Plus Red Wine Meringue Cookies

All meringue begins the same: with egg whites beaten with some form of sugar. But from there, pastry chefs evolved different preparation techniques to produce different results. You may think of meringue as cookies, or dessert cups that hold fruit or mousse, like vacherins or pavlovas*. It can also be made into a cake layer…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Aged Coffee & Nespresso Limited Edition Selection Vintage 2014

Conventional coffee advice tells you to buy the freshest roasted beans, and grind them as you need to make coffee. Don’t buy more than you need for the week: Fresh is everything. But now, there’s aged coffee, a growing trend. Aged coffee is not analogous to old, stale, flat coffee. It comprises specially selected beans,…
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