Spiced pecans are fun to make and
fun to eat. Photo courtesy Spice Islands.

Mardi Gras is on Tuesday, but you don’t have to head to New Orleans or Rio de Janeiro to celebrate. Invite people over for celebratory cocktails, served up with spiced pecans and some New Orleans jazz. (And why not some colorful costumes?)

Spiced nuts are very versatile. Use them:

 
Get a recipe for spiced nuts.

Here’s a recipe for making candied nuts of any type.

WHAT IS MARDI GRAS?

Mardi Gras, pronounced MAR-dee GRAH, is part of the Catholic Carnival celebration beginning on Epiphany and ending the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras, called Shrove Tuesday in English, is French for “Fat Tuesday.”

The “fat” refers to the last night that one can eat richer, fatty foods (meat, dairy, fats and sugar) before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which starts the following day, Ash Wednesday. “Shrove” is the past participle of the verb “to shrive,” meaning “to obtain absolution for one’s sins through confession and doing penance.”

No parties or celebrations are held during Lent, the six week period prior to Easter that represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness. The Mardi Gras parades, festivals and masquerades in colorful costumes mark the transition from traditional daily life to Lent.

[1] Enjoy Irish whiskey on St. Patrick’s Day (photo © Jameson Irish Whiskey).

[2] Have an Irish coffee. Here’s the recipe (photo © Slane Irish Whiskey).

Bourbon, gin, scotch, tequila, vodka: You may have enjoyed one or more of these spirits lately.

But what about Irish whiskey?

Lighter than its cousin, scotch, Irish whiskey is triple-distilled for extra smoothness. The use of unmalted barley in Irish whiskey’s production offers a very different flavor profile from scotch: no smokiness, but a perfumed, slightly sweet character.

Finesse is the word for Irish whiskey. Its mellow yet flavorful character made it the world’s favorite whiskey in the late Victorian era. We love it, and wonder why it isn’t a more visible drink in America.

Some popular brands of Irish whiskey include Bushmill’s, Connemara, Jameson and Tullamore Dew.

We drink our whiskey straight, but here are some delicious Irish whiskey cocktails.
 

WHISKEY vs. WHISKY

Whisky is the Scottish spelling of whiskey. This alternative spelling was chosen to differentiate the national product of Scotland from Irish whiskey.

The “whisky” spelling is used in Canada, Japan and Wales, as well as Scotland.

In the United States, a 1968 directive from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms specifies “whisky” as the official U.S. spelling.

However, it allows the alternative spelling, “whiskey.” Most U.S. producers prefer to include the “e,” as do we. Without it, it looks like something is missing.

And another reason to keep the “e”: Irish whiskey predates Scotch whisky. Check out this brief history of whiskey.

Ironically, distillation was discovered in the 8th century in Persia—a country that has not permitted the sale and consumption of spirits since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Lacinato kale is also called dinosaur kale because of the bumpy texture of its leaves, which some saw as reminiscent of reptile skin. In Italy lacinto kale called cavolo nero, meaning black cabbage, and other names* (photo © Good Eggs).

On St. Patrick’s Day, many of us will be wearin’ the green. But how about eatin’ the green?

Celebrate by trying some new leafy green vegetable recipes; specifically, bok choy, collards, and kale.

Bok choy and collard greens may not sound Irish, but kale was one of the most popular vegetables in Europe, through the Middle Ages. The ancient Romans enjoyed both collards and kale. And all three are cousins!

 
 
Check out 100+ St. Patrick’s Day recipes.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Cahill’s Farm Cheddars get our vote for best-looking Irish cheese. Photo courtesy iGourmet.com.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to cook up traditional Irish dishes, set out an Irish cheese board and some Irish beers.

You’ll have to hunt for the cheeses (or you can buy them online).

 
Serve the cheeses as a munch with apéritifs, beer, cocktails or wine; as a cheese course; or as a dessert course with fruit.

Or, snack on Irish cheese and beer as you watch Celtic Thunder, Celtic Woman or your own Irish film festival (start with The Secret Of Kells).

The most memorable is Zombie Cupcakes: From the Grave to the Table with 16 Cupcake Corpses, by Zilly Rosen, a professional cake designer based in Buffalo, New York.

Cooked up in Dr. Rosen-Frankenstein’s lab, the cookbook introduces you to a ghoulish (but delicious!) army of creatures of the night—or their various body parts. (We love the hand reaching up through the “earth” frosting, Carrie-style.)

Each recipe has a color photo of a stunning zombie-inspired design. In addition to the undead, concepts include crows tearing up the icing to reveal “blood” underneath, and a graveyard with rats. The photos make us want to start a zombie cupcake bakery and turn out these delights every day.

But even if we never bake a thing, we like Zombie Cupcakes as a fantasy picture book that makes us smile. Ms. Rosen: How are you going to top this?

Beyond us grown-ups, we think the book represents a great opportunity to teach kids and teens the joy of baking.

This cupcake is called “On The Loose.”
Photo © Ivy Press 2010. Styling by James Lawrence.

 
Anyone can get a box of cake mix and a can of stuffing to produce ordinary cupcakes. With Zombie Cupcakes, you can work your way up to being a cupcake star.

Fondant is the key. Fondant is a smooth paste made of sugar, glycerine and cornstarch. It is rolled like dough to a 1/8″ – 1/16″ thickness and then draped over a cake instead of a traditional frosting. It can be flavored. To decorate, shapes can be molded, then colored, and painted. Think of it as edible Play-Doh or modeling clay.

Fondant also seals in moistness, enabling cakes and cupcakes to stay fresher longer than with conventional types of frosting. That’s why it’s so often used on wedding cakes, which can take a couple of days to build and decorate.

If you’ve seen cakes that look like handbags, wrapped gift boxes, race cars, etc.: that’s fondant (check out these fondant-covered cakes from Elegant Cheesecakes).

You don’t have to make fondant from scratch: It can be purchased at a baking supply store. Having said that, we must underscore that fresh, homemade fondant tends to taste better—like marshmallow.

 
Watch out: We’ll be back for Halloween with the crows and the graveyard.