[2] A classic Louisiana gumbo (photo © Mackenzie Ltd.).

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

 
Mardi Gras parades, festivals and masquerades in colorful costumes mark the transition from traditional daily life to Lent.

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.

You don’t have to head to New Orleans to celebrate: Bring the party to your place. If you want to decorate, streamers or balloons in the traditional Mardi Gras colors (purple, green and gold) will do nicely. For music, check out these New Orleans playlists.
 
 
MARDI GRAS MENU

You can entertain easily, with muffaletta sandwiches or a hearty pot of jambalaya.

If you want to do some more elaborate cooking, here are some ideas from Chef Mike Valentine of Ford’s Oyster House, a New Orleans themed restaurant in Greenville, South Carolina.

Here are three classic cocktail ideas:

The Sazerac (photo #3) is a New Orleans variation of a whiskey cocktail, named for the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand of Cognac that was later replaced by rye in most recipes. Some people date its origins to before the Civil War.

Ingredients Per Cocktail

 
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*You can use other bitters, but Peychaud is the official brand for the Sazerac.

†Absinthe has a strong licorice flavor. Absinthe is so strong that no one ever drinks it straight. In this recipe, it is used to “rinse the glass,” to add a hint of flavor. You can substitute the milder Patsis.
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Preparation

1. CHILL an Old Fashioned glass by filling it with ice and letting it sit until ready to use.

2. MUDDLE the simple syrup and Peychaud bitters in a mixing glass. Add the rye and stir with ice.

3. DISCARD the ice in the Old Fashioned glass and rinse it with absinthe (pour a small amount into the glass, swirl it around and discarding the liquid). Strain the mixture from the mixing glass into the Old Fashioned glass.

4. SQUEEZE a lemon twist over the drink. Traditionalists then discard the twist, but you can add it to the drink for flavor.

[3] The Sazerac Cocktail, a New Orleans classic (photo © Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse).

[4] A bread bowl filled with spicy andouille sausage dip (photo © King’s Hawaiian).

This dip recipe (photo #4) comes from King’s Hawaiian, whose delicious sweet breads are a favorite at THE NIBBLE (here’s our review). If you don’t want to serve the dip in a bread bowl, you can serve it in a conventional bowl or keep it warm in a hot pot, on a brazier with a warming candle, etc.

If you don’t want to dip cubes of bread, you can slice the bread and provide knives for spreading the dip.

Ingredients

 
For The Bread Bowl

 
Preparation

1. CREATE a bread bowl: Carve out the center core of the round bread within two inches of the bottom and sides, keeping the shell intact. Cut the bread you’ve removed, and other loaf, into 1-inch cubes for dipping.

2. PLACE the andouille sausage pieces into large frying pan and sauté until cooked thoroughly. Add the Velveeta and cream cheese and stir until melted. Add the Cajun seasoning; adjust to taste.

3. POUR the dip into the bread bowl. Serve with the raw vegetables, bread cubes and toothpicks for dipping; or bread slices and a knife for spreading.
  

You can substitute cherry brandy or liqueur (Cherry Heering, DeKuyper Cherry Brandy, Grand Marnier Natural Cherry, Southern Comfort Cherry, etc.) for the cherry vodka.

RECIPE: CHERRY JELL-O SHOTS

Ingredients

Preparation

1. POUR boiling water over the Jell-O and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Cool to room temperature, then stir in the vodka.

2. POUR the mixture into shot glasses or Jell-O shot cups. Refrigerate until well-set, at least 6 hours. Makes 32 1-ounce jello shots, give or take.

Check out these heart-shaped Jell-O shots.

TIPS FOR MAKING JELL-O SHOTS

Thanks to GreatPartyRecipes.com for these tips:
 
Preparation

 
Eating

We commit to eating a whole grain breakfast every day, trying to build up to our our Daily Value of 48 grams of whole grain (here’s why). We tend to alternate among Cheerios, Shredded Wheat and oatmeal.

We don’t buy Raisin Bran often enough. But Raisin Bran is also a whole grain cereal, with 23g of whole grain per serving—more than Cheerios’ 20g per serving. (Oatmeal [not instant] has 32g, Shredded Wheat has 16g.)

So when we were offered a sample of new Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Raisin Bran Cereal with Cranberries, we accepted and polished off the box in two days, enjoying it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Given the antioxidant craze, we’re surprised it took this long. It’s a more sophisticated flavor update to the long-popular classic Raisin bran, and the cranberries and raisins plump up nicely in the milk.

The latest member of the Raisin Bran Family—Original, Crunch and Omega 3 From Flaxseed—is Cranberry.

Discover more at KelloggsRaisinBran.com.
  

Steph, a blogger in Sydney, Australia, created this masterpiece: a fluffy vanilla cake layered with strawberry and balsamic vinegar icing, topped with heart-shaped macarons filled with the same icing strawberry-balsamic icing.

The recipe is on her website, RaspberriCupcakes.com.

In Italy, fresh strawberries with a few drops of fine aged balsamic vinegar are a popular dessert. Steph loves the combination, and it was a short leap to adding caramelized balsamic vinegar to strawberry buttercream icing.

“All I did was purée the fruit and mix it into my regular buttercream icing, along with that amazing caramelised balsamic vinegar,” says Steph. “It has a gorgeous depth of flavour and a bit of tang from the balsamic. It helped that I [already] had that beautiful sweet and thick balsamic vinegar, which seemed perfect to use in desserts; but you could use any balsamic and adjust the amount you add to the icing until it tastes just right.”

In terms of going the extra mile to make heart-shaped macarons: Steph, we take our hat off to you.

These pills are roasted and caramelized hazelnuts and almonds, enrobed in 70% dark chocolate.

The prescription for instant happiness: 3-5 chocolate covered nuts daily.

A bottle of Chocolate Pills is $8.00 at FikaNYC.com.

Adapting the coffee-centric lifestyle of Sweden, Fika is a coffee house and confectionery with several locations in Manhattan. Chocolates are hand-made in house and are sold online.