Decorate a Mardi Gras Gift Basket in Mardi Gras Colors

Why not make up a Mardi Gras hostess gift basket in Mardi Gras colors complete with some Cajun food, several jazz CDs, and a generous handful of Mardi Gras beads?

Mardi Gras Hostess Gift Basket
One easy way to do this would be to make a big pot or dish of Jambalaya or Red Beans and bring it along. The pot is the hostess gift, the food is your addition to the party.

Whatever you choose to bring in the pot or dish, however, should be something that falls under the category of traditional Mardi Gras food.

Use a crock pot as the container and fill it with

• Disposable camera
• Feathered mask
• Mardi Gras beads
• Jazz CD

Another idea would be to have a potluck Mardi Gras party and instruct each person who will be attending to bring one item-enough for each person who will be in attendance. For example, if you have six couples in attendance, each couple would choose one gift basket to bring, providing:

• 12 disposable cameras
• 12 feathered masks
• 12 sets of Mardi Gras beads
• Large King Cake and 12 recipes to pass out
• Large pot of Jambalaya
• Large pot of Cajun Shrimp or some other Cajun dish

King Cake and Paczki
King Cake, which more closely resembles sweet bread than actual cake, is decorated in the traditional Mardi Gras colors: green, representing faith; gold, symbolizing power, and purple, denoting justice. Tradition states that a small statue of a baby is to be baked inside the cake. The sweet bread is twisted into a circular pattern (like a wreath) and is cut into two- to three-inch slices. The person who gets the statue in their slice of cake is supposed to have good luck for the coming year. The lucky one also gets the distinction of being the one who bakes next year's cake.

In many other parts of the United States, paczki, a Polish sweet bread, is made and served. Paczki is also a sweet bread, fried in hot oil. Traditionally, this palm-sized treat is cut into oblong egg shapes with an elongated doughnut cutter. Sometimes paczki doughnuts are filled with jelly or cream, but depending on what area of the country you find yourself in, they may be covered with frosting or powdered sugar. Since only unleavened bread was to be eaten during Lent, the trick was to use up the last of the yeast making sweet breads just before Lent began. Smart thinking.

Celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans
Mardi Gras Carnival is filled with feasting and revelry; however, some antics that take place in the French Quarter might not be appropriate for children. Since no parade floats actually follow a route down any of the streets in the French Quarter, visitors who attend Mardi Gras as a family would be wise to avoid Bourbon Street and the French Quarter, labeled the adult areas.

If you plan to attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans, make hotel reservations early. Hotels and other accommodations are booked as far as four months in advance. The last thing you want to do is show up expecting to book a room during Carnival. The same goes for parade routes. Show up early and don't forget to dress for the occasion.

Celebrating Mardi Gras at home
Minus the hoopla and parades, you can still enjoy a wonderful Mardi Gras Carnival in your own home by accessorizing and tossing on a few red beans and rice and a few other Cajun dishes. Whatever you decide for your Mardi Gras carnival, don't forget to dress for the occasion. This is Mardi Gras and costumes are expected.