Bonne fête de Mardi Gras!

Happy Mardi Gras!

I just saw something I wasn't expecting. No revelers yet. Hm. Empty streets.

https://www.earthcam.com/events/mardigras/?cam=catsmeow2

We had some clients in from Brazil the last couple weeks. They went home on Friday. They were looking forward to Carnival this week with mon, tues, wed all holidays.

Anyone know if all the celebrations where ever they take place, if they close down at midnight?

We have been having celebrations in Galveston since weekend before last. Last Saturday night was the big parade and party.

I have my Mardi Gras tree up and decorated but since both of us have been down sick with bad colds I didn't plan a party this year. Last year we had a great one.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

In New Orleans, Mardi Gras does end at midnight, as that is when Ash Wednesday begins. The bars never close, however, at least when I was there.

Now, there are revelers. Actually, it began picking up around 9:30, so maybe a half hour after I posted the link. Not long. I'm pretty sure the only other time I've seen Bourbon that deserted was a year after Katrina and the whole town was fairly empty.

It's not much of an event in my area, especially since it's mid-week. It's perhaps just another bar event excuse attracting people who like to drink too much in public and whoop it up, like St Patrick's Day.

So sorry you're down and out Raven........it's amazing how miserable a "common cold" can make you feel. I have some red beans and rice cooking down in my slow cooker right now, I've never made them before so this should be interesting. I used Valerie Bertinelli's recipe.

the like is for your pretty tree. I love it!

Maybe you can celebrate late?

My supper club is going to a gumbo bar this Sunday for brunch, bloody Mary's, and a late Mardi Gras celebration. Yes?

I plan on getting some boiled crawfish very soon! I did have a piece of King cake and some friends came by today to visit for a while. It was a beautiful day here today and that definitely makes me feel better!

Georgysmom how did your red beans and rice turn out? I made a pot full last week in my Instant Pot and they were very tasty.

I knew before I made them that I was not crazy about Andouille sausage but I used it anyway. DH thought it was very tasty but if I were to make it again, I would use the ham hock and maybe chunk up some ham from a ham slice. The seasonings were over powered by the sausage. I can always add some hot sauce to DH's. :-))))

My daughter gave me an instant pot a couple of years ago but I hardly use my crock pot so I gave it to my son. Now, I think my crock pot is starting to fail and would like to replace it (I love it for ribs) and I'm debating between a crock pot and an Instant pot, Which do you prefer?

I have not used my crock pot for a few years now. For beans now I always use the instant pot. It's just so much quicker and no soaking the beans. Depending on the dish I am making, some things I like better slow cooked, some are just as good in the instant pot. But if I am making gumbo I still go old school, on the stove in my big gumbo pot. Last time we were in Louisiana we went to my favorite smoked meat store and I bought a bunch of the green onion smoked sausage. Theirs is very seasoned and very smoked. It can definitely over power in some dishes. I made Anasazi beans recently and used a whole package of that sausage in it. Omg best beans I have ever made. I did it in the instant pot. We just were amazed at how much that sausage added to the beans. Excellent Meats from that store.

https://m.facebook.com/RheasSpecialtyMeats/

We here in the Tampa Bay Area have what's called the Gasparilla Pirate Festival which includes a parade in late January. (It's mainly a money-making thing for all the snowbirds that are still here.) It's been going on for over a century. When I was a kid my grandma lived on a street that the parade went down and we saw it for several years in a row. But when my son got to be old enough to know what was going on I took him and couldn't believe what was going on. I vowed not to take him back. People were acting as if it was Mardi Gras and I'm talking broad daylight flashing and heavy drinking/drug activity. They finally started having a separate parade day for the children because a lot of families refused to go anymore. So I don't have anything against people who want to hoop and holler and act up in adult fashion but not around the kids.

Oh my, that meat store looks beautiful!