Throw Me Somethin', Mista!

The title of this post, should anyone need to know, is the proper, and most common Mardi Gras parade chant. This is the official Mardi Gras site, full of information and history. Very interesting if you have the time to look.


I've already thrown out a couple recipes suitable for Mardi Gras, Gumbo and Cajun BBQ Shrimp.

Here are a few more and a link to the recipe for the Mardi Gras classic~King Cake.

Jumping Joe's Jambalaya

1 pound chicken, de-boned and cut in 1" cubes
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 pound shrimp, cooked (21-25 count)
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
2 medium onion, chopped
2 green pepper, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. parsley
2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 cup okra, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cups rice, cooked

Cut chicken and slice sausage. Chop onion and green pepper.
Put all in crock pot. Add remaining ingredients, except shrimp
and rice. Cook in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Thirty
minutes before eating, add cooked shrimp and cooked rice, and
allow to heat. Can be cooked on high for 3-4 hours instead.
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Smoked Andouille Sausage in Red Gravy

6 tb Unsalted butter
1/2 c Chopped green peppers
1 1/2 lb Andouille smoked sausage (2-inch pieces)
1 ts Minced garlic
8 ts Tomato sauce
3 c Onions
1/4 c Chopped parsley
6 1/2 c Pork or beef stock
1 c Chopped green onion tops
1 1/2 ts Cayenne pepper
3 ts Cooked rice
3/4 ts Salt
1/2 c Chopped celery

Melt butter in Dutch oven. Add sausage cover and cook without stirring about 7
minutes. Turn over and sprinkle 2 c. of onions on top. Cover and cook another 7
minutes. Should be dark brown sediment on pan bottom. Add 3/4 c. of stock and
scrape bottom. Add pepper and salt stirring scraping and turning. Cover and cook 2
minutes scraping once. Add celery green peppers and garlic. Cover and cook 3
minutes scraping once. Add tomato sauce and cook uncovered 5 minutes scrapping
occasionally. Add 1/2 c. onions. Cook 8 minutes until large puddles of oil have
broken out and tomato mixture is thick. Stir only if sticking. Add parsley and 1/2
c. of the green onions. Add 3-1/4 c. more stock and scrape. Cook 20 minutes until
liquid is thick dark red gravy. Stir occasionally. Stir in remaining stock and
onions. Bring to boil reduce heat and simmer stirring frequently about 14 minutes
until gravy is noticeably thicker but still juicy. Remove from heat and serve
immediately.
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What is a King Cake?

A king cake is a traditional Mardi-Gras treat, brightly decorated in the colors of
Rex: purple, green and gold. The cake, which is similar to a rich sweet bread or
coffee cake contains a special surprise-- a tiny baby doll contained within one of
the slices. Custom dictates that the "lucky" recipient who gets the piece with the
baby throws the next Mardi-Gras party (or bakes the next King Cake).

King Cake Recipe