Crawfish Boilin' time!

In south Louisiana, the arrival of Lent and the requisite religious sacrifices that entails means no meat on Fridays. Since we live in one of the richest seafood areas in the country, that is not too much of a penance. We "make do" with crawfish pies, fried catfish, oyster poboys and seafood etouffee.  We have a special fondness for crawfish (sometimes described as crawdads or mudbugs). A Crawfish boil is a ritual in itself.  There is a technique to boiling great crawfish. It is not something you can do in a hurry. It takes lots of purging, boiling, seasoning and soaking to get the perfect batch of crawfish. All these steps lead up to a good time had by all.  Crawfish boils are time to get together with friends, slow down while the mudbugs soak and celebrate the good things in life. There is nothing comparable to a crawfish boil on one of those first pretty days of spring. This weekend will be my first Crawfish boil of the season. I can't wait!

 

Just in time for the Crawfish season, MardiGrasOutlet.com has expanded their line of Louisiana products and Crawfish boil supplies. There are fun crawfish hats and crawfish boil beads to wear to the party. They even have some crawfish bibs for those from the "nawth" that need to keep their clothes clean when eating boiled crawfish. For those who are hungry, they offer food mixes so you can make crawfish etouffe, gumbo or even crawfish pie.

My favorite new items are the collection of  Seafood Buffet tableware by Tika . Since 1991 when Hasslock Studios introduced hand painted platters at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the popularity of these bright colorful serving pieces has continued to grow. Nationwide, Tika's whimsical designs are recognizable. The playful "Tika" Collection called Seafood Buffet  serves up a variety of entertaining pieces with assorted seafood like crab, shrimp and crawfish complete with garnishes of lemons, peppers, artichokes and Tabasco sauce. The bright blue, red and yellow colors on the platters pop against the off white background. Some of the pieces have raised three dimensional accents like this large crawfish on this platter.

Originally only available in hand thrown pottery, the whimsical pieces are now available in ceramic at very affordable prices. MardiGrasOutlet.com carries a large variety of styles and shapes in this collection, all of which are microwave and dishwasher safe. This makes clean-up after those messy crawfish boils a breeze. Not only are these colorful serving pieces great for crawfish or seafood boils, they also make great gifts and fun accents for any home. The platters would look great hung on the wall or displayed on a easel.

An exclusive item that MardiGrasOutlet.com carries are these cute crawfish bowls. Made with removable glass insert bowls they are perfect for serving your special sauce at a crawfish boil.

If you're up for the whole crawfish boil experience, but not sure how to peel boiled crawfish, here is a link to Southern Living's website. They have a great detailed description of how to peel crawfish that was in the March 2010 magazine. Southern Living: How to peel and eat boiled crawfish

If you're not interested in the production of a crawfish boil, try a hot crawfish dip. You can get your fix of Louisiana crawfish with this recipe for Crawfish Cardinale. It is one of my favorite hot seafood dips. Serve it in this oven safe pewter crawfish casserole dish with crackers or in individual pastry cups.

Crawfish Cardinale

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy

1 tablespoon lemon juice preferable fresh

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 pound cooked  Louisiana crawfish tails

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the green onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and stir until caramel colored (this is making a roux) approximately 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute. Add the cream, brandy, lemon juice, salt and cayenne. Whisk to combine. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crawfish tails and cook until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste.

This recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse.

Here are more blog posts with recipes for Crawfish Phyllo Triangles Appetizer and Tony Chachere's Shrimp and Crawfish Fettuccine.

Looking for more links on how to eat crawfish? Click here.

Either way you enjoy crawfish this season, just slow down and let the good times boil!

Mardi Gras music in the family with Kristin Diable!

Our carnival season reverberates with Mardi Gras music from around New Year's day until the final parades roll on Fat Tuesday. By the end of the season, even the die hard Mardi Gras fans are ready to hear something different.

So, I was thrilled to hear a great new Mardi Gras song, the classic IKO IKO, sung by our talented cousin, Kristin Diable. Kristin spent years away in New York getting her music career started. Far away from Mardi Gras and the south, she cultivated a voice that reflects a unique combination of folk, jazz and soul.  She recently returned south and set up shop in New Orleans. Kristin has had a guitar in her hand, singing her own songs, since she was too young to drive. I don't remember a family gathering with out that guitar and her amazing voice. (She may kill me for writing that, but I have pictures to prove it!) Kristin has come along way and her soulful voice proves it. She did a great job revisiting a classic with her own "Kristin" style and just in time for Mardi Gras.

From her website:
KD(Kristin Diable) is releasing her rendition of a New Orleans classic, The Dixie Cups, "IKO IKO!" Home recording Feb. 2010. It's yours to keep if you promise to add it to your playlists and keep it in rotation. Please share with friends!
P.S. This track is meant to be played LOUD on a real stereo (or in a car, or on a parade float, or a dance floor). We suggest burning it on a CD and/or adding it to your iPod to rock in spaces outside of the computer. Enjoy!

A piece of these famous lyrics (I think I can hear the parade rolling by right now...Can you?)
since i was a baby child, playing on that bayou
they been singin' that old song, gonna set your heart on fire...

Download the song and play it at your next Mardi Gras gathering. I hope you enjoy the song as much as I do.  I am so glad Kristin Diable is back down on that bayou!

Work Hard, Play Hard!

Mardi Gras celebrated the Mardigrasoutlet.com way! After weeks of long days and countless orders, the "krewe" at Mardigrasoutlet.com took a much needed break to enjoy Mardi Gras in New Orleans. What better place to do that than a balcony over Bourbon Street stocked with more beads and throws than we could possible throw in 7 hours...Or could we? Afterall, this is a group of people who know beads. And New Orleans Mardi Gras was packed with carnival goers clamering for beads.

Our road trip to the city was on Sunday of Mardi Gras. It was a great night to be in New Orleans. Bachus was rolling and Drew Brees was the main attraction. On the heals of a victory in the Superbowl, the Saint's quarterback Drew Brees was king of New Orleans, not just Mardi Gras.  I think everyone in Louisiana and maybe the south was in New Orleans for Mardi Gras this year.

Take a close look at this picture. The Bachus parade was just ending. From up on the balcony, we got to see the crowds roll into "the quarter" like a giant wave. The streets went from crowded to a sea of faces in minutes. Everyone was celebrating a great carnival season and a Saint's victory. The crowds from below yelled that familiar phrase of Mardi Gras "throw me somethin, mister!" And throw we did. Long metallic beads, light up medallions that flashed at night, fancy handstrung beads, fluffy feather boas,  crazy hats, and some beads larger than my head. It was great fun!

Late that night as we got to the bottom of that huge stack of boxes of beads and throws, the rain rolled into town. Some die hard revelers stayed on the streets, but the majority of the crowds headed inside to sample famous and infamous New Orleans cocktails.  Our group headed inside to the dance floor. It was a perfect day for a road trip to the crescent city. A great victory, a beautiful city, family, friends, good music and an amazing Mardi Gras celebration!

Good times, Good times...bon temps!

How to: Mardi Gras Wreath made with Mesh Sinamay Garland

This wreath looks impressive, but is so easy to make. I was inspired to create this wreath by one I saw on a friend's door during Christmas in red and green. I immediately thought of the purple, green and gold Sinamay Garland, I love to decorate with for Mardi Gras. I think this wreath is fun and festive, exactly what Mardi Gras is all about. And it was easy to make with minimal supplies.

Sinamay is an amazing natural product that is very versatile. Sinamay is a woven fabric or riboon made from Abaca fiber. It is also know as manila hemp. The natural fibers harvested from the Abaca plant (similar to the Banana plant that grows here in the South) are cut, dried, colored and then woven together. A huge array of products from hats to ribbon to gift bags are available out of Sinamay. It is a wonderful sustainable, eco-friendly product. I love using it because it is so versatile. I have made placemats, wrapped gifts and made huge bows out of it. The natural fibers are stiff so they hold a shape with out the need for wire.

Supplies for this Sinamay Wreath Project:

1 wreath form

Roll of 18" Sinamay Ribbon/Garland 

Roll of matching 2" Sinamay Ribbon or clear string.

Scissors

For this project I used two sizes of Sinamay. One wide 18" Sinamay garland roll  in the purple, green and gold Mardi Gras colors and a narrower 2" purple ribbon roll. I like the added contrast the smaller ribbon adds but you could opt for a clear string that would not show at all. For the base of this wreath, I used a plain grape vine wreath, but you could use a regular wire form. I prefer the grape vine form because my front doors are french doors with glass so the back of the wreath shows through when you are inside.

To start the wreath, I cut a few pieces of the 2" ribbon  in 10" long strips (about 8). You can cut more if you need later. Start with the 18" Sinamay garland. Gather the end piece together and tie to the front of the wreath form with the smaller ribbon strip. Tie in a double knot. Move down the wreath a few inches and repeat this same step.

 Keep the distance between ties consistent around the wreath. Closer together looks more "puffy", further apart looks more "free form." Don't worry to much about this being perfect. This wreath is supposed to look fun and the ribbons can be adjusted if you need at the end.

Continue around the wreath until you get back to where you started. Cut the end of the 18" Sinamay garland  in a distance that matchs the loop before and tie it down with a smaller ribbon. I tied a second ribbon directly over the first ribbon I started with.  Fluff the loops and ribbon  around the wreath. And your DONE! What a impressive project with very little effort and no messy glue sticks! Hang it up and ENJOY!

This project could be personalized for your needs in so many creative ways. Change up the color combination for a different holiday. Add a second 18" Sinamay garland for a bigger pouf around the wreath. Tie or glue on colored ornaments or balls for some added sparkle. I hope you are inspired to create a wreath of your own.

2011 Update:

MardiGrasOutlet.com now offers an affordable synthetic version, Deco Poly Mesh. It comes in a huge selection of colors, sizes, styles and finishes. 

We also have video tutorials on how to make wreaths from deco mesh and work wreath forms. The Mardi Gras Wreath instructions video can be found here.

Fun Mardi Gras Wreaths for your door!

Looking for some inspiration for your Mardi Gras door decorations? MardiGrasOutlet.com carries a few styles of ready made wreaths in the Mardi Gras colors: purple, green and gold. Instantly decorate your door with one of these wreaths. Add a coordinating garland to the header of your door for a complete look. Feeling crafty? MardiGrasOutlet.com  carries tons of supplies to craft your own one of a kind Mardi Gras wreath.  Here are some pictures to inspire you!

This Berry Ball Wreath and matching garland are elegant. These have a more upscale look with the subdued matte purple, green and gold color. Add a Mardi Gras ribbon bow to the wreath and garland at the corners of the door header for another punch of color.

Don't know how to make a bow? We have a photo tutorial and a video tutorial on how to make bows from poly deco mesh.

If you want to go for true Mardi Gras glamour, choose the Mardi Gras Greenery Wreath with lots of metallic flash. This wreath has sparkly mylar tinsel branches wrapped around it in all three Mardi Gras colors.

Pictured here are two more fun styles of a Mardi Gras wreaths. A creative southern girl's blog Deep Fried Kudzu shows how anyone crafty could assemble these Mardi Gras wreaths. I loved the finished wreaths. I think they are definitely worth the time spent crafting them. Check out this blog http://www.deepfriedkudzu.com/2008/01/mardi-gras-wreath-ornament-wreath.html to see great "how to" pictures for these two Mardi Gras wreaths.

Not feeling crafty today? The ornament wreath can be purchased here. Mardi Gras Outlet also offers a smaller 16 inch version of this wreath.

Any of these Mardi Gras wreaths could be personalized with your own unique style. Add ribbon, ornaments, beads, garland, masks or floral picks to each wreath for a one of a kind creation. Your options are endless.

2011 Update: 

We took the basic Metallic Mardi Gras Greenery Wreath and transformed it 3 different ways. Click here to see the blog post detailing how we did it!

Mardi Gras Christmas Tree

My house always feels so bare once the Christmas tree and decorations are put away. Somehow our home, which seems fine the month before Christmas, is now lacking something.

 Luckily, Carnival season follows quickly behind Christmas. Traditionally it is thought to be bad luck to take down your Christmas tree before Twelfth Night or Epiphany -- that being the day that the "true" Christmas season ends. Since Epiphany is also the beginning of Carnival it makes sense that many people just transition from one holiday to the next here in Louisiana.

At last, an answer to the question of what to fill your bare house with after the holidays...a festive purple, green and gold Mardi Gras tree. I love Carnival and all its metallic wonder! ENJOY!










2011 Update:
MardiGrasOutlet.com now carries a 6.5 foot tall Mardi Gras Tree. Perfect for a sparkling Mardi Gras themed tree!


Looking for the gold Fleur de Lis tree topper? Get it here.

Twelfth night rings in a King Cake tradition!

Epiphany.... Let's eat Cake!

 

Epiphany, the 12th day after Christmas, celebrates the visit of the three kings or wise men to the Christ Child. It signifies the end of the Christmas season. And ushers in the beginning of the Mardi Gras season which will last until Mardi Gras day, or Fat Tuesday!

For most people around the world, this New Year week signals a time to cut back, reorganize and slim down. But not for us down here in Louisiana. With Lent fast approaching at the end of Carnival Season, we go ahead and pull out all the stops for another few weeks.  In south Louisiana, the tradition of King Cakes begins.  (King Cakes are yummy cinnamon roll-like cakes with icing and sugar on top.) Today starts the cycle of King Cake parties. But be careful while you eat,  there may be a plastic baby in that piece of cake!  The person who receives the piece with the baby -- to symbolize the baby Jesus -- in their piece of cake must bring the next King Cake, or host the next King Cake party. It is a fun tradition that people look forward to all year long. Offices, classrooms and homes around the south are slicing into King Cakes today.

So bring a slice of Mardi Gras home to your city! Bake yourself a King Cake with a King Cake baking mix or order one from a Deep South bakery to be shipped to you. Good times are here! Life is short. Eat Cake. Let the fun begin!

If you are having a King Cake party, you can find the King Cake platter pictured at the top at MardiGrasOutlet.com.

2011 Update:

New! Check out this adorable King Cake necklace, perfect for an inexpensive party favor for Mardi Gras or King Cake parties.

Also, we also made some tasty King Cake cupcakes! Click here to see directions on how to make these. They are very simple to make.