Recipes for a Fun and Festive Fat Tuesday

With winter's chill still in the air now is a great time to grab friends and family for an impromptu Mardi Gras party. Laissez le bon temps rouler, Cajun for "Let the good times roll!"

Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday and is the final day of the season between Christmas and Lent. Mardi Gras is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday - the first day of Lent a period that many cultures traditionally give up favorite foods and alcohol in preparation for Easter. Fat Tuesday is a last chance party excuse before a six-week period of abstinence.

Recipes:

New Orleans Spicy Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo

New Orleans Shrimp Po Boys

New Orleans Style Remoulade Sauce

House of Blues Voodoo Shrimp

Bloody Mary Shrimp Pasta

Plan the Party

• Keep it simple
• decorate in Mardi Gras colors - yellow, purple and green 
• buy beads in bulk at a local craft store
• make it a pot-luck and assign dished or courses
• make it a costume party and have guest dress in Crewe costumes
• Serve a batch of Hurricanes or non-alcoholic punch
• make Mardi Gras masks
  • buy masks at the craft store
  • along with things like feathers, sequins, glitter, coins and beads
  • supply glue (hot glue works really well)
  • let everyone make their own Mardi Gras mask
  • Award prizes for the best mask, most unusual, etc.
• Play zydeco music

Laissez le bon temps rouler, - "Let the good times roll"!

For more recipe ideas visit camping.com.