Thursday, February 24, 2011

Mardi Gras Party Preview + Time for Parades !

It's time for Mardi Gras and time to put the finishing touches on my seafood buffet menu and purchase the wine and spirits. This is my favorite party of the year and it is so much fun! Guests will be coming in costumes and the party food, drinks, decorations, and favors will all have a Mardi Gras theme. This is what my menu looks like, so far, and I'll be sharing more of these Mardi Gras delights with you soon, so stay tuned!
Le bon mange, cher'! Enjoy!

Click on titles in black to view recipes.



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Crawfish-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

 2 tbs's. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
8 oz. crawfish tails, chopped
2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2  cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup light mayo
1 tbs. Cajun seasoning, (divided)
Few shakes of Tabasco
Salt to taste
8 portobello mushrooms, gills removed

In large, heavy skillet, on medium heat, saute the onion and garlic, for 5 minutes. Add the crawfish, parsley, hot sauce, and half of the Cajun seasoning to the pan, and saute for 10 minutes and set aside.. In large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, mayo, other half of the Cajun seasoning, and add the crawfish mixture. Place mushrooms, top side down, on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Fill the mushrooms with the prepared filling, packing it down. Sprinkle with a little more cheddar cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, in a preheated 350 degree oven. Sinfully good! Serves 8.

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Remoulade Potato Salad

 3 lb.'s red potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp.salt
2 ribs celery,diced
1/2 cup green onions, sliced thin
3/4 cup light mayo
1/8 cup Creole or Dijon mustard
1/8 cup yellow mustard
3 tbs.'s ketchup
1 tbs. prepared horseradish
1 tbs. sweet pickle relish w /juice
1 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Spanish olives for garnish

In large pot, cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 12 minutes and drain in colander. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and season with salt. Combine the next 10 ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended. Add to the potatoes and mix well, or until desired consistency is reached. Sprinkle top with Cajun seasoning and garnish with more green onions and Spanish olives. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 6  Divine!

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Time for Parades
It's going to be such a fun weekend in Cajun country! Parades will be rolling in Lafayette, beginning on Saturday, at 2:00 pm, with the Krewe de Cheins parade, and the fabulous Krewe of Rio parade on Saturday night. And don't forget about the pre-parade celebration in Parc Sans Souci! For a complete schedule of Mardi Gras events and parade times, click here. Gonna catch some beads, ya'll!

Let the good times roll, cher!


Wishing all of you a fun weekend! Wish ya'll were here! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!

22 comments:

Linda Starr said...

That's going to be some party, especially the food. Bet those parades are something to see. Have a great time.

LaToya said...

Wow. That menu is impressive.

I think I might get out of the house this year and attend a parade or two.

ellen abbott said...

I have many fun memories of Mardi Gras. My parents had friends in NO and the husband was an artist in the french quarter, had his studio across from Pat O'Brian's. Front row seats with a bathroom! Of course, that was back when they still had parades in the Quarter. and flamboes.

Honey at 2805 said...

Looks like a really great party!

Joanne said...

I can't believe Mardi Gras is here already. I know it was just Christmas! It looks like your place is the place to be for THE Party, Marguerite ... Good times :)

Rosaria Williams said...

Oh, almost the real thing coming here and going through the fabolous recipes. I can dream now!

kitchen flavours said...

Looks like the party is all set to go. I did take a peek at the events, it is really fantastic! Never knew you guys have so much events going on down there! Can I join you? :)

Kittie Howard said...

Ahhh, Mardi Gras! I'm like a fish outta water here!

Copied your potato salad recipe. (I've been known to make potato salad sandwiches I love the stuff so much!) Does it mess with the taste too much if I leave out the relish? I'm not fond of that pickle taste.

Have a great weekend!

Eddie Bluelights said...

What a fabulous tradition. And the food looks delicious. After all that fish which is good for the brain I'd be even better at crosswords LOL. Crumbs, ya sure know how to enjoy yerself! Have a great time and I'll be thinking of yer! LOL
Look forward to more news ~ wish I was there ~ Eddie

Midlife Roadtripper said...

Okay, no fair. I'm driving to Louisiana.

Chris and Amy said...

Thank you for the recipes! We're so inspired for our annual Mardi Gras party next weekend. Wish we were at the real thing, though!

Marguerite said...

Linda- Thanks, it's going to be all seafood, so you know it's going to be good! The parades are a blast!

Latoya- Great to hear from you, cher! Thanks, they are all of my faves! Hope to see you at the parades! Happy Mardi Gras!

ellen- Those were the days! But, New Orleans still manages to throw one heck of a Mardi Gras, and I love Galveston's, too.

Honey- Thanks, it's always a lot of fun! Wish you were here! Have a great weekend!

Joanne- Thanks, Mardi Gras is one big party after another! I'll have a Hurricane in your honor! Cheers!

Kat said...

OMGoodness! Those Crawfish-stuffed mushrooms look so good. You are the best hostess I know of. I wish I lived close by. When we lived in Mobile many moons ago we used to take our kids to the parades. It was so much fun. I have been to one N.O. MardiGras in 1972. What a trip that was!!

A Kitchen Witch said...

Everything looks delish...wish I was there. Had a little gathering of our own tonight and did it up Luziann style with my Granddaddy's seafood gumbo, jambalaya, red beans n rice, hushpuppies, and millionaire pie : ) I thought about you all the while and wondered how you and your food were doing; ) Have a mahvelous time, cher!

Shammickite said...

AARRGGHH!! Sounds wonderful, wish I could be there to join in all the fun.
And eat that lots of wonderful food of course.

Chef Dennis Littley said...

hi Marguerite
you sure do know how to party down there, how I do wish I could be part of that wonderful mardi gras!
So many creative delicous dishes, oh let the good times roll!
Dennis

Arlee Bird said...

What a buffet! What a great buffet you tempt us with. I wish I could be there.

Lee
Tossing It Out

Drick said...

another great line up - wish I had that potato salad, would have included it in my Top 20 Mardi Gras Foods... it is another winner...

nanny said...

Once again your menu sounds perfect....
My husband made a request a couple of days ago for jambalaya and I drug out the cookbooks....after a minute I thought, wait, what am I doing? I have an expert waiting to share a perfect recipe with me at the click of the mouse.....since your mardi gras jambalaya wasn't linked I went to the Cajun Recipe link below and am making Crawfish Jambalaya II tonight.(course the crawfish is frozen from WalMart)

Marguerite said...

Rosaria- Merci for your lovely comment! Happy to oblige! Wish you were here! Have fun in L.A.!

kf- There is always so much going on here, but that is the life of a Cajun. Lots of fun and good food, always! You'd be more than welcome to join us!

Eddie- Merci beaucoup for your sweet comment, cher! You crack me up! lol Yes I do, and I'm having a blast! Wish you were here, too!

Midlife- So good to hear from you! I wish that you were! You would love it! Thanks for stopping by!

Chris and Amy- Thanks so much for the nice compliment! You're so welcome! It's my pleasure and I'm so glad that you like them. Cheers!

Kat- Merci for the sweet compliments, cher! They are divine and they are addictive. I wish that you did, too! We would have so much fun! I know what you mean about N.O.

Pooch Purple Reign said...

im hppy to have this potato salad recipe. i remember having gumbo and potato salad on more than one occasion while visiting LA. awesome
~laura xx

Magic of Spice said...

If I ever get to visit during Mardi Gras...I am so coming to your house :) The potato salad alone will have me dreaming...