February Festivities

Happy Mardi Gras!  This was me one year ago:

 

Needless to say, Mardi Gras this year was a little calmer.  I wore a few strands of purple and gold beads to work, ate some King Cake, and tuned into Fats Domino radio on Pandora.  It was quite wonderful.  And no one got arrested for public intoxication or indecent exposure.

Here's the King Cake that my sister baked and mailed all the way from Boston!  

I planned to make Shrimp Jambalaya for dinner, but Jaycob wanted to go out.  So here's what I'm cooking tomorrow night to keep the New Orleans spirit alive...

Recipe for Shrimp Jambalaya:

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups diced ham
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound uncooked, shelled shrimp
• 1 cup quick-cook rice

Directions:

1. Use a large pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Sauté the onion, celery and carrot until they're soft.
2. Along with one cup of water, add the diced ham, cayenne, chili powder, salt and pepper, tomato sauce and tomatoes and the bay leaves. Simmer the mixture for 15 minutes, and then add the rice. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the shrimp and cook until it turns pink, about five minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Serve hot in individual bowls.

Speaking of holidays, Happy Valentine’s Day too!  I personally don’t care if Valentine’s Day is a Hallmark-created holiday aimed at consumerism and excessive spending.  I appreciate any opportunity to wear pink, eat chocolate, and tell people that I love them.

Last Valentine’s Day Jaycob and I went out to eat at Luminaria restaurant in the Loretto Inn and Spa in Santa Fe.  The food was amazing and we had a lovely time.  Unfortunately an expensive meal is not in our budget right now, so this year I plan to make a delicious Valentine’s Day dinner at home: vegetable fettuccine with homemade tomato sauce and chicken breasts with almond cream sauce.  For dessert I’m making a peanut butter fudge cheesecake from my favorite food blog!

Peanut Butter Fudge Cheesecake Recipe 

I also made some festive Red Velvet Puppy Chow to get me through the week.

Red Velvet Puppy Chow