Celebrating Mardi Gras…(let the good times roll)

Leave a little sparkle wherever you go

Hello, sweet friends…

I hope you are doing well…

Now that we have celebrated Valentine’s Day, it’s time to look toward the next celebratory event…Mardi Gras

Crock pot jambalaya
👩‍🍳

Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 pound Andouille sausage , cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• ▢ 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ▢ 1 white onion , chopped
• ▢ 2 stalks celery , chopped
• ▢ 2 green bell peppers , seeded and chopped
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic , diced
• ▢ 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes , undrained
• ▢ 1 cup chicken broth
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning (see note)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ▢ 1 pound large shrimp , peeled and deveined (tails removed optional)
• ▢ 3 ½ cups water
• ▢ 2 cups long-grain rice
• ▢ Chopped fresh parsley , for serving (optional

DIRECTIONS

• In a crockpot, stir together the sausage, chicken, onion, celery, bell peppers, garlic, tomatoes, broth, Creole seasoning, oregano, and salt. 
• Cook on low 7 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours, or until the veggies are tender and the chicken is cooked through. Add the shrimp during the last 30 minutes of cooking time. 
• Cook the rice 20 minutes before serving. In a medium pot with a lid, bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and stir once. Cover and turn the heat to low. Simmer 18 to 20 minutes. Do not remove the lid while it’s cooking. Remove lid and fluff rice with a fork. 
• Stir the rice into jambalaya. Season to taste and sprinkle with parsley, if using, to serve.

King Cake

Ingredients

2 6oz. cans of cinnamon rolls plus included icing

1/4 cup salted butter melted

1/2 cup light brown sugar

Green yellow, and purple sanding sugar

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Remove cinnamon rolls from packaging and set aside the icing.
• Drizzle about 1⁄3 of the melted butter into the bottom and sides of the bundt pan. Sprinkle with about a third of the brown sugar.
• Use your hands to smash each cinnamon roll a bit so that it spreads a little bigger. Line half of the cinnamon rolls around the bundt pan.
• Drizzle with half of the remaining butter and sprinkle with half of the remaining brown sugar. Place your king cake baby or trinket into the middle of the pan over one of the cinnamon rolls.
• Repeat smashing and layering the remaining cinnamon rolls. Drizzle with the remainder of the butter and sprinkle the rest of the brown sugar over the top.
• Bake for about 30 minutes until the cinnamon rolls are browned and puffy and have mostly filled the bundt pan. Allow pan to cool for about 5 minutes.
• Invert the cinnamon roll cake onto a cake plate or cooling rack and allow to cool the rest of the way.
• Heat the cinnamon roll icing in the microwave for just 5-10 seconds until it is easy to spread. 
• Pour over the cooled cake and sprinkle with purple, yellow, and green sanding