;)

I’m a day late but, R.I.P. Michael Jackson! HEEEEEE HEEEE! *crotch grab*

Sitting here waiting to see if the Apple store online will come back up so I can preorder my iPhone4!! Cmonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!

Happy Fat Tuesday, the day for food and celebration, a.k.a getting wasted! Laura reminded me of this day last night and would like to go all New Orleans for dinner so I am going to make King Cake and some sort of Cajun/Creole food! We will hopefully have some festive drinks as well!

Let’s begin with a brief history of Fat Tuesday! Mardi Gras came to the US in late 17th century as a French Catholic tradition when King Louis XIV sent Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville to defend France’s claim on the territory of Louisiane. Lead by Iberville, the expedition entered the mouth of the Mississippi River on the evening of March 2, 1699, Lundi Gras. They did not yet know it was the river explored and claimed for France by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in 1683. The party proceeded upstream to a place on the west bank about 60 miles downriver from where New Orleans is today, and made camp. This was on March 3, 1699, Mardi Gras, so in honor of this holiday, they named the spot Point du Mardi Gras (French: “Mardi Gras Point”) and called the nearby tributary Bayou Mardi Gras. Bienville went on to found the settlement of Mobile, Alabama in 1702 as the first capital of French Louisiana. In 1703 French settlers in Mobile began the Mardi Gras celebration tradition. By 1720, Biloxi had been made capital of Louisiana. In 1723, the capital of Louisiana was moved to New Orleans. The tradition has expanded to the point that it became strongly associated with the city in popular perception, and embraced by residents of New Orleans beyond those of French or Catholic heritage. Mardi Gras celebrations are part of the basis of the slogan, Laissez les bon temps rouler, (Let the good times roll) and the nickname “Big Easy”. ( via Wikipedia ;P )

Moving on! In the spirit of Mardi Gras, here is a hopefully delicious recipe for King Cake that I plan to use for tonight! Enjoy!

KING CAKE

Ingredients

PASTRY:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup melted butter

  FROSTING:

• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons water

Directions

1. Scald milk, remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. When yeast mixture is bubbling, add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. .
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
5. To Make Filling: Combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup raisins. Pour 1/4 cup melted butter over the cinnamon mixture and mix until crumbly.
6. Roll dough out into large rectangle (approximately 10x16 inches or so). Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough and roll up each half tightly like a jelly roll, beginning at the wide side. Bring the ends of the roll together to form a oval shaped ring. Place the ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With scissors make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1 inch intervals. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Push the doll into the bottom of the cake. Frost while warm with the confectioners’ sugar blended with 1 to 2 teaspoons of water.

Follow my soul mate!