Happy Carinval, Y'all!

The pandemic has Mardi Gras looking a lot different down here in New Orleans, but that doesn't mean we won't celebrate. Spread around some Carnival cheer with these recipes. Remember this is a living page, so you'll recognize some recipes from Christmas, along with two new recipes in the Main Courses section. 

And make sure to check out our Teams group to submit your recipes and videos. They're celebrating over there too. 

Enjoy! 

Menu

• Specialty Eggs (Joy Stuart — New Orleans)
  I make these special eggs for the Geocent potlucks. It is like a mad rush to get to the table where my eggs are. People just love them. I hope you can make them for your family and friends and get to see the happiness on their faces when they bite into one of these most delicious eggs! :) - Joy Stuart, New Orleans, LA
  
  Ingredients:
  • 18 Eggs
  • Celery seed
  • Hot sauce
  • Mustard
  • Mayo
  
  Instructions:
  1. Boil the 18 eggs, let cool, and then slice the eggs in half.
  
  2. Scoop out the yolks and put them in a bowl. Then put a large dollop of mayo, a spoon full of mustard, five shakes of celery salt, and five pumps of hot sauce. Mix it all together. If it's too dry, add a little more mayo and a pinch of mustard. Mixed it all together until it is creamy, but not runny.
  
  3. Put a spoonful of this delightful mixture back into the hardboiled eggs each half of egg shell.

• Margarita on the Rocks (Amy Trosclair — New Orleans)
  Margaritas are my favorite adult beverage. The best thing about them is you can adjust to your own taste (I like mine a little tangy). Add extra tequila or don't use any at all. If you like it tangy, add extra lime juice or make it sweet by adding extra syrup. You can also add other flavors like cherry syrup, strawberry, or watermelon schnapps. Instead of triple sec, try a shot of Gran Marnier.
  
  Ingredients:
  • Kosher salt
  • Ice cubes
  • 2 oz blanco tequila (I prefer Patron Platinum)
  • 1 ½ oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
  • ½ oz simple syrup
  • ½ oz triple sec (Cointreau or any orange liqueur)
  
  Instructions:
  1. Rim a high ball glass with salt (run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass so that it's wet, then tip the glass over into a plate of salt and give it a twist).
  
  2. Put two handfuls of ice cubes into a shaker.
  
  3. Add tequila, triple sec, syrup, and lime juice, then shake for 10-15 seconds. 
  
  4. Add ice to high ball glass and pour contents of shaker over the ice.

• Mirliton & Shrimp Dressing (Josie Delaune — New Orleans)

Recipe (double batch; makes about 48 side servings)

Ingredients: 

For stuffing
• 24 mirlitons (you might see these called chayote squash at the store)
• 1 ½ cups of butter
• 6 chopped onions
• 4 chopped bell peppers
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 5 bay leaves
• 4 tbsp parsley
• 3 lbs crabmeat
• 3 lbs peeled/boiled shrimp (small)
• 1 tbsp of liquid crab boil
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• ¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce
• ~5 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs

For topping
• 1 ½ cups seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 cup butter

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut all mirlitons in half length-wise. Place face-down on oiled baking sheets and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly charred.

2. While the mirlitons bake, boil enough water to cover the shrimp in a pot. Add salt and a tbsp of liquid crab boil. Once the water is boiling, add the raw shrimp and bring to a boil once again. The shrimp should only need to boil for a minute or two.

3. Once the mirlitons are soft, use a spoon to remove the seed and the hard white veins around the seed. Then peel each mirliton and dice into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl.

4. Heat a large pot over high heat and add 1 ½ to 2 sticks of butter to melt. Add all the onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Reduce to medium heat. Stir the veggies until the onions are clear and fragrant (about 7 minutes).

5. Add the diced mirlitons, bay leaves, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, and Tony’s and Tabasco to taste. Cook down while stirring and mashing the mirlitons. Cover in between stirs. Everything should be small and mushy when ready.

6. Add some breadcrumbs (about two cups) to the pot to soak up some water. Add the shrimp to the mixture and more breadcrumbs (about two cups). Stir very well before adding the crab meat. Be sure to slowly add the crab while feeling for peelings in the meat. Add more breadcrumbs as needed to get a good, think consistency and stir. Don’t stir the mixture much after the crab is added in an effort to keep the lumps of meat together.

7. Add the mixture to baking dishes. The food can be refrigerated now to be baked and served later if needed.

8. When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 375. Sprinkle a layer of breadcrumbs and several pads of butter to the top of the dish. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the breadcrumbs on the top start to brown.

9. Enjoy with your friends and family!

• Catfish and Alligator (Bobby Savoie — New Orleans)

        Our benevolent leader shares the full experience of frying fresh catfish and alligator, Savoie-style. 

• Crazy Johnnie's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo (Zach Betz — New Orleans)

  This recipe is an amalgamation of a few things: My dad had made some Crazy Johnnie’s BBQ shrimp for a family event. Once I peeled the leftovers, I couldn’t bring myself to throw away the juice because it smelled so good. My wife suggested making a chicken and sausage gumbo and adding the juice. I had never made gumbo before, but my sister-in-law makes a good one. Between her recipe, and Cajun Ninja’s recipe, this one was born.
  Ingredients:
  
  • 1 cup Tony Chachere’s Instant Roux Mix
  • 1 onion
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 3 sticks celery
  • 2 lbs smoked sausage
  • 4 lbs chicken thighs
  • 2 32 oz containers chicken stock
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 5 oz Heinz 57 Sauce
  • 1/4 cup Louisiana Fish Fry Crawfish Shrimp & Crab Boil 1 packet BBQ Shrimp Seasoning
  

  
  Instructions:

  1. Chop vegetables finely. 
  
  2. Cook chicken thighs, then shred them (if you boil or pressure cook the chicken thighs, save the broth for later)
  
  3. Slice sausage thinly. 
  
  4. Make roux the hard way, or use Instant Roux Mix (I bet you can’t taste the difference in the end result).
  
  5. Once roux is ready, add vegetables, then cook for 10 minutes to soften them. 
  
  6. Add sausage, Creole Seasoning, garlic powder, salt, then cook for 20 minutes. 
  
  7. Add chicken stock, water, Heinz 57 Sauce, Crab Boil, BBQ Shrimp Seasoning, bay leaves, then bring to boil. 
  
  8. Add shredded chicken thighs, then simmer for two hours. 

• Christmas Cookies (Scarlett Frost — Huntsville)

  My Nannie (grandmother) calls them “Christmas Cookies” because we make them at Christmas. Making these at Christmas time is one of our traditions. We have four generations making cookies, creating memories and having fun! Usually just the girls but sometimes the guys will join us. These cookies have everything in them and it takes all four generations to stir the mix. We stir until our arms get tired and then pass the bowl, lol. It is hard work but well worth it! I hope you and yours enjoy!!!!
  Ingredients:
  • 2 cups of shortening
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 cups of plain, sifted flour
  • 6 cups uncooked oats
  • 1 large can of coconut
  • 3 cups chopped pecans
  • 2 cups of white raisins
  • 2 cups of white sugar
  • 2 cups of brown sugar
  • 4 eggs beaten
  
  Instructions:
  1. Cream the shortening.
  
  2. Add sugar, mix well.
  
  3. Add eggs, vanilla and flour. Mix well.
  
  4. Add oats, coconut, pecans and raisins. Mix well.
  
  3. Form mixture into balls, about the size of a walnut. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.