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Name That Dish!

partysugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:15:06 -0800

Welcome to the Mardi Gras edition of Name That Dish. Below is a Creole specialty that can contain many ingredients including vegetables, seafood, and meat. Do you know what its called? Hint: this dish made a cameo on last week's Top Chef.

If You Had To: What Technology Would You Give Up For Lent?

GeekSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:43:27 -0800

You don't have to be Catholic to celebrate Mardi Gras today, and you definitely don't need the excuse of Lent to give up a habit. CNET suggests giving up Facebook, and even has some guidelines for how to do it.

I don't know that I'd give up Facebook, as I'm not painfully addicted, and I certainly would not give up my Twitter, since I feel like I'm just getting started. What I could give up is using my cell phone in places it might not be appropriate, and trying not to have meaningful conversations over text messages.

What I definitely am too addicted to give up are my TiVo, whipping out my iPhone to solve all my problems, and playing video games to unwind. Some things are just non-negotiable.

So tell me, if you had to (or are going to), what technology would you/could you give up? What could you definitely not?

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Roundup: Mardi Gras Madness

CasaSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:00:25 -0800

Happy Mardi Gras! The yearly celebration in New Orleans ends officially tonight, the day before Lent begins on the Christian calender. While the people in NOLA have surely been decorating the streets with beads, floats, crawfish, costumes, doubloons, and beverages galore, I thought I'd have a go at decorating our homes Mardi Gras style. The official colors of Mardi Gras were chosen in 1872 by the Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrovitch Romanoff of Russia during a visit to New Orleans, and reaffirmed at the first daytime parade, Rex. Mardi Gras's symbolic colors include purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power). The Mardi Gras flag also features a crown, another symbol of power. Beyond that the fleur-de-lys is an iconic symbol of New Orleans, and undoubtedly makes many appearances in NOLA during this holiday. So, I thought I'd roundup a few furnishings for you incorporating these historical symbols. Don't go overboard and snatch them all up: A few accessories will add just enough festivity to your home. To see my finds, read more.

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Noteworthy Nibbles - Feb. 24-Mar. 2, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:00:30 -0800

With Mardi Gras parades and festivals going on today across the country and a handful of restaurant weeks still going strong, this week's a great time to pay a visit to your favorite food events: If you live anywhere nearby, celebrate dungeness crab season in Northern California, as well as the beginning of Florida's strawberry season. And if you're attending the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, perhaps I'll see you there!

Got any fine food events that you see left off this list? If so, chime in below. Will you be going to any of this week's events?

New Orleans, LA: New Orleans Mardi Gras - Feb. 24
St. Louis, MO: St. Louis Mardi Gras - Feb. 24
New York, NY: NYC Restaurant Week - Feb. 24-27
Chicago, IL: Chicago Restaurant Week - Feb. 24-27
Orange County, CA: Orange County Restaurant Week - Feb. 24-28
San Francisco, CA: Dungeness Crab Week - Feb. 24-Mar. 1
Houston, TX: Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Championship Bar-B-Que Contest - Feb. 26-28
Minneapolis, MN: Minnesota Monthly Food & Wine Experience - Feb. 26-Mar. 1

To see the rest, read more.

Plant City, FL: Florida Strawberry Festival - Feb. 26-Mar. 8
Albuquerque, NM: Fiery Foods & BBQ Show - Feb. 27-Mar. 1
New York, NY: New York Wine Expo - Feb. 27-28
Boca Raton, FL: Boca Bacchanal - Feb. 27-Mar. 1
San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition - Feb. 28
San Francisco, CA: 7th Annual Celebrity Crab Fest - Feb. 28
Comstock Park, MI: Winter Beer Festival - Feb. 28
Grant, FL: Grant Seafood Festival - Feb. 28-Mar. 1
New Orleans, LA: Culinary Inspired Seasonal Mixology - Mar. 2

Carnival Around the World

CitizenSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:00:14 -0800

While today may be Mardi Gras, carnival has partied its way around the world for the last week. From the rain forests near Rio to the Alps in Germany, see how the world celebrates sin in my slideshow!
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Sign Language

GiggleSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:15:00 -0800

This sounds like a perfectly good reason to get thousands of dollars worth of silicone shoved into your chest. Very persuasive.

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Celebrate Mardi Gras With This Simply Special Treat!

PetSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:00:05 -0800

I'm looking for a last-minute way to celebrate Mardi Gras with North, who constantly has food on his mind. Now we all know that a traditional King Cake has no place in pets' tummies (with all that sugar), but the concept is definitely something we can work with.If you're unfamiliar with this dessert, a King Cake is a sweet treat that traditionally has a trinket like a bean or plastic baby hidden somewhere inside. The person who gets the prize gets to be king for the day. To find out how to surprise your pets this way, read more.

Obviously, we don't want to add a nonedible choking hazard to our animals' food, but what about adding a special "trinket" to dinner tonight? Simply take a special treat that would normally be fed by itself and bury it inside your pet's wet (or dry) food. I tested this with North this morning and boy was he happy – he actually dug through the food with his mouth to eat the snack first! Remember, just one – we don't want pets to experience Fat Tuesday all too literally.

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Quiz Nation! Happy Mardi Gras!

LibertySugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:00:06 -0800

If you're Christian, today is your last chance to party it up before Lent! If you don't observe Lent, well I guess today is just a chance to party! During Lent (which starts tomorrow) many Christians traditionally abstain from earthly pleasures or give up bad habits. But before anyone even thinks about sacrifices, it's time to indulge in a little Mardi Gras quiz.

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Take the quiz

Fast & Easy Dinner: Jambalaya

partysugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 06:50:44 -0800

Tonight, invite your family to celebrate Mardi Gras with this classic Creole rice dish. Although jambalaya traditionally simmers on the stove for hours, this simple variation takes some help from the store, cutting down the cook time.

It's not short of flavor, though; hot sauce, shrimp, and kielbasa sausage provide depth and deliciousness. To get the recipe now, read more.

Jambalaya
From Real Simple

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 16-ounce package kielbasa, cut into 4-inch rounds
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 8-ounce box jambalaya, Spanish, or fiesta-flavored rice mix
1 1-pound package peeled and deveined raw shrimp
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)

Directions

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the kielbasa. Cook until browned, about 4 minutes.
Add the tomatoes along with 1/2 cup of water and their liquid and crush with the back of a spoon. Bring to a boil.
Add the rice mix. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for the time specified on the package.
Add the shrimp, stir, cover, and cook until pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the hot pepper sauce (if using). Spoon onto plates.

Serves 4.

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Test Your Mardi Gras Food Facts!

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:30:12 -0800

Bring out the beads and hurricanes, because it's time to celebrate Mardi Gras! Although Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") is based on Easter and can fall on any Tuesday between Feb. 3 and March 9, this year it happens to be today!

Since New Orleans, LA, is the city most known for its Mardi Gras festivities, I thought I'd quiz your knowledge of fun facts related to NOLA Mardi Gras traditions. Think you know how to celebrate the season? Put your knowledge to the test when you take our quiz!

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Take the quiz

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