Missing Mardi Gras?

Attending Mardi Gras in New Orleans has been one of my favorite trips to date. The culture and enthusiasm placed around the holiday is infectious to anyone in the surrounding areas. That being said, the food in New Orleans gives me the same feeling. If I could just stay and eat the food, that would be amazing. I decided one day to try and cook myself a good ole' New Orleans boil. Now, here is the catch. In New Orleans, you have big huge giant pots the size of my laundry basket; so I had to work with what I had.

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Ingredients:

1. Zatarain's Crawfish, Shrimp & Crab Boil in a Bag

2. Bay Leaves

3. Crawfish (I used Shrimp, being in San Diego)

4. Garlic

5. Corn

6. Potatoes

7. Andouille Sausage

8. Ketchup

9. Mayonnaise

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Cooking:

1. Put the seasoning into the largest bowl you have (or 2 if you cant fit everything) and bring water to a boil.

2. Add the bay leaves

3. Add the corn and Potatoes

4. Add the Sausage

5. Add the Shrimp (remember Shrimp cook pretty fast, so if they start to look pink and things are not done yet, take them out to avoid them tasting like plastic!)

6. Once finished, turn off heat and let ingredients sit and soak (You know that feeling when you get into a bath filled with a Bath Bomb from Lush, and you want to just sit and forget about the world? That's how the Shrimp feel. Let them sit.)

7. I let mine sit for about 30-45 minutes, then reheated the serving size I wanted.

8. Serve with a mixture of 50/50 Ketchup to Mayonnaise.

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Dessert:

I followed my beautiful boil with a King's Cake. A traditional cinnamon cake eaten during Mardi Gras. Of course, mine was the cheap, affordable, lazy way to make it, but man it was good!

What do you need?

1. 2 Cinnamon Rolls (I bought the pre-rolled Pillsbury ones)

2. Sprinkles (Yellow, Green and Purple only)

How do you make this delicious dessert?

1. Get a bundt cake pan, and add one layer of Cinnamon roll to the bottom of the pan.

2. Brush some melted butter over the top, to give it a crunchy taste

3. Add another roll of Cinnamon rolls

4. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 30 min (or follow the instructions on the cinnamon rolls you buy, they are usually pretty accurate)

5. Let sit

6. Coat with the frosting

7. Cover with Sprinkles

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Its like your in New Orleans, but from the comfort of your own home. Enjoy!