Ready, set, go!  It’s Mardi Gras season!  Our team at Cantera apartment community in El Paso is making plans to celebrate Fat Tuesday, so keep reading to see the Best Mardi Gras Party in Town and how to prepare the Best Mardi Gras Food any time of the year!
Think! Cajun flavors, colorful décor, brass bands and beignets!  It’s all-around town and in our kitchen too!
Best Mardi Gras Party in Town!

Mardi Market at Montecillo
March 1, 2025

Get ready to party because Mardi Gras is coming to town! 

The organizers at Mardi Market are bringing all the Mardi Gras vibes together on one day with local vendors, delicious food trucks, live DJs, and tons of fun photo ops.
 
Bring the little ones along to our Kidz Zone, where they can dive into tons of exciting activities designed just for them. And of course, no Mardi Gras celebration is complete without a splash of festive flair! So, throw on your Mardi masks and gather your crew for an unforgettable day of shopping, delicious eats, and festive Mardi Gras vibes! 
 
Best Mardi Gras Meal Ideas – Any Day of the Year 
Courtesy of TasteofHome.com
We love to cook!  So much so that we thought this Blog would be the perfect spot to share some of our favorite Cajun recipes from TasteofHome.com that are ideal for this festive time of the year.  Bring on the beads, dress as colorfully as you want to, and let your own good times roll!
King Cake – Of Course!

Ingredients:
•    2 packages (1/4 ounce each) of active dry yeast
•    1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
•    3/4 cup sugar, divided
•    1/2 cup butter, softened
•    1/2 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°)
•    2 large egg yolks, room temperature
•    1-1/4 teaspoons salt
•    1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
•    1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•    3-1/4 to 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
•    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•    1 large egg, beaten

Glaze

•    1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
•    2 teaspoons lemon juice
•    2 to 3 tablespoons water
•    Green, purple and yellow sugars

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1/2 cup sugar, butter, milk, egg yolks, salt, lemon zest, nutmeg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).

Turn out onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16×10-in. rectangle. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet; pinch ends together to form a ring. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Brush with egg.

Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and enough water to achieve the desired consistency. Spread over cake. Sprinkle with colored sugars.

PS. If you want to hide a token plastic little baby inside, do so by cutting a small slit in the bottom of the baked cake – and be sure to tell your guests.  Have a small prize ready for the winner!

More details re: The Baby in the King Cake
So we thought we’d stop right here to explain this tradition and dive into Better Homes & Gardens to get the story about this tradition.
Here’s a short version:
Mardi Gras (a.k.a., Fat Tuesday) falls each year on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday at the start of Lent. Traditionally, as part of that celebratory carnival, colorful king cakes are served at parties and gatherings. King cakes, either purchased or homemade, also tend to contain one customary ingredient—a tiny plastic king cake baby.
The tradition dates back hundreds of years—and there’s an interesting story behind how the king cake baby made its way into the pastry. The practice of making and serving king cakes actually dates back to the origins of Mardi Gras itself, which was first celebrated in America in 1699. Baking a baby into the cake wasn’t common practice until the 1800s.
So, before you put on your beads or fire up that delicious batch of gumbo, arm yourself with the details about why there may be a small baby in your slice of cake—and what it means if you’re the one who finds it. Hint: It’s good luck!”

(Super) Easy Jambalaya

Courtesy of TasteofHome.com
Ingredients
•    1 package (8 ounces) jambalaya mix
•    1 package (14 ounces) hot smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
•    1 cup uncooked shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled and de-veined, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
•    3 green onions, thinly sliced
•    1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
•    1/2 cup pico de gallo

Directions:

Prepare jambalaya mix according to package directions, adding sausage and shrimp during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Remove from the heat. Stir in cheese, pico de gallo and green onions; heat through.

Delicious Cajun Peach Catfish

Ingredients:

•    2 tablespoons olive oil
•    2 teaspoons lemon juice
•    1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
•    1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
•    1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
•    2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
•    1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs
•    1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
•    4 catfish fillets (6 ounces each)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°. In a small bowl, combine oil, lemon juice, Cajun seasoning and thyme. In another bowl, combine pecans, cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley and 1 tablespoon of the oil mixture.