Mardi Gras season is upon us down South (with Fat Tuesday quickly approaching), which really just means an excuse to party hard and eat more food. Well, more than usual.
To be quite honest, I think the true reasons for Mardi Gras actually fall upon deaf ears. As I child, I just assumed Mardi Gras was a big party consisting of floats, masks, and moon pies. It wasn't until later I found out what one actually had to do to earn those famous beads (the horror).
But the real Mardi Gras is so much more than the commercialism most of us have come to know. In fact, Mardi Gras has been around since 1582! New Orleans locals just took it to a whole different level. From the best king cake bakery to which "krewe" one is a member of, they take it all very seriously.
If you're not from New Orleans, it doesn't mean you still can't celebrate Mardi Gras in style. In fact, it's the perfect excuse to throw a party. And my favorite way to entertain is a good ol' fashioned Sunday brunch. It takes a little pressure off (now is not the time to get all formal) and allows you to sit back and enjoy yourself.
We Southerners don't often shy away from a little nip before breakfast, and this milk punch is the perfect way to start off your meal -- not too sweet, not too boozy. Served alongside cinnamon-cream cheese bars, a savory breakfast casserole, and a homemade king cake, you'll be saying "y'all" in no time!
Do you have any Mardi Gras traditions? Perhaps a famous gumbo recipe? I'd love to hear it.
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup bourbon or whiskey
6 tablespoons confectioners sugar
Splash of pure vanilla extract
Chocolate syrup, for garnish
Place milk, cream, bourbon, sugar, and vanilla in a blender. Add a handful of ice cubes. Blend until frothy and chilled. Serve with a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
Related: Good Question: Know a Great Holiday Punch?
(Images: Nealey Dozier)
A Real Dinner, Fast: 5 Favorite Types of Almost-No-Work Meals
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Straw Mat from The ...
Must-See Small Cool Homes: Week Two
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Popeye's fried chicken and biscuits at the parade routes. Can't go wrong!
Milk punch is yummy, though nowadays I don't know anyone who drinks it.
Oh an for people who care about Mardi Gras (ie anyone who lives there) it is and always has been about Krewes and parades and families. Its a family affair. Tourists are the only ones who come expecting nudity and drunken obnoxiousness. Its really a time the whole city comes together to have fun.
Please, oh please, SPELL IT RIGHT: it's Mardi Gras, not Mardis Gras.
For heavens's sakes.
Argh - see what happened there? I was so distraught I added an extra "s" to "heavens'"
Sigh.
I'm having a pancake dinner in honor of what we always did as kids. Now that I'm googling around, looks like this is pretty much a Catholic thing--I had no idea, I thought everyone who wasn't throwing beads did that.
so delish... perfect for christmas. growing up an hour away from NOLA i have been drinking this for a while. now i live a little farther away (still in MS) and NO ONE knows what it is.... crazy. i'll be making this for christmas for sure