It ocurred to me that many forumates might not know about the baby Jesus in the cake.
The tradition is to bake a cake with a baby in it (sounds haggish, doesn't it?), no, it's really just a smal figurine. Whoever gets the piece of cake with the baby has to host the next year's Mardi Gras party.
I got to thinking more about this. It is true that I am the only person around here who can do this type of cooking. However, there is nothing in the "rule book" saying that the host has to do the cooking. If someone else gets the baby, the celebration can still continue. Laissez les bon temps roulez!
Tom44, thank you very much for the input! This could work, after all!
By the way, several of my friends have commented to the effect that I am getting way ahead of myself, and that February is a long way off. My response is that the traditional time to stare planning a Mardi Gras celebration is on Ash Wednesday, so I need to make up for lost time. We need to get the food absolutely right, one recipe at a time, ahead of time. Mind you, they do not decline to sample the cooking . . .
A friend showed up that night with his intended. He volunteered to get the two of them some gumbo, but came back with only one bowl and one spoon. His idea was to share, and that they would trade off. Isn't that sickeningly sweet? That lasted a few seconds. He got back to the table and took a bite. She held out her hand for the spoon while he took another bite, then another . . . while commenting that this was really good . . . She was not at all pleased. When he yielded the spoon, she returned the favor. He wanted more, but she was too busy enjoying it. Ah, togetherness.
- A