It's that time again, folks! Time to head to New Orleans for a serious partyfest, or if you can't make the trip, host some kind of Mardi Gras shindig of your own. Mardi Gras is next Tuesday, February 21, so this weekend is the perfect time to celebrate.  On Mardi Gras day, lots of folks have open house brunches because the parades finish early in the day, so having some brunchy foods to eat late at night are a good idea. But all kinds of Louisiana foods are perfect for Mardi Gras. It's the last day to party before Lent! GET IT ON.

Here are some of my favorite recipes that would make a party extra bead-worthy:

Natchitoches meat pies

king cake with bacon pecan praline filling

new orleans barbecued shrimp

grillades and grits

iron-skillet cornbread

jambalaya

red beans and rice

jalapeno roast pork...serve it shredded on biscuits or as a po-boy...yum!

blackened shrimp and bacon po-boy

crawfish etoufee

shrimp and grits

WHEW! That's a party. And keep a watch out for a new gumbo recipe this week!

[Baked or fried? You decide.]

Natchitoches meat pies are one of those special little treats with a name as fun to say as they are to scarf down. Nackadish--that's how you say it--is a small town we drive through on our way north to visit Alexandria or Oklahoma, and it's where Steel Magnolias was filmed, and it's famous for these little pies. It's a beautiful little place, with a picturesque riverfront lined with shops and restaurants that have their own sort of French Quarter-ish wrought-iron balconies (remember the Easter scene where Jackson slapped Ouiser? That's the riverfront!).  But you don't have to go into the actual town to get yourself some meat pies; just stop at any gas station right off I-10. They all fry them up and they're all pretty wonderful.

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