For the NOLA festivities coming up, also known as our favorite purple, gold and green holiday, we’ve planned out a list of steps to make your at-home New York City Mardi Gras a night you will never forget.
1. The Boa
Are we the only ones who never knew about luxury turkey feather boas? They exist, and they are here just in time to spice up your festive Mardi Gras. At Zuckerfeather, a luxury feather accessories company since 1872, they have every color of boa imaginable, and of course a “Mardi Gras Mix” which is our favorite.
2. The Dress
Everyone knows half the fun of Mardi Gras is dressing up, and just because this year we are celebrating the festivities at home does not mean we can’t look amazing! In true Mardi Gras spirit, we chose a purple sparkly “Cross Draped Evening Gown” by Donna Karan New York. It is a tradition to have an old-school ball on this NOLA holiday and this dress is perfect for just that. We know you might not be going to a full-on ball on a cold Tuesday in NYC, but you can slow dance to your favorite tunes with your one-and-only, or jam to Rihanna’s new album with your besties, and that’s even better.
3. The Mask
The last step of your outfit, (because beads are irrelevant if you can’t throw them at handsome strangers walking by) the mask. Because this is Haute Living and even our Mardi Gras masks need to be luxurious, we’ve chosen to shop for ours at the gorgeous Mask Italia, a company dedicated purely to designing and fabricating handmade Venetian masks in materials such as gold leaf, silk, feathers, crystals, lace and many more. Opt for Italian elegance even on this not-so-haute holiday.
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 8 green onions, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 3 cups cubed cooked ham (1 pound)
- 1 pound Cajun-flavored or smoked sausage, sliced
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 5 cups cooked rice
- Garnishes: fresh parsley sprig, chopped fresh parsley
See full recipe by My Recipes
For the meal of the day, go for this NOLA classic. Tasty, super filling and extra healthy, this dish will make your night a New orleans dream.
5. The Traditional King Cake
- 1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 6 to 6 1/2 cups bread flour*
- 1/3 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Creamy Glaze
- Purple-, green-, and gold-tinted sparkling sugar sprinkles
See full recipe by My Recipes
Colorful, sparkly and sweet, this festive cake is a must when celebrating Mardi Gras. Learn to make it at home and enjoy it on this sugar-filled day – and any other day, really.
6. The Hurricane
- 1 cup lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 1 fluid ounce 151 proof rum
See full recipe by All Recipes
The most essential part of the night: The Hurricane. If you’ve ever been to New Orleans, you know the “Big Easy” Daiquiris they serve right in the heart of The French Quarter – the best one is obviously the classic Hurricane. We’ve been to our share of party cities, but (seriously) no one does day drinking like NOLA; because we love this holiday so much but we are much too busy to take a few days off work to wear colorful beads and tour the crowded streets of New Orleans this Tuesday, we plan on replicating exactly as it should be, in the comfort of our homes.
