Kings and Jesters

We are an equal opportunity household where holidays are concerned.  It may be because they give inspiration for themed foods, and food is love you know.  It is also a way to teach the kids about different cultures and expand their tastes.  We celebrate all of our families traditional holidays but we also recognize everything from Passover to Kwanzaa to Mardi Gras (oh and we also celebrate Julia Child's birthday:).

In honor of Fat Tuesday, I laid out a delicious jambalaya but most importantly a beautiful King Cake.  I have made many yeast based breads and confections, yet this is the first time I was really challenged.  I have always left a covered bowl on our interior kitchen countertop for doughs to rise. Hmm, I guess even though it is 10 degrees outside and I keep the house at 67, that doesn't make yeast happy at all!  Once I figured this out, I warmed the oven slightly and let it rise in there, and that did the trick.

As with any good King Cake, I put a little 'baby' in it.  This was a special baby, a festive lego mini fig jester who was dressed for the day.

Random 5 Friday

we have a little stone garden turtle that sits next to our cold frame, look who I found peaking out as I was shoveling the walk earlier this week.

1.  We had another five inches of snow this week, but it looks like we are headed for a real thaw over the next week with daytime temps hitting the mid to upper 30's!

2.  I can not wait until next year when the kids are at the same school.  Right now their breaks are on different schedules which puts a real crimp in trying to plan any fun family travel.  Charles' spring break is next weeks and Sidney's over Easter, so not even close.  We will be taking a long weekend next weekend and packing a weeks worth of fun into it.  Exhausting?  Probably, worth it definitely! :)

3.  We seeded all of our onions in our basement greenhouse last weekend, as of this morning I am on sprout watch.  It is down right crazy how excited that I get seeing those first babies poke through the soil!

4.  I always like to cook traditional dishes around any holiday or festivity.  On Tuesday I made a traditional gumbo for Mardi Gras.  We used to cook Cajun food regularly, on those weekends when I would spend the afternoon watching Justin Wilson and Paul Prudhomme on PBS but it has been years.  It was so tasty, and the kids did not even mind the kick of spice from the andouille.

as found on the paintedpear via pinterest

5.  Who else is ready to throw their windows wide open and let in the Spring air?  I may even try to do it later next week, near 40 is a heat wave, right?  I came across the above graphic last night and had to laugh, oh so true!