Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season.  The tree is down, but the Mardi Gras decorations are up!   I repurposed (isn’t that a great word?) our Christmas wreath by adding some Carnival flair and have been listening to my Mardi Gras playlist (which has a few great New Orleans Saints anthems thrown in as well).  All of this definitely has me in the mood for some king cake and all the good southern cooking from back home.  I have a trip coming up and aside from visiting family and friends, eating loads of tasty food is at the top of my list!  Read more...