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Saturday, February 19, 2011

Mardi Gras Dinner Party...

The Inspiration... There is nothing quite like celebrating off-beat holidays to help stave off the post-Christmas/New Year's Eve blues. Here, we take a walk down the French Quarter to stir up some inspiration for an authentic Cajun Mardi Gras party that is sure to delight the most stodgiest of melancholy Yuletide revelers and have them counting down the days until Fat Tuesday...March 8th, 2011. Laissez les bons temps rouler!


Invitations...


You never have a second chance to make a good first impression. And that is precisely what you are making when you seal up & deliver that lovely little stack of invitations to your shindig. An invitation sets the tone for the entire event. It is the one detail of your party that your guests will have tacked to their refrigerator for weeks, their excitement building every time they take a glance at your marvelous creation and look forward to your fabulous party!

You can purchase the PDF of the invitation below (custom made & personalized for your party) along with the easy instructions on how to whip up your own piece of invitation art for $9.99 at the Juneberry Etsy Shop! Just follow this link to our shop:


http://www.etsy.com/shop/JuneberryLane




Let's Talk Favors...


Nothing says classic like a mason jar...and I am not talking about those frilly, fabric covered canned peaches that your Great Aunt Rose handed out every Christmas. Here at Juneberry Lane, we prefer a more simple & elegant approach to the timeless favorite; vintage inspired tags and custom labels for the top...and all sorts of fantastic treats or treasures placed inside to fit perfectly with any flight of fancy that your inner party-planning diva can dream of!


For our New Orleans inspired dinner party, we have filled our jars with a delicious homemade Cajun Party Mix...the perfect way for your guests to stave off the late night munchies on the drive home from your party after a marvelous night of throwing back Hurricanes!



Custom design Mason Jar Favor Lid Labels & Tags are available for purchase & download for $5.99 at the Juneberry Etsy shop! All you do is purchase the PDF or JPEG file and you can print it up and get started on making your own fabulous Mardi Gras Mason Jar favors!!


http://www.etsy.com/shop/JuneberryLane


Mardi Gras Menu...

What better way to celebrate the 'joie de vivre' than to fill your kitchen with the spicy aromas of authentic cajun cooking. Follow the recipe links below before you head to the market to fill your bags with what the Cajuns call a 'three pot affair'...and don't forget the cornbread!!


Recipe Links:

Gumbo

Dirty Rice

Catfish Po Boy


Cocktails & Dessert...


There is a rumor down south, that quite often the New Orleans folk tending bar try to limit their customers to three hurricanes a piece...because after three, things have a tendency to get a bit outrageous in the French Quarter.

Well, thank goodness you have no one's rules to follow but your own when you are hosting a fantastic dinner party. But perhaps you can keep the noise down if you help soak up the spirits with some dangerously delicious, sugared Beignets...

Recipe Links:

Beignets

Hurricanes

Cajun Snack Mix Recipe...



CAJUN PARTY MIX (for inside mason jars)

Ingredients
6 cups miniature fish-shaped crackers
6 cups pretzel sticks
3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Corn Chex
1 can (11-1/2 ounces) mixed nuts
1 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions
In a large roasting pan, combine the first five ingredients. Combine the butter, garlic powder, celery salt, cayenne and pepper sauce; pour over cereal mixture and stir to coat.
Bake, uncovered, at 250° for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely. Store in airtight containers. Yield: about 5 quarts. Photobucket