And....we're back!

After a brief hiatus for Carnival, I am back on the wagon.  For those of you who do not know about Mardi Gras, let me sum it up for you.  It is several weeks of throwing caution to the wind, living with reckless abandon, and reveling in the streets until the wee hours of the morning.  Everything changes during Carnival--if you are not a dancer, you will dance in the middle of the street like it is your job.  If you are not a costumer, you will find yourself strutting around in a wig and tutu like it is second nature.  And if you are normally a healthy eater, well, let's just not go there.  No judgment is allowed during Mardi Gras, so all that matters is that I am back now.  Right?!

Here are a few shots to illustrate the wonder of Mardi Gras.

Above are a few shots from the Muses parade, an all women's Krewe that marches on the Thursday before Mardi Gras.  Marching bands, dance troops, and floats galore!  Their coveted throw is their shoes, which are always decorated in fancy glitter and other sparkly accents.  I finally caught my first one this year (even though a friend almost tried to snatch it out of my hands! ha).

Above here is a shot from the balcony at Mimi's in the Marigny, overlooking the St. Ann's parade on Mardi Gras day.  This is my favorite day and time of Mardi Gras--about 10-11am, after we are all costumed up and have had a drink or two, and the realization sets in that it is finally here and the rest of the day is going to be CRAZY!

Now that all the glitter has settled and we are trying to re-establish a sense of normalcy in this city, it is time to re-dedicate myself to a healthy lifestyle.  I actually did not veer too far off the path, and I fear I am beating myself up more than I should.  While there were some random nights of cheese pizza and french fries and cold beer (oh, and did I mention king cake?), I held my own pretty well.  I am looking forward to getting back to cooking and sharing my creations with you, though!

To jump start this, I pulled in an amazing haul from Hollygrove this weekend:

Brown rice, kale, collards, lettuce, carrots with tops, green onions, fresh herbs, sweet potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, blood oranges, a grapefruit, and a navel orange.

Let me tell you, those blood oranges are the best I have ever tasted.  Get you some now while they are hot!

So, with all of my aspirations to cook this weekend, I fell sick with this cold that is going around.  Ugh.  Luckily, I have some amazing friends who made a batch of our Gumbo Z'Herbes and brought me enough to last a few days while I recuperate.  This dish is fitting to be eaten right now anyway, seeing as that during Lent, meat is off-limits and this is how Gumbo Z'Herbes came to be originally.  Now, I do not believe in Lent myself but I am fortunate that during these next 40 days or so, I can capitalize on the expanded vegetarian offerings to be had around town :)

Cheers!  Here's hoping I will be feeling back up to par in the next day or two and will have some inspiration for some fresh dishes to share.