It's King Cake Time!!!

Oh, we love this time of year. The warm snuggly nights by the fire, the crisp coolness in the air, and of course, King Cake! Granddad has started a great tradition that we love. Each year at this time he sends us an authentic King Cake from Louisiana. Oh yum! This year Granddad also had them send a Mardi Gras t-shirt, beads, doubloons, a history of Mardi Gras, a cup, and a CD of Mardi Gras music!

The King Cake arrives baked but the icing and decorations are on the side so Nicholas always loves to decorate it. He starts with the icing...





...and of course, licking off the icing is the best part!



Then he sprinkled the colored sugar on it. He did a great job and was very careful about getting just the right amount in each spot. The tradtional Mardi Gras colors are purple for Justice, green for Faith, and gold for Power.





Mardi Gras in New Orleans dates back to 1837 when the first street parade took place. The carnival season begins twelve days after Christmas and commemorates the arrival of the wise mean bearing gifts for the Christ child. It's a time of exchanging gifts and feasting. One of the most popular customs is still the baking of a special cake in honor of the three kings...a king cake. Over time, a tradition evolved...the person who finds the little plastic baby baked inside the cake continues the festivities by buying the next King Cake.