You don’t have to be on Bourbon Street to host the Mardi Gras Party of the year! 

Throw your own Mardi Gras party and impress your friends and family.

Mardi Gras Party Supplies

Mardi Gras Party Ideas after the jump…

Mardi Gras Masks

Mardi Gras Beads

Mardi Gras Decorations

Invite your friends using traditional invitations (add confetti to the inside), use balloons (inflate, write party details in permanent marker, defalte and mail), or send them Mardi Gras Masks or Beads (attach party details card with curling ribbon).

Invite your guests to wear their best Mardi Gras Costume (think Jester!), or go formal with a black tie event.

Have plenty of mardi Gras beads, masks and doubloons to hand out and to use as decorations.

Play New Orleans Jazz and Zydeco music during your party.

Serve traditional New Orleans food:  Jambalaya, Seafood Gumbo, Hurricanes, Pralines and King Crab Cake.

Mardi Gras Recipes

King Cake

King Cakes are a huge part of Mardi-Gras traditions. The cake’s origins date back to the Feast of the Epiphany or Twelfth Night, which honors the three kings present at the Christ child’s birth. In today’s Mardi-Gras celebration, tradition calls for the person who gets the “lucky” piece of cake with the baby doll inside, to throw the next party — or on a simpler note, buy or make the next King Cake.

Cake
1/2 C warm water (100-115° F)
2 T yeast
1/2 C sugar, plus 2 tsp.
3 1/2 – 4 C flour
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 C warm milk
5 egg yolks
1/2 C butter
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg beaten with 1 T milk, for egg wash

Icing
3 C confectioner’s sugar
1/4 C lemon juice
3-6 T water
additional sugar & food coloring for decoration
1 tiny 1″ baby doll

Directions:
Sprinkle yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar over warm water in a small, shallow bowl. Allow to rest for 3-5 minutes, then mix thoroughly. Set bowl in a warm, draft-free place until yeast starts to bubble up and mixture almost doubles in volume, about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, mix 3 1/2 C flour, 1/2 cup sugar, nutmeg, lemon zest and salt. In mixing bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer or food processor, combine yeast , milk and egg yolks. Gradually add dry ingredients, and softened butter, adding additional flour, as necessary to achieve a medium-soft ball. Knead dough, again adding flour if necessary, until smooth, shiny and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Place dough in a covered, buttered bowl , in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

In the meantime, butter a large baking sheet and set aside.
When dough has risen, remove and punch down. Sprinkle with cinnamon and form into a cylinder, then twist this cylinder into a circle. Pinch the ends together to complete the circle. Once again, cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 375° F.

Brush top and sides of cake with egg wash and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack completely before hiding baby doll inside or icing and decorating.

Icing
Mix sugar, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of water until mixture is smooth, adding more water as necessary to achieve a smooth, spreadable consistency. Spread icing over cake and immediately sprinkle colored sugar in alternating color rows