The Preppy Hostess joined us today for delicious recipes to celebrate Fat Tuesday.

http://www.thepreppyhostess.com/Hurricane Cocktail  Ingredients

2 oz White rum

2 oz Dark rum

1 oz Lime juice

1 oz Orange juice

2 oz Passion fruit juice

.5 oz Simple syrup

.5 oz GrenadineGarnish:

Orange wheel

CherryDirections:

  1. Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice.
  2. Shake, and strain into a large hurricane glass filled with fresh ice
  3. Garnish with an orange half-wheel and a cherry.

Jambalaya  Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups andouille sausage, sliced into rounds

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup diced green bell pepper

1 cup chopped celery

3 pounds uncooked medium to large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 1-pound can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped (reserve juice)

2 cups water

1 ½ cups uncooked rice

½ cup minced fresh parsley

5 garlic cloves, sliced

1 to 2 small hot red peppers, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt Directions:

  1. Heat oil in large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add andouille sausage and sauté just until cooked through but not browned, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in onions, green pepper and celery and continue cooking 1 minute. Add shrimp, chopped tomato and juice, water, rice, parsley, garlic, red pepper, bay leaf, thyme, oregano and salt.
  2. Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 35 to 40 minutes; do not stir. Serve hot.

King Cake IngredientsPastry:

1 cup milk

¼ cup butter

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

2/3 cup warm water

½ cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

5 ½ cups all-purpose flourFilling:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup chopped pecans

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup melted butterFrosting:

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 tablespoon water

Additional items:

Green sugar sprinkles

Yellow sugar sprinkles

Purple sugar sprinkles

Small plastic “King Cake” babyDirections:

  1. Scald milk, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
  2. When yeast mixture is bubbling, add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. When risen, punch down and divide dough in half.
  4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
  5. To Make Filling: Combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, and 1/2 cup flour. Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over the cinnamon mixture and mix until crumbly.
  6. Roll dough halves out into large rectangles (approximately 10×16 inches or so). Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough and roll up each half tightly like a jelly roll, beginning at the wide side. Bring the ends of each roll together to form 2 oval shaped rings. Place each ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With scissors make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1 inch intervals. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
  7. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Push the doll into the bottom of the cake. Frost while warm with the confectioners’ sugar blended with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. Decorate with the green, yellow and purple sugar sprinkles.

* Look for plastic babies at Mardi Gras stores. Or recycle one you have already. To be really old-fashioned, insert a bean or pecan in the cake before you bake it.

Under no circumstances should you attempt to bake a plastic baby inside the cake. Plastic babies are pushed into the bottom of the cake just before serving.