Category: New Orleans

Hello all!

Today, we are 6 days away from the release of KREWE OF SOULS!!

Yesterday, we talked about King Cake – Read yesterday’s post about king cake.

Today’s Mardi Gras custom is Parade Floats. This theme ties in heavily with KREWE OF SOULS, where the main character’s family is involved in a float-themed competition that’s a bigger rivalry than college football is in the Southern USA. I always have to qualify and mention USA, after a reader in South Wales informed me that for my book title, NO GRITS NO GLORY, that grits there is slang for men’s underpants! In the Southeast USA, it’s more like polenta or cream of wheat. Two totally different meanings! But I digress…

I am assuming everyone has been to some form of parade. Floats go by, sometimes there are bands marching as well, or sometimes (as in New Orleans) there is a parade for a funeral where men dress in black and play music all the way to the cemetery (what they play is called a dirge).

According to Wikipedia, the term parade “float” came about because the first floats were actually barges that were towed along the canals by parade marchers on land. Sometimes, floats were propelled by oarsmen who were not visible to the crowds, but this method of using floats in the water was eventually terminated due to high drowning (as well as capsizing) incidents. 

This practice gave way to land floats being towed by horses (the animals also towed the caskets for the funerals of those who drowned, so this custom did indeed evolve over time). This eventually gave way to the parade floats we know of today, which are self-powered truck beds or pulled by motor vehicles. 

Each Krewe is different. A Krewe is a group of people who form an organization for each parade. There are many Krewes in New Orleans, small and large, and the people in the Krewe pay dues as well as pay for their own throws/beads which they toss from the floats during the parades. Krewes often hold annual fancy dances or balls, along with other social events throughout the year.

Krewes choose a theme for the parade floats. Every Krewe is different. In 2013, the largest Krewe in New Orleans (Krewe of Endymion) decided to pay homage to Ponchartrain Beach, an amusement park which closed in 1983. Every float depicts a specific ride or attraction at Ponchartrain Beach, and the music comes from the float. You can watch a few minutes (or the whole thing at 7 minutes long) here on youtube. I love this video because I remember going to Ponchartrain Beach as a kid, and I was heartbroken when it closed.

To give you an idea of how ornate the floats are, below is a photo from the Krewe of Orpheus: 

Hello everyone!

While Mardi Gras and Carnival won’t occur in New Orleans and elsewhere until February or March, I wanted to do several blog entries on the customs in prep for my parade float themed book release of KREWE OF SOULS on November 18.

So…

Mardi Gras Custom #1 – The King Cake

Recipe for how to make a King Cake

There are many ways to make a King Cake, but the way I remember it from grade school was, it’s like a round loaf of French Bread and there is candied sugar in the colors of purple, green, and gold sprinkled on top.

Honestly, I never liked the taste of the cake as it was too heavy/doughy for my preferences, but the tradition did make for a fun one. There is a tiny plastic baby that is inserted into one of the pieces when the cake is made. Whoever “gets the baby” piece has to bring the next King Cake. 

In elementary school, we had King Cake parties every Friday for the 4-5 weeks leading up to Mardi Gras Day (also known as Fat Tuesday). I’m honestly surprised that we didn’t break a tooth as we eagerly bit into the pieces of cake, but as far as I know, no dental emergencies happened.

Contrary to myth, Mardi Gras is not just 1 day and it’s not just the wild parties on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The holiday parade custom actually started in Mobile, Alabama, and eventually moved to New Orleans.

The whole carnival season begins about 4-6 weeks ahead. Parades begin, King Cake parties begin, and everyone gets ramped up for the big day of Fat Tuesday.

More on parade customs tomorrow. If you want a carnival/Mardi Gras themed book set in Louisiana, pre-order KREWE OF SOULS now! It releases in 7 days! 

Hi all,

Well, for those who haven’t been inundated with the news around the Southeast USA, today (Aug 29) is the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina that hit the Gulf Coast and destroyed so much of New Orleans and Biloxi.

I grew up in New Orleans. My family and friends still live there, so when Hurricane Katrina hit, it broke my heart to see my city in such disarray. The only words I could formulate upon going home a few months after the storm were a poem. Today, I share that with you:

Read The Lonely Saxophone.

Welcome to 30 Days of Grits, Day 24!

Today we have a Cajun twist to the grits recipe! Many thanks to New Orleans native Michelle Gaines for sharing this recipe:

Crawfish Smothered Grits with Cheese:

INGREDIENTS: 1 pound crawfish tails, peeled (or shrimp) 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt – divided 1 ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper – divided 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil 1 cup onions, chopped 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 2 cups chicken or beef stock 3 cups heavy cream (can substitute half and half) 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking white grits 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or 2 slices real cheddar cheese) Sliced green onions for garnish

DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl, toss together crawfish tails with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Melt butter (or olive oil) in a 3 quart heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the onions, rest of salt and cayenne. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add crawfish and garlic. Continue to cook for 2 minutes. Slowly stir in stock and cream to the pan. Taste mixture and re-season if necessary. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer an additional 2 minutes. Add the grits and stir continuously until they are very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in cheese until just melted and mixed through. Serve piping hot and garnished with green onion.

*whew* I am SURELY gonna cook me some of these!

Remember that NO GRITS NO GLORY is available for pre-order now and releases Oct 1st!

Today is a day I always remember. August 29, the anniversary of when Hurricane Katrina hit. Today is the 9th anniversary.

Most people on the Gulf Coast remember today like our parents remember when JFK was shot or when Pearl Harbor happened. It’s a date that changed people’s lives.

I’m proud of my home town for its ability to be resilient in the face of destruction and hopelessness. I’m upset that many things still haven’t come back, and many people decided not to. Most of all, I sit in reverent silence and am thankful for my friends and family.

I wrote a poem after Katrina happened – today I share it with you. It’s on the Freebies page of my website. Click here to read it.