mardi gras Archives - A Calculated Whisk

This post is sponsored by Cost Plus World Market.

Café brûlot is a fun and dramatic cocktail that will light up your Mardi Gras celebration.

Looking for an entertaining way to celebrate Mardi Gras at home? Look no further than this café brûlot cocktail. To make this iconic New Orleans drink, brandy and Grand Marnier are infused with citrus peel and whole spices, and then set on fire with a long match. To finish the drink and act as a fire extinguisher, hot chicory coffee is poured in. And although it’s not included in the traditional recipe, I like my café brûlot with a pillowy topping of gently whipped cream. It’s hard to decide whether the pyrotechnics or enjoying the drink itself are the best part of this drink!

See more photographs and step-by-step recipe instructions on Discover, a blog by World Market!

This post is sponsored by Cost Plus World Market. Thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that keep A Calculated Whisk running!

Spicy Shrimp and Kale with Creamy Rutabaga | acalculatedwhisk.com

This is my paleo answer to the inexplicable cravings I’ve been having for shrimp and grits.

Who knows why? I’ve only had shrimp and grits a few times in my life, but lately they’ve been totally stuck in my head. Perhaps it’s because this coming Tuesday is Mardi Gras, and I wish I could just pick up and drive down to NOLA. When I lived in Houston New Orleans was only a five-hour drive away, and now it feels far enough to be in another world.

The good news is that this dish is just as delicious as shrimp and grits, if not more so, and instead of grits we have vegetables. Rutabagas for the win!

Also, I snuck some kale in there. This is hardcore health food.

It’s also hardcore comfort food. If there are 80 inches of snow on the ground in your city, or even if there aren’t (lucky you–do you happen to have a guest room??), this is just the thing to warm you up on a winter night. The creamy rutabaga forms a bed for plump shrimp bathed in an herby marinade and kale leaves that are crispy around the edges.