Flower Power

For an unforgettable centerpiece, think outside of the bubble bowl. This design, made from inexpensive leaves and gerbera daisies picked up from any local florist, can be easily made using a florists block or styrafoam ball. Stick with one color to keep it simple, or try it with with multicolored flowers on black linen for an elegant outdoor affair.

Fat & Happy

Not Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Halloween—if any a day to eat anything and everything one desires, it’s Fat Tuesday. The day before Ash Wednesday, also known as Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday is the last call before Lent--the long period of giving up something one enjoys. And your excuse to guiltlessly cheat on your diet!

Yes, of course that means eating chocolate for breakfast and pizza for lunch, but to add some festivity into your feast, invite your friends over for mint juleps and jambalaya—a traditional New Orleans meal! While this spicy stew takes extra time to prepare, it's flavor is well worth the wait. (And who says you can't snack on garlic bread in the meantime??)

Bourbon Street Jambalaya

2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon crushed red chile flakes
4 bay leaves
1/2 cup canola oil
8 ounces tomato puree
1 (32-ounce) can tomatoes, diced in puree
1 (32-ounce) can tomatoes, diced
1 pound andouille or other hot, smoked sausage
1 quart chicken stock
4 cups green peppers, diced
4 cups yellow onions, diced
Cooked Rice
1 pound chicken, boned and cubed
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup scallions, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Saute the garlic, chiles, and bay leaves in the oil. Once the garlic is fragrant, add all the tomato products and simmer, stirring for about 45 minutes.

Slice and roast the sausage for about 20 minutes, drain fat.
Add to the tomatoes, chicken stock, sausage, green peppers, and onions and simmer another 1 to 1 1/2 hours, add salt and pepper. The jambalaya is finished when it has thickened and turned brick color, without any more oil coming to the surface.

At this point, cook a big pot of rice to mix with the sauce (equal amounts of rice to the sauce) and add any meats you want to the jambalaya sauce (chicken pieces, shrimp, alligator, veal etc.) Poach the meat in the sauce to cook it. Add scallions at the last minute for color.

Comfort & Spice & Everything Nice

Pasta-the easy, inexpensive and reliable comfort food is a dinner party staple. Why not spice your next one up with this flavorful sauce, affectionately coined "Streetwalker's Sauce" by its Italian creators.

Puttanesca Sauce*

Enough for 1 lb. pasta

Heat in a large skillet over medium heat:
¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil

Add:
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 dried red chili pepper

Cook, stirring and crushing the pepper with the back of a spoon, just until the garlic is pale blond, about 30 seconds. Stir in:
1 c. oil-cured black olives, such as Gaeta, pitted and coarsely chopped
6 anchovy fillets, soaked in water to cover for 5 minutes and drained
½ teaspoon dried oregano

Cook for about 30 seconds, then stir in:
1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes with juice. Crush the tomatoes between your fingers as you add them to the pan.

Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in:
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablspoons drained capers

Season with:
Salt and ground black pepper to taste.

*Taken from The Joy of Cooking