Even though I’m still a little sad that Christmas is over, I’m especially excited for today—Twelfth Night, Epiphany, Kings Day, whatever you want to call it—because it marks the beginning of one of my other favorite times of the year: CARNIVAL SEASON.

One of the best things about living on the Gulf Coast—besides its natural beauty, Southern hospitality, and mouth-watering seafood—is MARDI GRAS.

Whether it’s glittering costumes, talented marching bands, hilarity from drunken tourists, excitement over cheap, plastic trinkets (my least favorite part—since it creates so much waste!), elaborate papier-mâché floats, hot boiled crawfish, or hours spent outside laughing and people-watching with friends and family, Mardi Gras is one of the happiest times of the year. It also helps that my birthday usually falls during the season!

There’s one other reason I anticipate this time of year: KING CAKE.

Some may argue that it’s just a giant cinnamon roll, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a giant cinnamon roll with purple, green, and gold sugar and a choking hazard! 😉

King cake on the Gulf Coast is really just a brioche—not too sweet, not too fluffy—that’s stuffed with cinnamon and topped with royal icing and colored sugar. It can also contain a filling—such as cream cheese, strawberry, or Bavarian cream—or nuts (usually pecans), though I prefer the plain version.

Like its European counterpart, it usually contains a plastic or ceramic Baby Jesus (since the Epiphany, from the Greek epiphaneia, celebrates the revelation of—and the Magi’s visit to—Jesus Christ). Traditionally, whoever receives a slice containing the baby is responsible for purchasing or baking the next cake.

Last year Mark baked a king cake for the first time. He didn’t realize he was using a double recipe, so the cake was much larger and denser than expected, but he did a pretty good job. I lost the photos of the process and finished product during the great laptop debacle of 2013, but I did save a few on my phone, so you can see just how large it was!

If you want to try a professionally-baked king cake yourself, you can order from several bakeries, two of my favorites being Randazzo’s and Haydel’s, and have it shipped overnight anywhere in the U.S.

Have a fantastic Monday—and happy Kings Day (and king cake eating)!

What your favorite unique, regional  holiday/celebration?

Have you ever been to Mardi Gras?