Mardi Gras Theme Party

Easy Mardi Gras King Cake

By Kids Cooking Activities

• Category: Dessert
• Oven: 375°F
• Skill Level: Intermediate

Prep: 25 minutes | Rise: 60 minutes | Bake: 15 minutes | Yield: 1 king cake

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 16 oz sour cream
• 1/4 cup butter
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 oz dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar (for yeast)
• 6 1/2 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• Icing (for drizzling)
• Purple, green, and gold colored sugar (or matching frosting)
• Optional: plastic baby/trinket (insert after baking; see note)

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, heat sugar, sour cream, butter, and salt until butter melts. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. In a small bowl, mix yeast with warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit 5 minutes to activate.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour and eggs. Add sour cream mixture and yeast mixture; beat well.
4. Knead dough for about 10 minutes. Cover and let rise about 1 hour.
5. Shape dough into a large oval ring and place on a baking sheet.
6. Bake at 375°F for about 15 minutes (or until lightly golden and baked through).
7. Cool completely. Drizzle with icing and sprinkle with purple, green, and gold sugar.

Mardi Gras Fun Fact

• Purple = Justice
• Green = Faith
• Gold = Power

Kid-Friendly Tips

• Kids can help sprinkle the colored sugar and drizzle icing (use a spoon or zip bag with the corner snipped).
• Let kids "paint" icing on in stripes: purple, green, then gold.
• Turn it into a math lesson: count how many stripes or sections you decorate.

Safety Note

Choking hazard: If you include a baby/trinket, insert it into the bottom of the cooled cake after baking and clearly warn everyone before serving.

Cajun Dirty Rice

By Kids Cooking Activities

• Category: Side Dish
• Stovetop
• Skill Level: Intermediate

Prep: 20 minutes | Cook: 25 minutes | Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
• Chicken broth (replace 1/3 of the rice cooking water with broth)
• Olive oil (to drizzle)
• 1/2 cup chicken livers
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 3 slices bacon
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (to stir in at the end)

Instructions

1. Cook rice, replacing about 1/3 of the cooking water with chicken broth.
2. Drizzle a little olive oil over the cooked rice and set aside.
3. Puree chicken livers in a blender.
4. In a large pot, cook ground pork, bacon, onion, celery, green onions, bell pepper, Cajun seasoning, and pureed chicken livers until cooked through.
5. Stir in cooked rice and 1/2 cup chicken broth. Mix well and serve warm.

Kid-Friendly Tips

• Kids can help measure rice and stir (with supervision).
• Let kids shake in Cajun seasoning- start small and taste together.
• Teach "mise en place": have kids put chopped veggies into bowls before cooking starts.

Swap Option

If you prefer to skip chicken livers, you can leave them out and still enjoy a tasty seasoned rice dish.

Shrimp Po’ Boys

By Kids Cooking Activities

• Category: Main Dish
• Stovetop
• Skill Level: Intermediate

Prep: 20 minutes | Cook: 15 minutes | Yield: 6 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 lbs shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• Seafood seasoning
• Oil for frying (about 1 inch in pan)
• Rolls for sandwiches
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Pickles
• Mustard
• Hot sauce
• Lemon juice

Instructions

1. Whisk egg and milk together in a bowl.
2. Soak shrimp in the milk mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, breadcrumbs, and seafood seasoning.
4. Coat shrimp in the breading mixture.
5. Fry shrimp in about 1 inch of hot oil until golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.
6. Serve shrimp on rolls with lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard, hot sauce, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Kid-Friendly Tips

• Kids can help set up a "breading station" and assemble sandwiches.
• Adults handle frying; kids can do toppings and squeezing lemon.
• Make it milder: skip hot sauce and use a little mayo + mustard instead.

Party Serving Idea

• Serve as mini sliders for kids- use smaller rolls and fewer toppings.