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Mardi Gras is a time to celebrate New Orleans culture, and what better way to do that than by making delicious South Louisiana dishes to share with family and friends. We've combed our recipe archive and come up with a batch of tried-and-tested recipes for you to consider. We've included classics as well as an eclectic batch of dishes that would be excellent for pre- or post-parade parties during Carnival. They are highlighted below. If you want to search for others, check out our database of thousands of recipes. Also, if you have a recipe or another variation on one...

The storm drains of New Orleans got a thorough cleaning over the past few months and among the trash and debris, workers found 93,000 pounds of Mardi Gras beads, city officials said Thursday. The 46 tons of beads were all found in the popular downtown thoroughfare on St. Charles between Poydras Street and Lee Circle, the Times-Picayune reported. While the vast amount of Mardi Gras beads indicate good times were had in the area, city officials said it also means litter needs to be decreased. Overall, the $22 million, three-month clean-up project yielded 7.2 million pounds of debris in city...

Happening NOW: White van plowed into the Gulf Shores High School Marching Band. At least nine transported to the Hospital, so far. Parade is canceled.

NEW ORLEANS, LA (WVUE) - A driver plowed into a crowd of Endymion revelers Saturday, injuring several people. The crash happened at about 6:45 p.m. at the corner of Orleans and N. Carrollton avenues. Police said initial reports show so far about a dozen people are in critical condition. That number could rise, police said. One person was arrested,according to FOX 8 reporter Rob Krieger. Fox8live.com will update this story as details become available.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Police Superintendent Michael Harrison have made the city -- or at least certain tourist-friendly parts and for a limited period of time -- safe again from ill-intentioned gunfire. How did they achieve this? They have declared "zero tolerance" for anyone bringing illegal firearms to Carnival parades, to the French Quarter, and to all activities connected to this weekend's NBA All-Star Game. "Do not bring firearms to the French Quarter or parades," Harrison said at a City Hall press conference Wednesday (Feb. 15). Not yet equipped with radiation scanning devices, NOPD will deploy plainclothes officers...

A Sterling woman accused of sacrificing up to 15 chickens a week for religious purposes will still be legally allowed to own live poultry-- as long as she completes a course in how to humanely sacrifice animals. .... Gro Mambo Danthoula Novanyon Idizol, a high priestess and the executive board secretary of the National African Religion Congress (NARC), testified Carrion is a member of her organization. She said Carrion underwent an extensive initiation process to become a high priestess in Santeria, a pantheistic Afro-Hispanic religion that incorporates elements of Catholicism.

Northern Germany's largest Carnival parade in the city of Braunschweig has been called off following a terror alert. Authorities have reported a threat of of an attack with an "Islamist background." Braunschweig Mayor Ulrich Markurth (SPD) and parade marshal Gerhard Baller canceled the parade at short notice shortly before 11.a.m. (1000UTC) on Sunday. The spectacle had been due to begin at 12.20 p.m. local time. Local Braunschweig police said the Karneval parade had been called off after reliable state sources became aware of a "concrete threat" of an attack with an "Islamist background." Police asked all visitors to not visit...

For a city dependent, more or less, on tourism, the last thing New Orleans needs as Carnival kicks into gear are Drudge Reports headlines about Big Easy crime. But that's what Monday brought. "Police shortage is security risk for Mardi Gras," the hugely popular website aggregator said. Of course, the NOLA.com homepage was depressing enough. "Teen fatally shot Monday morning in Algiers," read one headline about the unfortunate and untimely demise of an unidentified Landry-Walker student.

I love Neo Orleans. I’ve been there twice, and I know it’s a leftist cesspool, but I still love it there. As we approach ‘Fat Tuesday’ on March 4th, this weekend is full of celebration. So far, there have been at least two anti-ObamaCARE floats spotted at the Mardi Gras in liberal New Orleans (which also happens to be porker Mary Landrieu’s hometown.) The first one was discovered by Gateway Pundit on Twitter.I’m sure there will be plenty of leftist cries of racism since this Mardi Gras anti-ObamaCARE float shows Obama in a less than flattering manner. Another anti-ObamaCARE float...

Articles to reference: Ville Plate Man Dies in Motorcycle CrashFour Dead Following Bus Crash Louisiana now has two fewer drivers. One was driving an SUV (not wearing selt belts) when the SUV had a blowout. I imagine there was improper care of the tires of the SUV and excessive speed involved. One occupant of the SUV was wearing a seat belt and survived. Four other people in the SUV who were not wearing seat belts died. This was followed by a motorcycle hitting a tree on Sunday. The rider/driver of the motorcycle was not wearing a helmet. Probably the worst...

Shrove TuesdayFR. WILLIAM SAUNDERSWhat is Shrove Tuesday? Also, do you have any idea why my parish has always had a pancake dinner on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday? Shrove Tuesday is the last day of what traditionally was called "Shrovetide," the week preceding the beginning of Lent. The word itself, Shrovetide, is the English equivalent for "Carnival," which is derived from the Latin words carnem levare, meaning "to take away the flesh." (Note that in Germany, this period is called "Fasching," and in parts of the United States, particularly Louisiana, "Mardi Gras.") While this was seen as the...

BINCHE, Belgium — To an implacable, hypnotic rhythm, the phalanx of masked men shuffled down the street. There were hundreds of them, torsos deformed into barrel chests and humped backs. Each sported mystic symbols of scarlet and gold, heads bound with white ribbons, feet clad in wooden clogs pounding the cobblestones in tune with the relentless drumbeat. Advancing through the narrow space between rows of red-brick houses, came hundreds of identical waxen faces, all with the same upturned moustache, the same round spectacles, the same blank stare. Welcome to Binche, home to one of the world’s weirdest carnivals. This gritty,...

New Orleans police Tuesday night were investigating the shooting of two women in the 300 block of Bourbon Street.

Col. Ahmed Saddam, commander of the 6th Iraqi Army Engineers, shares in dance with his Louisiana National Guard partners from the 225th Engineer Brigade, during a Mardi Gras themed celebration on Camp Liberty, March 7. Courtesy photo. BAGHDAD – U.S. Soldiers with the 225th Engineer Brigade didn’t get enough of Mardi Gras on the actual holiday — so they celebrated two weeks late with their Iraqi engineer partners here, March 7.“Engineer Call,” a monthly social intended to bring both U.S. and Iraqi Army Engineers together in a casual atmosphere, aims at forging a strong relationship between both groups. This month’s...

NEW ORLEANS – One of two suspects arrested in connection with the shooting of seven people on the Uptown parade route Tuesday was wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet, according to New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley. That led many to wonder why the suspect was on or around the parade route if he was being monitored by the courts.

Toddler among seven people gunned down as New New Orleans Mardi Gras parade descends into violence Seven people were gunned down in a hail of bullets as a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade descended into violence. Witnesses described scenes of chaos in the Garden District as people ran for cover. One of the victims was seen dragging himself along the ground, screaming for help. Police said the people who were shot were a 20-month-old toddler, three men aged 50, 33 and 20, two women 20 and 17 and a 15-year-old boy. Wounded: People help one of the victims who was...

NEW ORLEANS – A Mardi Gras parade erupted into chaos on Fat Tuesday when a series of gunshots struck seven people, including a toddler. The child was not seriously injured and two suspects were in custody, police said. The shootings happened near the Garden District about 1:40 p.m. after the last major parade of the celebration, Rex, had ended. A stream of truck floats that follow the parade were passing by when gunfire broke out. "It sounded like a string of fireworks, so I knew it was more than one shooter," said Toni Labat, 29, a limousine company manager. She...

The Day After Fat Tuesday February 21st, 2009 by Matthew Warner The day after Fat Tuesday begins with suffering and self-sacrifice for many people…suffering from a hangover and a sacrificing of much needed sleep in order to make it to work on time. Somehow, I think many of us might be missing the point. For many, Fat Tuesday (English for Mardi Gras) seems to be just another reason to stay out late, drink heavily, expose ourselves, and commit all types of RAI (Random Acts of Immorality). And somehow it’s all excused because hey… it’s Mardi Gras!Nobody likes to poop on a...

NEW ORLEANS – A Mardi Gras parade erupted into chaos on Fat Tuesday when a series of gunshots struck six people, including an infant. The infant was not seriously injured and two suspects were in custody, police said. The shootings happened near the Garden District about 1:40 p.m. after the last major parade of the celebration, Rex, had ended. Hundreds of truck floats that follow the parade were passing when gunfire broke out.

HAMMOND, La., Feb. 24, 2009 – Louisiana National Guard members serving in Iraq had some traditional Fat Tuesday fun today when a support group from their home state sent the Mardi Gras revelry to them. A Louisiana National Guard member gives Mardi Gras beads to Iraqi children, Feb. 24, 2009. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "Okay, Louisianans and Mardi Gras enthusiasts everywhere, time to spread the love!" exclaimed Greta M. Perry, Louisiana state coordinator for the support group Soldiers' Angels. "We have Louisiana Guardsmen who have been in Iraq for a while and could use some...