Last Sunday, January 6th, we had an Epiphany brunch here with people from our church and friends. Church members provided food and it was great fun. My contribution was a king cake and a sausage and hash brown egg casserole (see the recipe in today’s lagniappe).
Here is the table:
The tradition of the king cake is that it is shaped as a crown (to represent the crowns on the wise men who visited the baby, Jesus). A small plastic baby is inside one of the pieces of cake. If you get the piece with the baby, you are supposed to bring a king cake to the next gathering.
You can see there is plenty of purple, green and gold which are the official Mardi Gras colors. Rex (the King of Carnival) selected the official Mardi Gras colors in 1872, honoring the visiting Russian Grand Duke Alexis Alexis Alexandrovich Romanoff, who suggested the colors. The 1892 Rex Parade theme “Symbolism of Colors” suggested the colors’ meaning.
Purple Represents Justice. Green Represents Faith. Gold Represents Power.
There is so much history and tradition surrounding Mardi Gras and the Carnival season that includes festive parades and sparkling Mardi Gras balls. What a wonderful time to live in New Orleans!
Lagniappe: Sausage and Hash Brown Egg Casserole
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen hash browns
1/4 cup melted butter
1 lb sausage (I used Jimmy Dean’s hot sausage – it’s what I like )
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
6 large eggs
12 ounces grated cheddar cheese
8 ounces small curd cottage cheese
8 ounces sour cream
Brown sausage and drain. Spray a 13 x 9 pan with non-stick spray (don’t forget this step – trust me) . Mix together the melted butter and hash browns and press into the bottom of the pan.
In another bowl, mix together the sausage, eggs, onion, cheddar, cottage cheese and sour cream.
Pour mixture over the hash browns.
Bake for an hour at 375 degrees for 45 – 55 minutes.
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