Valentine's Day!!! San Valentín!!!

Valentine's Day is the perfect time to express your love to your family, to honor friendship, and to enjoy the day with your love ones.

I am sharing with you beautiful decoration ideas for this day of LOVE and FRIENDSHIP!

A vase with RED PISTACHIOS and Red and Pink Carnations!!.  Red candies in a lace cupcake vase

Strawberries Topiary

Fat Tuesday!!!!, Madi Gras!!!, Carnavales!!!!

2012 Fat Tuesday!

Mardi Gras means fat Tuesday, the culmination of the season between Christmas and Lent. Fat Tuesday falls on the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. During the 46-day Lent period, many Christians forego the eating of meat, either completely or on Fridays. Families traditionally give up a favored food, drink, or habit. Fat Tuesday or Martes de Carnaval, in Spanish, is a last chance party excuse before a six-week period of abstinence.

I found this very easy recipe of the King Cake.  No Mardi Gras celebration is complete without a King Cake, also known as Twelfth Night Cake. This cake is actually a sweetened  yeast bread, usually baked in a ring shape. The cake is frosted with gold, green, and purple icing representing in order, POWER, FAITH, and JUSTICE. The traditional colors on the King Cake date back to 1872. They were taken from a prominent parade group, called a krewe. Although this cake is colorful and tasty, the real fun hides within the cake.!!!! 

 The maker of each King Cake hides a token in the cake. The tokens used are a dried red bean or a figurine of a baby, representing the Christ child. When the cake is cut and shared, the finder of the hidden treasure is said to enjoy good luck for the coming year. The lucky recipient may also be expected to bake the King Cake or throw the Mardi Gras party for the following year!.

I am including here a picture where you can see step-by-step how to bake a KING CAKE for this event.