History of Mardi Gras King Cake

Mardi Gras King Cake is a type of cake associated with Twelfth Night Celebration, or the festivities of Epiphany, which begins on January 6^th, twelve nights from the birth of Christ, or Christmas Day.  This celebration may also be called Little Christmas, or King’s Day, in honor of the kings, or wise men, who brought gifts to the Christ Child.  A popular custom is baking a cake for the kings, and this cake soon became known as ‘king’s cake’. 

The New Orleans tradition of baking a cake, for King’s Day, supposedly began as far back as the 1870’s, and continues today, from Twelfth Night, through to Fat Tuesday, or the Day before Ash Wednesday, or beginning of Lent. 

The ‘traditional’ King Cake is made from braided strands of Danish, cinnamon coffee cake dough, and then topped with a fondant icing, which is, then, liberally sprinkled with Mardi Gras festive colors of purple, green, and gold sanding sugars.  Purple represents Justice; Green represents Faith; and Gold represents Power.  Today, in the New Orleans area, many additional varieties of King Cake are also available by adding cream cheese, or other fillings to the traditional King Cake. 

In present day, New Orleans culture, a small, plastic baby, representing the Christ child, is placed inside the cake.  In other cultures, the king cake might contain a coin, bean, nut, or pea.  Good luck is to be had by the person who finds the baby in the cake, but New Orleans, Southern tradition, is that whoever finds the baby is the one who buys the next cake, or host the next Mardi Gras party.  This always helps to keep the party going through Carnival season!

A plastic, one inch baby is baked inside each king cake; however, due to safety concerns, many king cake bakers are no longer inserting the baby, prior to baking, or prior to packaging, but instead, they are including the baby for you to insert, into the cake, yourself, prior to serving.  Mississippi Queen Foods does it the old fashion way, by baking it inside the cake, and asks you to please use caution, or common sense, when serving a Mardi Gras King Cake- the baby is baked inside, and please explain to all guests, especially children, and people not familiar with Mardi Gras traditions, to expect to find a small, plastic baby, lurking, somewhere in the cake!

I grew up about an hour east of New Orleans, along the Mississippi Gulf Coast area, and I make an authentic, or traditional, New Orleans style, Mardi Gras King Cake.  At the time of this writing (January 2012), I do not currently sell other varieties, but due to the requests, which I continually receive, for cream cheese filled cakes, I do intend to add other varieties, hopefully in the 2013 Mardi Gras season.  Be sure to check back for more information. 

I supply many displaced Southerners, with king cakes each season, through my company, Mississippi Queen Foods, here in the Greater Toronto Area, and as of this season, my king cakes are available for shipping anywhere in Canada!  No Mardi Gras party is complete without an authentic, Mardi Gras King Cake!

The Mississippi Queen is one of those bakers, who offer Mardi Gras King Cake, any time of the year, all year round!  I have provided King Cakes to a number of weddings for the groom’s cakes, as well as birthday cakes, and even a baby shower.  Enjoy…whenever you like!

Connie Rouble, the Mississippi Queen

Mississippi Queen Foods

Authentic, Southern Style Red Velvet Cupcakes by Mississippi Queen Foods

As a Southerner, I grew up eating Red Velvet Cake, all of my life, and I considered it be my absolute favorite cake.  I always wanted Red Velvet for my birthday, and someone always had one, on the table come Christmastime. 

It is my understanding that the true origins of Red Velvet Cake are not known, but the legend, or tall tale, Down South, is that a Southern woman was visiting New York City's Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and was served Red Velvet Cake during her visit, at the hotel.  

As the story goes, this woman asked the chef for the recipe, and he obliged her request.  However, when the bill arrived at the table, she was charged $200 for the 'secret' recipe.  

To continue the tale, this woman was quite upset, and decided to 'get back at' the chef, by spreading his prized, secret recipe to anyone and everyone she knew....now, that's the part that truly makes me believe the story.  I mean, only a Southern woman could be responsible for the spread of the infamous Red Velvet recipe, so quickly across the South, fueling its populartiy!

Further to this, it is also my understanding that Southerners are responsible for the addition of cream cheese to the icing.  Once again, this all, may merely be, Southern Folklore!

Red Food Coloring and cocoa gives the deep, ruby color of the cake, and buttermilk is the secret ingredient that makes it so rich and yummy!  Topped with luscious cream cheese icing, and it is unbelievably good! 

I would like to mention, as well, so not to lose my credibility Down South, traditionally, Red Velvet is always topped with chopped pecans, but I have opted to sprinkle the tops with red sanding sugar, because I have found, at times, many of my clients are ordering Red Velvet Cupcakes, for an event, and they are choosing my Red Velvet Cupcakes, because they are 'nut free'. 

I have been making Red Velvet Cake for many years, and decided to start making them into cupcakes, when I started selling them through my company, Mississippi Queen Foods, because having them as cupcakes was so much easier to deliver to an event, or share.  No looking for a knife, or plates, or even napkins! They were just ready to devourer.

Ironically enough, I have watched Red Velvet Cupcakes become fashionable, here in Toronto.  So much so, I have started saying, 'Yeah, I've been making Red Velvet Cupcakes way before they were cool!'....

Order your very own box of my authentic, Southern style, Red Velvet Cupcakes, and you too, will understand why us Southerners do love them so! 24 cupcakes per windowed box.
Click here to order them online!

Connie Rouble, the Mississippi Queen
Mississippi Queen Foods

One Southerner's Love of Grits & Boiled Peanuts

One of the most difficult things for me to adjust to, living in Canada, was that I was unable to get many of my beloved Southern groceries, such as boiled peanuts and grits, to name a few.  When I would return to Mississippi, from Toronto, to visit my family, I would make sure I had extra space available in my luggage, so I could pack, as much as I could carry, back to Canada with me.

There have been a number of occassions, where I have been hauled in by a Canada Customs agent, because my suitcase was exceptionally overweight, probably thinking he had something much more 'interesting' to be discovered, than several cans of boiled peanuts and box after box of Grits!  I can recall one particular instance that an agent just looked at me and asked, 'are you serious? All of this weight is for boiled peanuts?'  When I shrugged my shoulders and explained, 'I'm from Mississippi', he just waved me on through!

I've met plenty of other displaced Southerners here in Canada, and we have all shared our pain in these very similiar instances.  Do you have any idea just how difficult it is to cook from all of those Junior League cookbooks, when you can't even locate a fraction of the ingredients?

Also, I can't overlook all of those people who have visited the South, and have brought back to Canada, with them, many products, which they cannot get here, or get here very easily.  

Well, I've come to the rescue, with my company, Mississippi Queen Foods.  I have been importing Southern Groceries, Sauces, and Spices, into Canada, and I am pleased to say I am now developing a solid client base of people who love and adore the Southern products as much as I do. I painstackingly, took on the project last year, of putting all of these products, into an online General Store, to make them easier to shop, and purchase, for shipping across Canada.  http://mississippiqueenfoods.squarespace.com/general_store_menu/

 I now have shelves packed full of Quaker and Jim Dandy Grits.  I have a stock pile of Cafe du Monde Beignet Mix and Coffee & Chicory.  I now import the entire line of Louisiana Fish Fry Products, so no more doin' without my fish fry batters!  When I want to enjoy some Zatarain's dinner mixes, it's sittin' right there, waitin' for me.  Let's not forget about Tony Chachere's, which I do love!  I have been introducing people to the Andy Roo's line of spices and seasonings, and teachin' them all to Slap Ya Mama and Punch Ya Daddy!  People are now waking up to Community Coffee and French Market Coffee, too.  From Cajun Country, I have brought in Savoie's and Poche's. People now know about Cajun Power, Bayou Butt Burner, and Bayou Pecker Power!

I am very proud to say, I am now shipping Pat O'Brien's products across Canada, and my 'displaced' Texas sisters, here in Toronto, love gettin' their Jiffy Cornbread Mix from me, every month.  I can't seem to keep the Crystal's Hot Sauce in stock, because someone I know claims to drink it by the glass!  

I am so very grateful, for the journey, and where this love and passion has lead me.  I leave next week, headin' Down South, yet again, on another buying trip of Southern goodies. I will have my lists in tow, and when I return, I will be met by many, many smiling faces! 

Oh, how I love what I do!  

Wishin' you lots of good eatin',

Connie Rouble a.k.a. the Mississippi Queen
Mississippi Queen Foods
www.mississippiqueenfoods.com

Authentic, Southern Pecan Pie available in Canada for Thanksgiving!

Mississippi Queen Foods is home of the ‘Slap Ya’ Mamma Two Times’ Good, Southern Pecan Pies!  It’s the place to purchase an authentic, Southern Pecan Pie, in Canada!  Also, that’s pronounced “puh- kawn”, in case you don’t speak Southern! 

A native of Mississippi, currently living in Toronto, Canada, I make authentic, Southern Pecan pies, using lots of love, and, of course, butter and sugar and eggs and vanilla and butter and sugar and dark corn syrup and toasted pecans, to enhance the flavor…all served in a buttery pastry.  Southern Pecan Pie, made by a Southerner; it just doesn’t get any sweeter than that!

As a Southerner, we are known for our love of pecan pies, and consider it a staple in the Southern ‘diet’.  The popularity is due to the abundance of pecans grown throughout the Southern region, with Texas and Georgia being the top producers.  The success of the pecan has been solely American, with the largest export going to Canada (…and possibly the help of Mississippi Queen Foods!).

Ideal pecan growing conditions exist in the South, due to the warm weather, and long growing season, without risk of frost, which is required for pecans to reach maturity.  The pecan nuts are harvested in the fall, from September to November.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Pecan trees are native to the Mississippi floodplain.  I grew up with pecan trees in my front yard in Mississippi, and a pecan orchard lined the winding driveway through my great-grandmother’s property.  However, it is difficult for home growers to produce nuts on trees due to the fact that pecan trees grow to approximately 150 feet tall, with full canopy, but are prone to disease and insects, which can be hard to reach at those heights!

Fall is the time for harvest, coming indoors, and preparation for family gathering at Thanksgiving.  When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of pies!  When I think of pies, I think of my favorite- Southern Pecan Pie!  

You, too, can enjoy an authentic Southern Pecan Pie, for your Canadian Thanksgiving, this year, simply by clicking the link below, to place your order.  

Click here to buy Southern Pecan Pies online!  
http://mississippiqueenfoods.squarespace.com/southern-pecan-pie

Check out my Testimonials Page, to see what others are saying about the pies…..
http://mississippiqueenfoods.squarespace.com/testimonials/

Stealin' Cotton in Mississippi and...Iron Maiden

I grew up in South Mississippi, and most of the cotton was always grown in and around the Delta region.  On a recent driving trip, from Toronto, Canada, down to visit my family in Pearl River County, Mississippi, I was driving from the McNeil area to my Dad's place, in the backwoods of Mississippi, known as Steephollow. Yup, that's right.  I grew up in a 'hollow', just like Loretta Lynn!  

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