Happy Mardi Gras 2011! Eat, drink and be merry this Fat Tuesday

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Mardi Gras 2011 has been a celebration of excess, but it’s not over yet. You have one more day -- Fat Tuesday -- to party hard before the clock strikes midnight.

So show us your beads!

Fat Tuesday is also known by another nickname, Pancake Day. That’s a reference to clearning out the cupboards of goodies like sugar and eggs before the fasting begins. And what do you make with sugar and eggs? Pancakes and cakes. Above, we’ve got a king cake decked out with Mardi Gras beads courtesy of Times Test Kitchen Manager Noelle Carter. Here, she shares a recipe from her personal files.
We’ve also collected some of our favorite L.A. Times Test Kitchen recipes to usher in Fat Tuesday. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Why does all this merriment come to a crashing halt at midnight Tuesday? ‘Cause that’s when Lent, and the traditional fasting, begins.
Nola.com has plenty of New Orleans coverage, including lots of Mardi Gras parade pictures. Enjoy!

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--Rene Lynch
Twitter / renelynch