Mardi Gras Run

• Take your cue from the biggest party in New Orleans and bayou country by organizing a Mardi Gras Run. Traditionally, masked Cajuns traversed the bayou countryside gathering ingredients from different towns to make Cajun dishes. Update your Mardi Gras party by organizing a gathering that travels between houses, preferably on the same block. Start with drinks at one house, then appetizers at another, and finish the night with an old-fashioned gumbo or jambalaya. Pass out Mardi Gras masks at the first house, and put each host in charge of handing out beads to guests.