Happy Mardi Gras!  Yes, to the rest of the world--including NYC where I'm currently living, it's just a plain, old Tuesday, but I grew up in New Orleans where yesterday, today and tomorrow are considered holidays.  I guess in a way it was a holiday for me since I wasn't called to rehearsal today.  I still had work to do--vocalize, go through the role I'm understudying in Francesca da Rimini and tend to some business like reformatting my resume to send to my manager, respond to some emails and update my website.  On days like this I look forward to making my own schedule and since they happen pretty frequently in the opera business I try to do more with my day than just the Jersey Shore bare minimum of GTL (gym, tan and laundry).  I don't fake and bake (I'm not against it, either) but on days off I've been known to seek retail therapy, shop for groceries and cook.

Except for retail therapy, today I feel like I accomplished all of the above!  Since it's Fat Tuesday, I wanted to cook something in honor of my Southern roots.  I decided to ditch the fat and consult Tuesday's Hungry Girl newsletter that I receive via email every morning.  I ended up making her Pow! Sock! Bam! Jambalaya! and it came out GREAT.  I'm a big fan of Lisa Lillien (the HG) because her recipes and her supermarket suggestions are extremely Weight Watchers friendly.  It's hard for me to choose my favorite Creole food (gumbo, red beans and rice, crawfish etoufe) but Jambalaya is my go-to choice because it's EASY.  No roux, one pot wonder and you can make a healthy version of it like I did tonight by using brown rice, Tofurky sausage and a ton of veggies.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!