Happy Mardi Gras

Here's a Fat Tuesday delicacy for you:

Back when refrigeration wasn't up to modern standards, Fat Tuesday was a time to clear your house of indulgent foods. This led to lots of rich recipes, from Shrove pancakes to King Cake. In Sweden, the specialty is semlor. A group of people in Portland, Ore., are keeping that dish — and a few other Swedish traditions — alive.
Picture soft, sweet rolls, sort of like brioche, piled with creamy almond filling. Now picture them being made by a room full of young, mostly blond children speaking Swedish.

Eat and drink up.  Ash Wednesday is coming to rain on the parade.  Come Thursday, there'll be the stock newspaper picture of Catholics with ashes on their foreheads, but by Friday, there'll be some fish fries.  You win some, you lose some.