Found: Okra

It was looking pretty dire for my gumbo, which I have prepared for our Saturday Night Mardi Gras in London bash. Gumbo means "Okra Stew" (or something like that...it's African. My point is that okra plays a key role in gumbo!)and when, after checking in three major supermarkets, I wasn't able to find any, I tried to think of what else I could toss in that wouldn't take away from the authenticity of the dish. And then, in a beam of sunshine, I saw okra outside of a convenience store in a mini-market. Divine intervention! And the gumbo was saved.

Tomorrow: adventures in King Cake making. Major challenge: a very small oven and limited counter space. Good thing most of our party has never had King Cake before, so they won't have anything to compare mine to!