Banana Cream Pie Day - Recipes to Try

According to my daily calendar, today is Banana Cream Pie Day.  For those looking to celebrate, here are some recipes to suit a variety of dietary requirements:

TRADITIONAL All Recipes has a recipe for those looking to make a classic Banana Cream Pie that's completely homemade from scratch. For a quick-and-simple version, grab some banana pudding mix and try this one from Taste of Home.

SUGAR FREE This one from Sugar Free Diva is super-easy, thanks to the shortcut of using sugar-free Banana pudding mix 

KETO Leave to the Low Carb Maven to figure out a low-sugar, low carb version. 

CHOCOLATE Food Network star & talk show host Rachel Ray kicks things up a notch with a Chocolate Banana Cream Pie that comes together in just 22 minutes.

GLUTEN-FREE & DAIRY FREE What is this Vegan Banana Cream Pie witchcraft from Minimalist Baker? This one takes several hours to set, but if you're in need of a dairy-free, gluten-free option, it'll be worth the wait.

Mardi Gras!

It's the day before Ash Wednesday, known as "Fat Tuesday" or Mardi Gras. It's traditionally a day to feast (some might say, gorge?) in anticipation of the 40 day period of Lent observed by Christians. 

I've gone the route of "giving things up" for Lent, like chocolate or potato chips, but as I've gotten older, I've found it far more productive to focus on adding in a good behavior or two (or more!), rather than releasing a bad one. This year, I happen to have a list of several things I'd like to get back into, and blogging is one of them.  This is the only writing that I do strictly for myself, and even though my career-based workload is busier than ever, I'm going to do my best to carve out time each day to slap up a few thoughts here on the blog.

This Lenten season also just happens to coincide with the New Moon in Pisces (tomorrow, March 2nd), a time that is perfect for setting goals and manifesting things that you desire. I'll be curious to see just how many of the things on my list I'm able to achieve over the next 40 days. 

[A note about the photos: These are a couple of Carnevale di Venezia masks I purchased on my first and only trip to Venice, Italy, in 2006. They are both hand painted and Made in Italy. I love getting souvenirs that are original to the area I'm visiting, and even though I've never had occasion to wear these, I'm still happy I bought them.]