Box Mix Inspo

Now that Valentine's celebrations were over it was time to turn my attention to the next event. This year Mardi Gras is Tuesday (and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, is the next day).

Back in October Hubby Tony and I attended a trivia night, which also included a silent auction. There, I won a Mardi Gras themed basket that had a few decorations and a few New Orleans-themed ingredients. We immediately started working on some of the edible items (like Popeyes Mardi Gras Mustard Dipping Sauce and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning). Last weekend when I was rooting through the pantry I found the box of Cafe Du Monde beignet mix. The mix for French-style donuts just cried out to be used for Mardi Gras, and the box had an expiration date of February 26th!

The problem was that the box made four dozen donuts. With a small household we would never be able to eat that many, and they don't store well. Also, a while back I decided I'm not a big fan of deep frying any more (because there's too much to clean up). I searched the internet for alternate uses for the beignet mix and came up with a recipe for banana bread.

Tonight Son Donald came to dinner. Keeping with the Mardi Gras theme, Tony made some excellent red beans and rice, cornbread, and a pot of greens. Dessert was thick slices of the beignet banana bread topped with fresh pineapple sauce and whipped cream.