Decadent Banana Pudding – Quick and Easy

Date: February 24, 2012 • Post a comment

If thinking about Banana Pudding conjurs up memories of questionable hospital food and disturbing buffet lines, it’s time to reclaim your pudding!!!

This recipe is sinfully good, easy to make and will satisfy your mid-winter sweet-tooth.  Just look at all the sunny yellow ingredients….

(Imagine my surprise when I realized I had picked up reduced fat Nilla Wafers.  Believe me, it was unintended.  As it happens, the pudding tasted just fine….go figure….)

Print Recipe

The Most Decadent Banana Pudding - Quick and Easy

Banana Pudding on a tray

Ingredients

  • 1 14 oz Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 1 1/2 Cups Cold Water
  • 1 4 oz. Instant French Vanilla Pudding Mix (Vanilla Pudding will work just as well. You just can't use a French accent while you are making the recipe)
  • 2 Cups (1 Pint) Whipped Cream
  • 36 Vanilla Wafers
  • 3 Medium Bananas
  • 1 - 2 Lemons or Lemon Juice
  • 3 Tbsp. Demerara Sugar (raw, brown sugar)

If you want to add a little "spirit" (and you must be 21 to consume)

  • 2 Tbsp Banana Liqueur
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 2 Hours

Instructions

  • In large bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and water.
  • (Hey, it has water in it...how bad can this be)?
  • Add the pudding mix and beat well. Chill for 5 minutes.
  • (On another day, I will introduce my Grandma's Famous Decadent Banana Pudding. No pudding mix for Grandma....)
  • Fold in 2 cups of the whipped cream. (if you are serving this to adults, add the 2 tablespoons of banana liqueur to the whipped cream)
  • Doesn't this look luscious?
  • Evenly slice the bananas and lightly brush them with the lemon juice (to keep them from browning).
  • If you are lucky, you have one of these banana slicers in your kitchen gadget drawer.
  • TO SERVE: Spoon 1 cup pudding mixture into 2 1/2 qt glass serving bowl. Top with one third each of wafers, bananas and pudding. Repeat layers twice, ending with pudding. Chill thoroughly. Garnished with brown sugar.
  • If you wish to serve the pudding in individual dishes, use the same sequence. Here, follow along:

Anything served in a pretty glass just CAN’T be unhealthy.

Can it?

 

Category: Desserts, Other Treats, Recipes, Slider
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A Valentine’s Day Quicky

Date: February 14, 2012 • 2 have something to say

It’s Valentine’s Day, and you forgot to get a card? gift? chocolate?  No worries, this quick and easy heart bookmark project uses things everyone has around the house.

All you need are some envelopes (used or new), some pretty paper (or crayons) and some scissors.

That’s it.

It’s also a perfect project for the little people in your house.  (Please pay attention to my lovely niece, Miranda.  Please do NOT pay attention to the meatball sandwich in the background – we were huuuuunnnngrry).

Some of Miranda’s bookmarks.  Aren’t they pretty?

If you wish, you can download the directions.   I’ve also included a template for the hearts (you’re welcome).

Click here ->  How to Make a Heart Bookmark (with heart templates)

What you will need:

  • Envelopes (You can use new envelopes, but why not recycle some old bills?)
  • Colored or designed paper (also, maps, drawings, pictures…)
  • Glue or Mod Podge (If you want to seal the paper use Mod Podge, otherwise, glue work’s great)
  • Scissors

 Directions:

  • Position heart template so that the bottom of the heart matches the edge of the envelope.


  • With pencil (so you can erase it later), draw top of heart on the envelope.

  • Cut a heart shape, making sure to only cut on the pencil lines.

  • Now you have a little heart pocket to slide on the edge of a page.

  • With decorative paper, align smaller heart template so that you have your design centered in the middle of your valentine.

  • Cut carefully along the pencil line (or slightly inside the line).

  • If you wish, cut an even smaller heart so will have three layer

  • Glue the hearts to the envelope heart, making sure the glue goes to the outer edge of decorative paper (so it won’t curl).

See?  Just that simple.

You can also make hearts with none of the envelope showing…

and hearts made from maps representing special places (I still had some maps leftover from my origami flowers.  Evidently Mr. H. has no use for his Rand McNally Map book now….oops).

Of course, love letters are also perfect….

These hearts were covered with a layer of Mod Podge (perfect for kids as they are just a little more sturdy).

Unfortunately, they will not work on Kindles, Nooks or iPads…  <sigh>

Category: Holidays and Entertaining, Slider, Valentines Day
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