Banana Pudding

This is another recipe from my mother-in-law Dotty.  She is the BEST.  This is a totally homemade from scratch dessert.  It's a "Make it for someone you love" kind of dessert.

Ingredients:

Custard:

• 3 egg yolks
• 2 C. milk
• ½ C. sugar
• 1/3 C. flour
• ½ t. vanilla

Meringue:

• 3 egg whites
• ¼ t. salt
• ¼ C. sugar
• ½  t. corn starch

• 4 – 5 ripe bananas, sliced
• 48 Nilla wafers

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Separate room temperature eggs and put the whites in a stainless steel or glass bowl
3. Place the whites on the side for later
4. Boil water in a double boiler, then add flour and sugar
5. Beat the egg yolks with the milk and add to the double boiler
6. Stir constantly for 12 minutes
7. Remove from heat and add vanilla
8. In a 2 quart Pyrex dish, put about ½ C. of custard then a layer of about 24 Nilla wafers and a layer of bananas
9. Next layer about 1 C. of custard, then another layer of 24 Nilla wafers and bananas
10. Last layer of 1 C. of custard
11. Let the pudding set and make the meringue
12. Combine the salt, sugar and corn starch in a separate bowl
13. Using a mixer, beat the egg whites
14. Add the mixture gradually to the egg whites and beat until peaks are formed
15. Spread the meringue over the pudding making sure to seal the edges
16. Bake for 15 minutes
17. Pudding can be served warm or chilled

Tips and Tricks:

• Beating egg whites are tricky.  You need a really clean bowl.  Stainless steel is great, but glass works well also.  NO PLASTIC.  Don’t try to make a meringue on a rainy day.  If there is too much humidity, it doesn’t work.
• I don’t have a double boiler.  I use a pot and put a stainless steel bowl over the pot.  This works fine.

Mississippi Mud

This is another recipe from my friend Jeannien's mother, JoAnn. It serves a ton of people and it is a crowd pleaser.   It is creamy and nutty and chocolately.  Yum!

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1 C. of flour
• 1 C. chopped pecans

Layers:

• 1 C. of powered sugar
• 1 (8oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1 small box of instant vanilla pudding
• 1 small box of instant chocolate pudding
• 4 C. of milk
• 1 (12oz.) cool whip
• ½ C. of chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Remove the cream cheese and cool whip from the refrigerator
3. Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray
4. Mix the crust ingredients together, then spread into the baking dish
5. Press down into the dish so that the bottom is totally covered
6. Bake for 20 minutes, then let cool
7. Whip the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth, then fold in 1 C. of cool whip
8. Spread the mixture on top of the crust
9. Mix 2 C. of milk into each pudding mix let sit for 5 minutes
10. Spread the vanilla pudding in a layer, then the chocolate pudding in a layer
11. Cool whip is the final layer
12. Sprinkle with pecans
13. Refrigerate overnight

Tips and Tricks:

• Spreading the crust into the baking dish is easier said than done.  I dust my hands with flour and press the crust into place.  You don’t need the crust to go up the sides of the dish.
• I use light everything for this recipe.  I use sugar free pudding, low-fat milk, lite cool whip, and 1/3 less fat cream cheese.  I think it tastes great!