So, I went where I always go to look for copycat recipes, new creations, what to do with leftovers, or a recipe that someone talked about at lunch one day at work...Pinterest. All of the Pinterest recipes for banana pudding were the no cook, Eagle brand milk, yummy banana pudding, but not homemade pudding recipes. I then went to Google and searched. I really couldn't find anything similar to what I grew up with. Then I got to thinking, what is going to happen when all of the old recipes that I grew up on are gone?! My Mamaw Carman rarely wrote any recipes down. I do have a few that she wrote down in an old yellow spiral notebook. They are treasures to me. I also have many of my Mom's recipes in a recipe album she made me when I graduated from college. I still text her and email her from time to time asking about things she cooked when I was growing up.
I collect recipe books as well. I have all kinds of church recipe books, which by the way have the best recipes! I have senior citizens center cookbooks, family cookbooks, and homemakers clubs' cookbooks. They are my favorite to collect, because of the family history that usually goes into each recipe. They have the old time recipes in them that are becoming extinct as we speak. So, I start looking through some of my grandmother's handwritten recipes and I find one for Butterscotch Pie. Well, that was one of my Mamaw's specialties. I knew if I substituted the brown sugar for white sugar, it would be vanilla pudding. So, that is what I did. I ended up having to double the recipe to make a whole banana pudding since this recipe is for a pie.
So, I got to thinking...what if I start a blog sharing all of the old time recipes from when I was a kid. Not sure if anyone is interested and I really haven't searched out the internet for bloggers that may already do this. I figure in different parts of the country the recipes would all vary a little bit anyway so here I am, starting a blog about old time cooking. I am also hoping if this blog gets popular, others will share their old recipes as well. What better way to bring the old time recipes and cooking to the new way of searching for recipes. Also, what better time to start this blog than during the quarantine of the Corona-19 virus of 2020. After all, I am hoping for a captive audience and what better audience than one who is on lock-down at home, surfing the web, looking for something to occupy their minds.
Since I am a librarian, I have to talk a little bit about books. When it comes to comfort food, like a fresh warm nanner puddin', what is more comforting than a cozy mystery. You know the ones I am talking about. They have fun characters, usually a really mean bad guy that everyone loves to hate and the main character is a curious character that either solves crimes by profession or on the side as a hobby. The book I am currently reading is The Secret, Book, and Scone Society by Ellery Adams. The main character is a former librarian who suffered an accident that left her with severe burn scars and she left for the country to open a small book store, for a new beginning. She befriends some other women in the town, one being the local baker at The Gingerbread house, and together they try to solve a murder that takes place in the sleepy little town. I read a variety of books, but nothing is like a cozy mystery that involves a character that knows her books and another that is good at baking.
*book cover from Amazon.com
Thank you for taking time to read my first blog entry. I hope you have discovered a new(old) recipe to add to your repertoire of desserts. And hey, why not make a homemade banana pudding while you are at it. Banana pudding is my Dad's very favorite. Mom usually makes one for him on his birthday in April. Enjoy!
Homemade Banana Pudding
2 cups sugar
1 cup white all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
5 cups milk(whole milk makes the best pudding)
4 egg yolks
3 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3-4 medium sized bananas-lemon juice to preserve the bananas
graham crackers or vanilla wafers- whichever you choose or a combination of both
Mix your sugar, flour and salt with a whisk until well blended. Add the milk and cook over low heat. Use a whisk to blend the dry ingredients with the milk. I do not use a double boiler, but if you are easily distracted from the stove, you should use one to keep from scalding the milk. Cook until it starts to thicken a little. If it starts to bubble, then turn the heat to low. Then you need to temper your egg yolks. So, take a ladle and put one scoop of the pudding mixture into a bowl. Mix your four egg yolks and then add the yolks to the bowl. Mix well then add this back to your mixture on the stove. If you just drop your egg yolks into the pudding mixture on the stove, you will cook the yolk whole. Mix well and keep stirring until the pudding begins to thicken. You want it fairly thick. It will thicken more when it cools, so don't cook it too long. Depending on your stove, usually about 15-20 minutes total cooking time. Remove it from the heat and add your butter and vanilla and mix well. Now you are ready to layer your bananas, cookies/crackers and pudding. Just start with cookies in the bottom of your dish, add sliced bananas (i drizzle just a little bit of lemon juice on the sliced bananas before adding them to the pudding. Helps with keeping them from turning brown so quickly), then pour about 1/3 to 1/2 of your pudding. How many layers is up to you. If you like lots of bananas Try a deeper smaller around dish to layer your pudding in. It also looks great in a trifle bowl. Always finish off the layers with pudding on top. You can decorate the bowl with vanilla wafers around the edges if you like or graham crackers. I also like a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top. When you serve it, you can serve it with cool whip.
*I used Archway Chessmen cookies for my pudding. Any kind of shortbread or butter cookie will do.
No comments:
Post a Comment