0 Banana Pudding

Last week I found a list I had written about 6 months ago of “things to post on the blog”.   I realized that I could mark most of them off of my list because I have since blogged about them. I had this moment of panic and thought, 

“Oh no, am I at the end of the road?  Have I posted all of my recipes?  Have I run dry?”

And then I started thinking of all the things I haven’t yet posted.  Banana pudding was the first item I put on the list.

 “I haven’t written about Banana Pudding!?” I thought, “It’s a classic!”

Then within the next few minutes, a list of about 35 recipes followed, not to mention all of the new things I am sure I will come across in the coming months that I will want to blog. 

(This moment reminded me of the commercial for DirecTV where the man reaches the end of the internet…do you remember that?  As if, you can ever reach the end of the internet, or ever reach the end of recipes and stories to write about.)  

So, the journey continues.

This past week, Dave was out of town for 7 days and at about day 4, and this pudding was on my mind.  It had been on my mind, since I had added it to my blog list last week.  I was seeking comfort from the long and hairy days of managing the house of 3 kids and a dog alone, so I made a batch.   Lucy and I had fun making it, and licking the bowls. She then wanted to take some to her teachers at school… which we did.  And they asked me for the recipe when I picked her up from school.  We also gave a container of it to a friend (who then emailed me later that week to ask for the recipe because she had devoured the container we had given her).  This was confirmation that I needed to post about this Banana Pudding.

There are two main camps of Banana Pudding Recipes. Some people prefer the warm, baked, topped with meringue banana pudding.  I call it Granny Banana Pudding.  My friend, Amy, makes the Granny kind.  And she makes a splendid version… that she learned from her Granny, obviously. 

Others people choose the cold, whippy, layered banana pudding. I call this one Fluffy Banana Pudding.  People tend to be opinionated, and often times narrow minded about their banana pudding.  I see the greatness in both types.

I learned Banana pudding making from my mom.  She always made the fluffy kind, though different versions, with an array of ingredients over the years. We’ve had varieties made with sour cream, sometimes with cream cheese, other times with sweetened condensed milk.  You really can’t go wrong with any of these.  

The other night when we were digging into bowls of pudding, Lainey said, “This tastes different than the pudding at the school cafeteria.” To which I replied, “Because it IS different.” She said, “I like this a lot better.” I said, “There is a reason! This recipe has sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, pudding, bananas, vanilla wafers and freshly whipped cream.” 

It is light and fluffy and yet rich and creamy.  It is easy to make and though it doesn’t last long (with bananas as an ingredient), that never seems to be an issue at our house.  It goes fast.

Notice the pudding hanging off of Lucy's chin.  We're classy here at the Hunt house.

Big smiles!

Fluffy Banana Pudding
Serving Size: 16  

An action shot- making the pudding

  
1 can sweetened condensed milk 

  3 cups milk

  2 (6- serving size) instant vanilla pudding and pie filling

  1 cup sour cream (or more)

  4-6 bananas

  1 box vanilla wafers

  16-ounces Cool Whip or fresh whipped cream (sweetened to taste)

whipping the cream

1. In large bowl, combine milk, pudding mix until blended.  Add sweetened condensed milk and sour cream.  If it is still too sweet, add a little more sour cream.  Mix until well blended. Chill 5 minutes.

2. Spoon 1 cup pudding mixture into trifle bowl.

3. Top with one-third each of vanilla wafers, bananas, pudding mixture and whipped cream. Repeat layering twice, ending with pudding mixture.  Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with vanilla wafer crumbs. Chill. Store leftovers, covered in refrigerator.

layering

and layering

crumbled wafers on top because that's what my mom has always done
and it's pretty!

Ready to eat!

 P. S. I wanted to give a warm welcome to any of you that popped over to Cup-A Cup-A via the (in)courage book study! I’m so glad you stopped by.   I hope you will stick around and find some inspiration and recipes! 

P. P. S. If you have no idea what in the world I was talking about in my P.S., I had the honor to help with an online book club of Richard Foster’s great book, Prayer with my friends Angie Smith and Jessica Turner, who lead the Bloom book club through (in)courage. (If you are curious, you can follow this LINK to see it.)

Detail: Banana Pudding

0 S'Mores Treats

Every day has highs and lows.  We usually process these at the dinner table each evening.  And at times the highs are the top stories of the night and other times the lows are more dominant themes, but both seem to always co-exist.  This week was that – a mixed bag– some good moments, some terrible ones.  And that’s okay. 

I want to move through the rough patches and learn what there is to learn from them, but then embrace the joys!  There is a quote in a piece we read for my Spirituality in Social Work class that says, “Don’t obsess about the past, or worry about the future, all you need is right here now.”   I think of this quote often.  It has become somewhat of a mantra for me.  

This week, my friend Emily, who continually inspires me, put this Emerson quote on her blog and it stirred me up.  My heart quickened as I read and it made me crave this! I don’t live like this on most days, but I earnestly desire to. 

“Write it on your heart

that every day is the best day in the year.

He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day

who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.

You have done what you could.

Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.

Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;

begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit

to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,

with its hopes and invitations,

to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Collected Poems and Translations

This weekend, full of activities, ranged from chaos to sweet, and fun to maddening- with weather that matched-  rainy, cold days and a gorgeous sunny day on Saturday.  One of the highlights was these S'Mores Treats that I made – twice, actually.  I made them, along with Banana Pudding and Stop Light Chili for the social work chili supper on Friday night, which is always a fun time.   And then we were going to a neighbor’s house for a Super Bowl gathering and I thought I would take the leftover S'Mores Treats, when I realized there were only a couple left in the container.  Dave confessed to being the culprit and graciously offered to go pick up the ingredients to make another batch.  Which I did.  

They are ridiculously easy... I'm talking 6 minutes. Asher was going to help me make them.  I asked him to wash his hands.  He left the room to wash his hands, must have gotten distracted, came back about 5 minutes later and said, "Where are the ingredients?" And I said, "They are done! I already made them."

They are that fast. Melt, stir, pour, stir, add, stir, dump, press, sprinkle, done!

These bars are like Rice Krispie Treat S'Mores.  My family adores them, which I think is mostly because they love Golden Grahams cereal- which we don’t buy very often.

S'Mores Treats
adapted from Country Clever

6 Tbsp. butter
1 bag (10 oz.) mini marshmallows
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/4 cup for topping
1 box (12 oz.) Golden Graham Cereal
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
non-stick cooking spray

You can make this in a pan on the stove top or in a glass bowl in the microwave- it's up to you! Melt butter in pan (or bowl) add marshmallows, stir and continue to heat until melted. (Keep your eye on it, as it can quickly get overdone). Add vanilla. Stir.  Add Golden Grahams and 1 cup chocolate chips.  Stir until well combined and marshmallow goo is fully incorporated into the cereal.  Coat 13 X 9 inch pan lightly with cooking spray.  Dump cereal mixture into the pan and press well.   Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until firm enough to slice.  Slice into bars and serve. 

In the midst of this winter week (cold, dreary, and rainy here in Nashville) will you join me in fighting for joy- joining Emerson's hopeful outlook- that "this new day is too dear,

with its hopes and invitations,

to waste a moment on the yesterdays"?!

Detail: S'Mores Treats

0 Cracked Out on Cracker Toffee

I have cooked several things lately that I am excited to share with you: Pulled BBQ,  Black Bean Torte,  Homemade Sushi, Chicken Salad, Rosemary Parmesan Muffins and thick French Toast, to name a few.  I was deliberating about which should be this week's post and then Cracker Toffee (A.K.A. Crack) resurfaced in my life and I can't stop thinking about it.  It quickly rose to the top of the "to post" list, when my co-worker Patsy asked for the recipe.  So, here's what happened: I innocently went to a baby shower last week for my friend Stephanie.  I knew the treats being served would be delicious, as the hosts are all great cooks.  And then I saw it. There on the serving table was one of my favorite confections: Cracker Toffee.  I love it and haven't had it in a long time! I ate one piece, and a slice of poundcake with Strawberry Coulis, along with caramel corn, and banana pudding adorably served in repurposed glass baby food jars.



As people were leaving, Gretchen (the host) had plastic bags for people to pack up goodies to take with them.  Of course, I obliged and took a couple of toffee bars, thinking I would share them with my family. But somehow that never happened.  Later that night I ate one for a "midnight snack", and broke off a piece of the other one during breakfast the next morning and inhaled the rest of that broken one with my lunch.  I then went to the store to buy the ingredients I was lacking to make some at home.  I was already planning for our social work dinner on Friday, where I was going to make Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Bars and I thought, with the big crowd we were expecting,  it might be good to make an additional treat.  I immediately thought of the Cracker Toffee Bars.  They are easy, would surely be a crowd pleaser, and would give me an excuse to make them!  There are many versions of these.  As I looked through cookbooks and did online searches, I determined that no two recipes looked alike and yet you really just can't go wrong.  I mean: butter, sugar, crackers, toffee, chocolate, nuts.  Yum, yum or yum – any way you choose.

This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart's version, since that's the recipe Gretchen used.  You can't go wrong starting with Martha. Hers are called salted toffee chocolate squares. She uses graham crackers as the base, other recipes use Saltines.  I think I prefer Saltine crackers, because the salty cracker gives it such a nice salty/sweet taste and great texture.

Crack might be the right description of this treat.  It really is highly addictive, not good for you, and is euphoric.  Crack-like, you know? (I don't technically know from experience, just from what I've heard and read.) However, this dessert is not illegal and won't ruin you, or send you into a life of crime, or land you in jail like Crack Crack will.

So I made it.  It's easy and pretty and yummy.  We all loved it.  My co-workers especially.  My co-worker Lorraina, who is able to resist desserts with her great willpower, said it looked so appealing that she couldn't resist.  After eating a piece she told me she loved me for it.  Debbie and Patsy both ate it with affirming nods and moans.

My co-worker, Patsy, loved them enough to ask for the recipe the next day.  To which Lorraina replied, DO NOT give me the recipe... I need to NOT have the recipe!  A few minutes later, when Patsy and I were talking about variations we could make, Lorraina swung back into the conversation and said, "while I was not thinking about those bars, I thought coconut might be a nice addition".  I agree wholeheartedly.

So, I guess it would be responsible to provide a warning alongside the recipe.
WARNING: THIS TOFFEE IS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE AND SHOULD BE EATEN WITH CAUTION.

Now that I have done my due diligence to warn you, here is the recipe:
Cracker Toffee
48 saltine crackers (or enough to cover a large baking sheet in one layer) [you can use graham crackers if you would rather have a sweeter base]
1 bag (8 ounces) toffee bits (you can use the ones with chocolate on them or without)
1½ cups coarsely chopped natural sliced almonds, toasted
½ cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (or use salted butter and reduce the amount of coarse salt for sprinkling)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 
½ teaspoon coarse salt

Coarsely chop almonds

toast for a few minutes (until they begin to turn golden)

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place crackers in a single layer on sheet, edges touching

Sprinkle toffee bits and almonds over crackers

bring sugar and butter to a boil over medium-high heat –
Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is syrupy (thicker), 2 minutes

Immediately pour over crackers and bake

Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips and a little coarse salt over crackers
Cool, slice and break apart into pieces

Preheat oven to 350.

Coarsely chop almonds. Place on a baking sheet and toast for a few minutes (until they begin to turn golden).

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place crackers in a single layer on sheet, edges touching. Sprinkle toffee bits and almonds over crackers.

 In a small saucepan, bring sugar and butter to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is syrupy (thicker), 2 minutes. Immediately pour over crackers.

 Bake until liquid topping is bubbling, 12 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate and a little coarse salt over crackers.

 With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares. Let cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. OR Let cool completely and then break (or cut) into pieces. Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week… if they aren’t gobbled up before then.

TIPS:

*I was trying to speed the cooling process along and decided to put it in the refrigerator to cool.  The challenge was that the chocolate chips hadn't bonded into the bars enough at that point and some of them broke free when I cut them. So, it would be best to cool on the counter.

*You can use the toffee bits with or without chocolate-

I used chocolate covered because that's what was available at the store, but either would be great.

*Patsy and I want to try making them with mini chocolate chips...for more chocolate in every bite! 

*Make them when you can give some away or serve them at an event,  so that they don't take you down. 

Detail: Cracked Out on Cracker Toffee