However, I married a banana-pudding-loving man who really appreciated it when his grandmother made him banana pudding.
Well, I guess you’d suppose I bit the bullet and learned to make banana pudding like Grandma, huh?
Nope.
But almost FOURTEEN YEARS after the wedding, I finally caved in and made him a decent banana pudding. I had to look for a recipe because all I could figure was that it involved bananas, vanilla wafers and some vanilla pudding. I did know that the vanilla wafers did the ring-around-the-bowl thing. Other than that…
So I found a recipe. It actually looked pretty good (if you took out the bananas – I know, ha ha). I ran it by Father who approved and made it for dessert the other night. It was a smash hit.
Taken from Open Doors: A collection of recipes from First United Methodist Church in Huntsville, Alabama. Recipe by Laura Jackson Anderson:
Best Banana Pudding Ever
1 5.1 oz box vanilla instant pudding
1 8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
8 ripe bananas
1 12 oz. box vanilla wafers
Mix pudding according to package directions. Add whipped topping, cream cheese, condensed milk and vanilla. Using a 9 x 13-inch dish, layer sliced bananas, wafers, and then pudding mixture. Repeat layers. Cover and refrigerate.
–Serves 12
My suggestion is to mix the cream cheese, milk and vanilla with the pudding using a mixer. You’ll never get the lumps of cream cheese out otherwise no matter how much you soften the cream cheese. This is RICH. What I want to do is make one tiny change: use sliced strawberries instead of bananas. Can you imagine how good this would be? [For the weirdos out there, yes, I suppose you could have strawberries and bananas… Sheesh. (c;]
Praying With My Feet 
well good for you! I kinda like bananas if they are not overripe… but strawberries, ooooo, yummmmmm…
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A variation on that recipe that we've used is Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies instead of the vanilla wafers. Very, very rich. We liked it but decided it was a bit rich for ordinary use. My favorite BP recipe uses my mom's plain cooked custard over the bananas & wafers, much lighter. Now I want some, thanks a *bunch*
(get it, “bunch”)
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Ha, ha, ha. (That's right up Father's alley…)
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On Hubby's American side of the family it is customary to make banana pudding in a big fancy oval shaped bowl for holiday dinners. I don't like banana's either, so I have never tried it, but I think they use graham cracker crumbs instead of vanilla wafers. Along with the pudding is the ongoing argument between those who insist it is main course, and those who insist it is dessert.
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Hello! I'm a blog neighbor. I hit the “next blog” button and found your blog. And imagine how great this Georgia Girl (now living in Massachusetts) felt when she stopped by and saw you talking about banana pudding!!! It's a specialty of mine…from scratch though. No pudding mix. I must admit though, the cream cheese in this recipe intrigues me! ^_^ I may have to try it!! Nice to meet you. Come stop by my blogspot any time! (Poetesswug's Backyard Blogspot) Have a good weekend!
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I HATE bananas, too 🙂 Maybe I'll make this for my banana-loving family one day while I eat a chocolate bar.
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