White Chocolate-Banana Cream Pie

Some of the best recipes are completely semi-homemade and so easy.  This recipe from Kraft Foods is one of those quick, easy and delicious recipes.

Imagine a luscious banana cream pie made super special with the addition of white chocolate!

A very quick and convenient dessert for a special holiday meal or a week night dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER'S White Chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1 ready-to-use graham cracker crumb crust (6 oz.)
• 2 large bananas, sliced
• 1 pkg. (3.3 oz.) JELL-O White Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding
• 1-3/4 cups cold milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Directions

Microwave chocolate and butter for one minute or until butter is melted. 

Stir until chocolate is well blended into mixture and completely melted. 

Drizzle over bottom of crust and top with bananas.

Beat pudding mix, milk and vanilla with whisk about two minutes and pour over bananas in crust.

Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. 

Top with COOL WHIP just before serving.

SOURCE:  Kraft Foods

Banana Fritters

Sandra Lee always has the easiest recipes that give the illusion of spending a lot of time in the kitchen when it was super fast!

I love having a variety of banana recipes . . . I hate throwing them away when they start to ripen a bit too much.

Recipe courtesy of Sandra Lee
Recipe copyright Sandra Lee

The Food Network
SHOW: Sandra's Money Saving Meals
EPISODE: Affordable Entertaining

Ingredients

Fritters:

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 cups baking mix
• 3 ripe bananas, diced
• 2 cups canola oil, for frying

Spiced Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Directions


For the fritters: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and sugar until blended. Stir in the baking mix and bananas until just combined.

Heat the canola oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop the batter into the skillet. Fry in batches until golden brown and cooked through the center, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the oil and allow to drain on a wire cooling rack set over a baking sheet.

For the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, 1/4 cup water and pumpkin pie spice.

While the fritters are still warm, pour the glaze over top. Allow the glaze to set up slightly before serving.

Southern Banana Pudding

Lost in my recipe notebook that got thrown away by mistake years ago was the most delicious banana pudding I have ever had.  It was a cooked pudding and I think it had sweetened condensed milk in it.  The original recipe came from a magazine advertisement.  I know it is somewhere in my recipe files as a duplicate, but to this day I have not found it.  So . . . I have been searching for a cooked banana pudding that sounds familiar.  The only puddings that have sweetened condensed milk also include instant pudding, which I know is not it.

When I found this recipe on the Food Network website, it made me very happy even though I know for sure it is not the recipe.  Mine did not have meringue (I really hate that stuff).  So I will give it a try, adapting the topping to one of a whipped cream nature.

Both the Captain and I love banana pudding and have not been happy with any of the recipes we have found so far.  Hopefully . . . this one is a keeper. 

If you are interested in making homemade vanilla wafers to make your banana pudding extra special, click here for the recipe.

Ingredients

3 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Kosher salt
4 large eggs, separated, yolks lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 ripe medium bananas (about 1 pound), thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 1/2 cups)
50 vanilla wafers, such as Nilla Wafers (about half a box)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar



Directions

Heat 2 1/2 cups of the milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until steaming.

Whisk 3/4 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks and the remaining 1/2 cup milk.

Whisk half of the hot milk into the egg mixture until smooth, and then gradually whisk the egg-milk mixture into the milk in the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until it has thickened to a puddinglike consistency, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla.

Layer a third of the pudding, half the banana slices and half the vanilla wafers in a 9-inch square baking dish. Layer with half the remaining pudding, all the remaining banana slices and all the remaining wafers. Top with the last of the pudding. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the pudding surface, and refrigerate overnight to soften the cookies.

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bring the egg whites to room temperature. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium-high, and slowly sprinkle in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar a tablespoon at a time, whipping for 15 seconds after each addition, until glossy firm peaks form. Spread the meringue on top of the pudding with an offset spatula so it reaches the edges of the pan. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.


Copyright 2014 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/southern-banana-pudding.html?oc=linkback

Banana Split Pie (low fat)

I have not tried this recipe yet, but I've been on a very strict diet and have been craving something that tastes rich but isn't . . . you can make your own adjustments to suit your needs . . . I use no fat half and half as a substitute for milk.


1 graham cracker crust
1 (4 oz.) pkg. sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
2 c. low-fat milk
2 bananas, sliced
1 (15 oz.) can crushed pineapple
1 c. diet Cool Whip
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. pecans, chopped


Mix pudding with milk and beat until thick, pour into crust. Put
bananas over pudding. Squeeze pineapple to remove all juice.
Sprinkle on top of bananas. Cover with Cool Whip, sprinkle pecans on
top. Chill well.

Banana Coconut Cream Dessert

This recipe is begging for me to try. It is one of those quick and easy desserts you can control ingredients to make lower fat. Looks yummy . . . will comment when I try it out. If you make it before I do, please comment! By the way, keep an extra box of Bisquick around!

2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup firm butter or margarine
1 package (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 3/4 cups milk
2 medium bananas, sliced
2 cups whipped cream
1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut


1. Heat oven to 375°F. Mix Bisquick mix and sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until crumbly. Press in bottom of ungreased square pan, 9x9x2 inches.

2. Bake about 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

3. Make pudding mix as directed on package for pudding, using 1 3/4 cups milk; spread over crust. Top with banana slices. Spread whipped cream over top. Sprinkle with coconut. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour but no longer than 24 hours.


High Altitude (3500-6500 ft) No changes.

This recipe comes from Betty Crocker.com . . . on my link listing

Banana Bread Muffins

These simple muffins are a great breakfast treat or an easy snack. Make sure your bananas are super ripe: the blacker the better!

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas
1/3 C. melted butter
1 C. sugar
Raisins and/or nuts (optional)
1 egg beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 C. flour

Directions

In a large bowl, smash bananas. Mix all the ingredients in, adding the flour last. Mix together with a fork. Pour mixture into a greased 4x8 loaf pan (muffin pan will do as well).

Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until desired color.

Something that I love to do with muffins and/or banana bread . . . ice them with cream cheese frosting . . . yum, try it some time . . . I posted the recipe that I use last week, check my blog labels for the post

Banana Pudding

Good thing bananas are cheap and healthy because I could live off of them. Although I eat lots of bananas, you can never eat them fast enough before you have to use them in some kind of cooking or they end up in my compost pile.

Banana pudding is one of my favorite desserts and one of those comfort foods that is good for every day or during the holidays. It is all in the way you present it.

My recipe is an adaptation of a recipe from Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk found years ago in a magazine, newspaper or a cookbook . . . I've used this recipe for as long as I can remember, so I don't know for sure.


Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 (4 serving size) package instant banana flavored pudding and pie filling mix
2 cups (1 pint) whipping cream, whipped
36 vanilla wafers
3 medium bananas, sliced and dipped in lemon juice

In large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and water until combined. Add pudding mix and beat well. Chill 5 minutes. 

Fold in whipped cream.

Using a glass serving bowl (2 1/2 quart), layer ingredients, by spooning 1 cup pudding mixture into the bowl, add one-third each of the wafers, bananas and pudding. Repeat layering twice, ending with pudding.

Chill thoroughly.