BEST Banana Pudding

Hi there :) My normal day to post is Saturdays, but since I've neglected the past 2, and no one seems to mind a sporadic post here and there, I'm taking advantage of a day off work and posting today!

I enjoy banana pudding very much - enough to say it's probably in my top 3 dessert choices. When I first tasted Nora Berry's banana pudding I knew it was the best I'd ever

had. This specific dessert is made even more special to me because Nora Berry is the mother of a very important man in my life, Joey. I was first introduced to her pudding on a visit to his hometown in the DFW area, then Joey made it once while we were in college at OU. The first time I loved it, the second time I knew I had to have the recipe!

Today I am sharing the love :)

Ingredients:

2 large boxes (or 3 small) of banana instant pudding

Approx. 6 cups milk

1 box vanilla wafers of your choice

Bunch of bananas

1 tub whipped topping

Now, you should know that not all banana pudding is the same. There is a certain ingredient that makes Nora's recipe stand out among the rest....and that ingredient is....

ahhhhlelulah!!! Can you hear the angels singing? ;)

add an 8oz. pkg of cream cheese to your list of ingredients

Directions:

Soften the cream cheese, then mix with whipped topping. Prepare instant pudding as directed on box (this is where the milk comes into play). Slowly add pudding mixture to the cream cheese/cool whip blend. The pudding should become a pale yellow color. Mix until smooth.

**PAUSE** for a mini-lesson on how to properly peel a banana:

For years I've tried to open bananas by breaking the stem-part off at the end. This resulted, more often than not, in mush. Most people I know also open bananas in this manner - it's how our parents taught us, right? Well, it's time we take a lesson from the monkeys.

If you've ever noticed the way a monkey chooses to peel a banana, you'll note that they do NOT start from the end with the stem! Instead, they pinch the other end of the banana and peel from there, like so

It's much easier with no mush involved!

Slice bananas (as many as desired).

In a dish, layer vanilla wafers, pudding, then sliced bananas.

Repeat until the dish is filled. Garnish the top with crushed wafer cookies.

Listen as your taste buds cheer!

P.S. I made this dessert for the Mesta Park potluck last night and it was a hit! Beulah house church-ers will get the leftovers tonight :)

Sibling Spinach & No-Choke Artichoke Dip

Welcome to the "Saturday evening post". Here you will read about recipes I've received from family and very close friends - recipes for food that I tasted, loved, and have truly enjoyed. This is not a blog for mediocre recipes, my friends. My posts will be flavored with a heaping spoonful of heritage that stems from loving relationships and, well, the kitchen, of course :)

What could be more appropriate than starting off my first post with an appetizer?

That being said, tonight's dish is creamy spinach artichoke dip with toasted almonds - made with my step-sister, Brandy. I first tasted this dip two Christmases ago when Brandy made the appetizer for our family. One taste and I had to have the recipe - I mean it.

Brandy originally received this recipe from her mom who served it to her guests when she owned a bed and breakfast in Texas.

Ingredients:

8 oz. bag grated mozzarella cheese

8 oz. bag grated parmesan cheese

1 cup mayonaise

1 can lg. artichokes (chopped)

1 pkg. frozen spinach (thawed, rinsed, and chopped)

salt, pepper, lemon pepper, garlic (to taste)

1 small pkg. sliced almonds

Directions:

Combine the cheeses and mayo in a medium-large bowl, reserving 1/4 cup parmesan. Stir in prepped spinach and artichokes. Season mixture with salt, pepper, lemon pepper, and a pinch of garlic. Spread mixture in baking dish.

Sprinkle remaining parmesan evenly over the top,

then layer the almonds. Bake at 425 for 30 min or until the almonds are a toasty brown color.

Enjoy!

Compliments of my family :)