A Southern Staple, Banana Pudding

It was a great weekend, getting some things done around the house, spending time with family, making a special treat. And I thought as I started making it, that I should share with y'all. I really wish I could spoon you up a big bowl full and we could all sit around the table and have some, but I guess I'll have to settle for sharing the recipe. It's banana pudding, real Southern banana pudding, like your granny would've made (if she was Southern). There is no substitute.

The first step is the most vital. You can do it on top of a double broiler or just on a lower temperature in a regular saucepan. Whichever you do, be sure that your egg yolks are at room temperature. If you put cold eggs in a hot pan you'll end up with cooked eggs instead of pudding. You don't want to stand and stir for all that time to end up with that. Separate your eggs, put the whites in the fridge, and leave the yolks out for a little bit while you work on something else.

When your pudding is thickened and you've added the vanilla, you need to put a tiny bit in the bottom of your dish. You need just enough to keep the Nilla wafers from sliding around. Make your layers. You want bananas that are very ripe. Ever so often Winn Dixie will put out bags of bananas that are getting ripe for just $1.00, that's when I know it's Nana Puddin' time.

Like I said, keep your egg whites in the refrigerator until your ready to whip them up. It's best if you put the mixing bowl in the fridge too. The colder it is, the easier it'll work.

Be sure to keep an eye on the pudding when it's in the oven. It only takes a few minutes for it to get where it needs to be. You don't want it to be burned on the tips.


Here's the recipe so you can try it at home too. Let me know how you like it.

3/4 c. sugar
5 bananas
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
dash of salt
4 eggs separated
2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 box Nilla wafers

Combine 1/2 c. of the sugar, flour, and salt in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir in 4 egg yolks and milk; blend well. Cook, uncovered, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken. Reduce heat to low and cook 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Place a small amount on the bottom of a 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish. Cover with a layer of vanilla wafers; top with a layer of bananas. Spoon about 1/3 of the pudding and spread over bananas. Repeat layers, ending with a layer of pudding. Beat egg whites until stiff; gradually add remaining sugar. Beat until still peaks form when you pull out the beaters. Spoon on top of pudding, being sure to seal the edges. Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, or until golden brown.

So what do you all think of the new layout? It was another of my weekend projects. It may be that now the following will be a little easier. I'm so thankful for all of you who come to visit so often, whether you get the follow button to work or not. And for those of you who've asked, no, I didn't photoshop the hearts on the cows. That's the way God made them. I didn't even notice them there until I went to show y'all the pictures.

I got so busy thinking about banana pudding that I almost forgot to give you the menus for the week. I don't think you need the recipe for any of it.

Monday--Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Biscuits
Tuesday--Vegetable Steak Kabobs, Rice, Fruit Salad, Rolls
Wednesday--Turkey Salad, Croissants, Chips, Grapes
Thursday--Baked Ham, Potato Casserole, Creamed Peas, Salad
Friday--Chicken Enchiladas, Yellow Rice, Salad
Saturday--Homemade Pizza
Sunday--Leftovers

Old Window Panes, Eldreth, and Yard Sales...Oh My

I feel like it's been show and tell this week. I've got a few more from you from my visit with my friend Jen. I did take a tour of her garden, but got so busy talking, I didn't get a lot of flower pictures. Sorry about that. I did, however, get some nice pictures of a few things she has and of some places we spotted along our way.

Her cute little Eldreth cat in the flower bed. Eldreth Pottery is something we all love to collect. I visited the store while in Pennsylvania. I have a lot of the tradional, but all their new stuff is making it hard for me to stick to just what I've been doing.














This is definitely on my wish list. The ever talented Ken Krauss makes them from old window panes. If only it could survive a trip in the car with three kids...And below is another cat enjoying the warm summer day, except this one's real. I wish I could nap in the roses, don't you?

I almost forgot to give y'all the recipe for the French Dip. It came from my Fix It & Forget It cookbook. It's all recipes that you can make in the crockpot. I highly recommend it. It's so helpful to be able to go to that book when you know it's going to be a busy day.




French Dip

3 lb. roast
2 c. water
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. parsley
4 whole peppercorns

Place roast in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Cover. Cook on high 5-6 hours. Remove; shred beef. Strain broth and serve with meat. Serves 8.









These are a couple of places we spotted on our yard sale adventures. Also, I took that cow picture I showed you earlier in the week then. The cows were right next to the road. I did find a few things. I couldn't get much, I knew I had to have somewhere to sit on the ride home. I did buy a couple of books (one to read and one to use in projects), a couple of cd's for the boys,and a really nice old drawer that I'm going to use for display. Jen was the yard sale winner that day with her Eldreth santa and her Brighton belt. We had a great time.


Wouldn't you love to drive past sights like that everyday!?!

More Photos...More Thankful...and Some Buttermilk Banter

Another day and another batch of pictures. These are a few more of the things I love--old barns, little streams, farm land. Tomorrow I'll have pictures from the home of another sweet friend, Jen. We started a couple weeks ago having Thankful Thursday. I thought I'd continue the tradition today.

1. I'm thankful that I'm getting my house back in order. It's so nice to have the piles of things put away after a trip.

2. I'm thankful for another day, for me, for my family. We always seem to forget what a tremendous gift it is simply to be.

3. I'm thankful that Jack is loving tennis camp. What a delight it is to watch your child discover something that they love.

4. I'm thankful for encouragement from friends--notes that brighten your day, phone calls at the exact minute you need them, just knowing that they're there.

5. I'm thankful for a garden that I can watch grow. It is always a delight to me to check on my vegetables. I know, I'm easy to please.


Now for supper tonight. It's breakfast for supper, a fun thing we love to do. I didn't figure you all needed a recipe for pancakes. You can holler if you do, I'll be happy to share. I did, however, want to share a tip for making them better. Buttermilk pancakes are better, fluffier. The key to great buttermilk pancakes is quality buttermilk. I'm usually all for what's cheapest, most of the time the store brand's the same. This is one instance where you want to splurge. Buy the more expensive brand, whatever it may be for your area.

Pictures from Joey's

Today in my travel pictures we're going to take a peek at my friend Joey's flower beds. She has such a wonderful way with plants. I don't know what I'd do without her, she's the greatest friend in the world. It reminds me of a quote from Anais Nin, "Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive..." Great friends do that. They make our world a better place. Our lives are richer because of them, we become stronger people because we know they'll always be right there. They see us for who we are and like what they see. They make our souls glad.






All-American Chicken & Vegetables

1 foil bag
1/4 c. water
1 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. parmesan cheese
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. pepper
9 pieces of chicken
3 ears of corn, halved
1/2 lb. green beans
1 onion, quartered

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place bag in a 13x9 pan; add chicken. Mix water and flour; pour in bag. Mix cheese and spices; sprinkle half over chicken in bag. Mix vegetables with other spices; layer over chicken. Close bag. Bake one hour. Serves 5 to 6.

Travellin' Tuesday

As promised, here are a few of the pictures I took on my travels in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Below that is my recipe for meatballs. You bake them in the oven instead of frying them. I always make a mess when I do them that way, so I was glad to finally find a way to make meatballs easier. I did get all my corn done last night. I think I can develop a new exercise routine after the workout all that shucking and scraping gave my biceps. Maybe we could call it the Farm Girl Workout, there could be putting up vegetables for strength training, chasing after chickens for cardio, bending to plant for pilates. Y'all don't want me to keep going...
See that giant teapot? It's made from pansies!






Meatballs

1 lb ground beef
1/3 c. bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. parmesan
1 tsp. garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine ingredients. Shape into balls. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes.

Moovalous Monday

You all know I love cows. Apparently these love me back. Can you see the white hearts on their heads? I thought we could all use a little extra love since it's Monday.

I had a wonderful week visiting family in Maryland and going down just about every back road in Lancaster county, all that farm land restores my soul. I've got lots of pictures to share this week. I'll start sharing them tomorrow. For now we'll just have to be satisfied with menus. After all, I've still got a lot of unpacking to do. And, my mom's on her way with a couple of bushels of corn for me to put in the freezer. Y'all have a moovalous day!

Monday--grilled sausage, corn on the cob, tomato dumplings, watermelon
Tuesday--spaghetti with meatballs, french bread
Wednesday--All-American Chicken & Vegetables, bread, applesauce
Thursday--buttermilk pancakes, bacon, blueberries
Friday--French Dip, kaiser rolls, home fries, carrot sticks
Saturday--homemade pizza
Sunday--leftovers

Tomato Dumplings
Now this isn't my aunt Jean's tomato dumplings, I've still got to wrangle that recipe from her, but it is a yummy second. If you've never had this, it deserves a try. It's a little on the spicy side. It'd also be a great accompaniment for a cajun dish as well.

1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped bell pepper
1/4 c. chopped celery
1 bay leaf
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. basil
1 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp. parsley

Melt the 1/4 c. butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, pepper, celery and bay leaf; saute 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and basil. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, simmer 3 minutes. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg, milk, and parsley, stirring until moist. Drop dough by tablespoons into tomatoes. Cover and cook over medium-low for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf. 4-6 servings

Home Again, Home Again

Hello everyone! I know I don't usually post on Sunday, but I wanted to let you all know I did make it home and will be back at it in full force tomorrow. I love to go and visit with the people that I love who are far away. I also love that first moment when you open the door after you've been away. It just reminds you what a nice place home is. (Although it does require a little frantic cleaning before you leave.) Have a good Sunday and I'll meet you back here tomorrow. I've missed you all!