RW

I know it’s been quite some time since I’ve updated this little blog here, but I certainly haven’t abandoned or completely forgotten about it. And I still have tons of ideas and fun eats I’ve been busy whipping up lately!

Like the rest of the world, I’ve been dealing with the chaos and frustrations of living during a pandemic and surviving 2020. It’s amazing how this pandemic has really brought to light a number of life truths and principles that I feel we should all adopt both mid- and post-pandemic:

1. Don’t take for granted the simple pleasures in life like giving a loved one or friend a hug. Call and check on your family regularly, including relatives. Stay in contact with friends and tell them you’re thinking about them more often.
2. Take time to STAND STILL, live a quieter life and take care of your home more. Our modern world and conveniences are nice too, but our lives are often cluttered with “schedules” and “places to go” and “errands” and “ubers” and “soccer matches/little league/play dates” that we don’t give ourselves or our families some time to JUST. BE. STILL. Or at least find entertainment and contentment at or near home instead of always being “busy”.
3. We should all appreciate teachers and working moms a whoooooole heck of a lot more.
4. Support small and local businesses during this time if you can. That includes ordering delivery and tipping the delivery drivers.
5. Don’t be a selfish person – WEAR A MASK as a sign of your empathy and compassion for others who may be susceptible to greater risk from the virus. And to be a good example for kids.

Okay – I’m off the soapbox, and on to a lot more fun topics, like boozy banana pudding. I like to call this my Bour-Banana Pudding. It is SUPER easy to whip up, and if you want it to be kid-friendly, you just skip the bourbon. It also looks great assembled in a trifle bowl or individually in cute little mason jars. And the best part is this dessert is PERFECT to make ahead (like my girl-crush Ina always suggests!!) and refrigerate the night before serving. So easy-peasy, you might make it to celebrate a Tuesday!

Please share how much you love this recipe like I do!!

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Bour-Banana Pudding

This versatile and easy recipe can be either adult- or kid-friendly. It's also the perfect make-ahead dessert since it holds up perfectly in the fridge overnight. Your family and friends will go bananas for this classic treat for a fun brunch, family dinner or weeknight delight!

Be sure to read the recipe and note the prep/refrigeration times so you can plan accordingly.

Course Dessert

Keyword banana, banana pudding, boozy, bourbon, dessert, easy, pudding

Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 7 hours

Ingredients

• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups ice cold water
• 1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding
• 1/2 cup sweet bourbon, divided (1/4 c + 1/4 c) (I personally prefer Bulleit or Makers Mark. For kid-friendly non-boozy pudding, skip the bourbon.)
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 (11 oz) box vanilla wafer cookies (Not a paid endorsement, but the Nabisco brand really are the best!)
• 4-5 medium-sized ripe bananas

Instructions

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and the cold water until well incorporated.

2. In a separate bowl, add the pudding mix, Slowly begin to whisk the milk mixture into the pudding until smooth. Whisky in 1/4 cup of bourbon to the pudding mixture until it is fully incorporated.

3. Cover the pudding mix with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the pudding is firm, at least two hours. (NOTE: I prefer to make the pudding mix and refrigerate overnight.)

4. In a medium sized bowl, whip the heavy cream with a hand mixer or standing mixer for 2 minutes on medium speed. Turn down the mixer speed to medium-low and slowly add the other 1/4 cup of bourbon until it is completely mixed in with the cream. Turn the speed to medium-high and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.

5. Remove pudding from the refrigerator and add to the whipped cream. Whisk both together until the pudding mixture is incorporated into the cream and there are no streaks of pudding visible.

6. Assemble your banana pudding in either a trifle or wide glass bowl, or 6-8 12-ounce mason jar. Use about 1/3 of the pudding mix as the bottom layer (if you're using mason jars, split evenly). Add 1/3 of the vanilla wafer cookies (again, f you're using mason jars, distribute evenly among all jars), followed by a layer of 1.5 sliced bananas. Repeat this process until ending with a final layer of pudding topped with the last wafer cookies (and the crumbs!).

7. Cover the bowl (or mason jars) with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 4-6 hours, or preferably overnight. Serve chilled straight from the refrigerator.