Spring is in the Air

I love the fall and winter months. I love to decorate for harvest time and Christmas. My house feels so cozy and warm compared to the blustery and damp day outside. The anticipation of the holidays fills me with joy and I can hardly wait to see friends and family from so far away. And New Years brings the excitement of the unknown. A new year filled with endless possibilities. But with that said once the decorations are down and family and friends have gone back home there’s a kind of sadness that comes with each cold and rainy day.

I am once again looking forward to sunshine, flip-flops, pools and picnics. Long walks with my girlfriends and just sitting outside enjoying the beauty God has created. Thus the inspiration for this week Final Course Fridays. It’s perfect for those warm or even hot days because it doesn’t require heating up your kitchen by using the oven, stove or even microwave!!

Banana Pudding Squares

20 Nilla Wafers, finely crushed
3 tbsp. Butter, melted
1 pkg. (8oz) Cream Cheese
½ c. Powdered Sugar
1 tub (8oz) Cool Whip, thawed & divided
3 med. Ripe Bananas
3 c. Milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) Vanilla Instant Pudding
½ square Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, grated

Mix crushed wafers & butter. Press firmly onto bottom of 13x9 inch dish.

Mix cream cheese & powdered sugar with spoon until well blended. Gently stir in 1 ½ cups of the whipped topping. Spoon mixture evenly onto crust; spread carefully.

Cut bananas in half crosswise; cut each piece lengthwise in half. Arrange bananas over cream cheese mixture.

Pour milk into bowl & add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes. Spoon over bananas.

Spread with remaining whipped topping & sprinkle evenly with chocolate.

Refrigerate at least 3hrs before serving.


Goes great with a large cold glass of milk!!

Now for those of you who want to make it a little healthier (after all shorts and bathing suit season right around the corner) it’s quite simple. Take every thing and substitute low fat or even fat free when available. I know you can find fat free pudding mixes, milk and cool whip, plus there are wonderful low fat cream cheeses and even Nilla wafers. So whichever way you decided to make it I hope it brings a sense of excitement of the wonderful seasons to come!

From the Kitchen of
Taffeta Tadpoles

Final Course Friday: Sugar-Free Apple Pie

This Friday we give you a great final course that is perfect for those who want to be healthy and still have a great dessert! If you didn't know it was "sugar-free," you would never be able to tell! I used to make it for my grandpa who was diabetic and it was something we all could enjoy! There is nothing better than homemade apple pie - and if you just need some sugar - top it with some ice cream!

Sugar-Free Apple Pie

6 medium red delicious apples, peeled and sliced
1 - 6 oz. can frozen apple juice, thawed (without sugar)
1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Double Pie Crust - you can do homemade or Pilsbury makes a great quick and easy refrigerator crust
3 Tablespoons butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place apples and undiluted apple juice into a large pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Disolve cornstarch in water. Gently stir cornstarch into apple mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes (or until apples soften). Stir in cinnamon. Fill pie shell and cover with top crust. Bake at 450 degrees for 45 minutes. Baste with melted butter.

Enjoy! This recipe from a kitchen in Mid-Missouri.

Grandma's Banana Cream Pie

Hi Foodlovers!

Since it's Wild Card Wednesday...I thought I'd share my Grandma's recipe for Banana Cream Pie. She always had to make several of them when making them for our family!

Serves: 6-8

Pie Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup shortening
4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

Stir together flour & 1/4 teaspoon salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening till pieces are pea size. Add 1 tblspoon water to part of the mixture & gently mix with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl & repeat moistening the dough till all the dough is moistened. Form dough into a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, sightly flatten dough with your hands. With a rolling pin, roll dough from the center to the edges into a circle about 12" in diameter.
Wrap pastry around the rolling pin and transfer to 9" pie plate. Ease pastry ito pie plate being careful not to stretch the dough.

Trim pastry to 1/2" beyond edge of the pie plate. Fold extra pastry under. Crimp edges with fingers. Generously prick bottom & sides of shell with a fork. Make sure to prick where the sides meet the bottom of the crust. Place parchment paper in pie crust and fill with beans of some sort to keep the crust from shrinking.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 8 minutes. Remove beans and paper & bake another 5 minutes, or until golden brown.

Pie Filling:

1/2 cup sugar
5 tbl flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 egg yolks
2 cups milk
2 tbl butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbl rum
1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
3 large ripe sliced bananas

Sift sugar, flour & salt in large mixing bowl. With a large spoon beat in the egg yolks one at a time.

Heat the milk & butter in a small sauce pan until butter melts & small bubbles from around the edge of the pan.

Slowly pour into the egg mixture stirring constantly with a whisk. Add vanilla & rum.

Return to sauce pan. Bring almost to a boil, reduce heat to low & simmer stirring until it thickens into a heavy custard. Let it cool until lukewarm.

Meanwhile beat 1/2 cup of the cream until it forms peaks. With a spatula gently fold into custard. Layer custard & sliced bananas in pie crust starting & ending with custard. Top with the extra whip cream. (For 1 cup whipping cream add 2 tbl spoon sugar & 1/2 tsp vanilla)

Enjoy!