Recently, I traveled to Nashville for a business conference. I was able to stay a few days afterward, and had the joy of visiting my friend Julie. We had a great time together!
One of the fun things we did was…EAT OUT!! And, introduce me to banana pudding!!! LOL I had one that was mediocre, and one that was FANTASTIC!! It inspired me to get home and my my own homemade banana cream pie for Easter, which I promptly did and it was DELICIOUS!
To be honest, though…I make lots and lots of pies. It’ it’s my “thing.” I make them all year ’round, for most family get-togethers and holidays. All different kinds: berry, apple, pumpkin, banana, chocolate chip…pies are amazing!
As I posted this to social media, several of you asked for my recipe. I am happy to share! The recipe I use is from a very old cookbook that I got early in my marriage, so that would have been in the early 1990’s. I assume that this cookbook is long out of print. I collected all of the Susan Branch cookbooks, because not only are they great cookbooks, but they are also covered in her own artwork! They are adorable, and all hand-written and hand-drawn.
OK…edited…I just checked on Amazon, and they are there! PLEASE CLICK HERE to hop on over to find them using my Amazon affiliate link, if you don’t mind! Look for Heart of the Home cookbook by Susan Branch.
1/2 c sugar
6 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 c milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 ripe bananas
1 baked 9″ pie shell
1 1/2 c cream, beaten
Mix sugar, flour, salt in the top of a double boiler. Gradually stir in milk and cook over boiling water. Stir constantly until thickened. Cover and cook for 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Beat egg yolks and add to them a small amount of the hot milk mixture. Return mixture to the double boiler and cook for 2 minutes over hot, not boiling, water. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool slightly. Slice 2 bananas into baked pie shell and arrange evenly. Pour cooked mixture over bananas and refrigerate. Before serving, cover pie with whipped cream. Slice remaining banana around the edge of the pie, and keep refrigerated until serving.
The other thing that we love around here are Twice Baked Potatoes. I have no idea if this is a real “thing,” or if my mom just made up the recipe. She made them on special occasions growing up, and I think she must have stopped making them when she became lactose-intolerant in her late-40s. She passed on her recipe to me, which never was much of a recipe. She just added until it tasted like she wanted it, and there ya go! So, I’ll lovingly share that recipe with you as well, but you’ll have to wing it like I do, until it tastes just as you want it to!
Scrub potatoes, remove bad spots, and then bake in their skins (not in foil). Remove from oven, and cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides into mixer bowl. Mash on low until potato is pretty well mashed. Add some grated yellow onion, cream cheese, butter, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
Heap generously into potato skins, and sprinkle with paprika. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When ready to bake, heat oven to 350. Let potatoes warm up on the counter for an hour before baking, if you wish. Bake until brown and hot through (approximately 30-40 min).
Example: for 4 whole potatoes, you’ll end up with 6-7 halves. Use approximately 3 oz of cream cheese, 1/4 c butter, a tsp of Worcestershire, and 1/4 grated onion. This is just approximate!
I also like to add grated cheese to the top of mine before baking. Another great substitution for the cream cheese is using Boursin cheese, because it’s usually flavored with garlic and onion.
Enjoy! Happy cooking!
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