Banana recipes anyone?

This will be a bonus blog for everyone. Two recipes from one ingredient - bananas!   We had our foodie friends over last weekend and for dessert I made a recipe from our big binder of food delights that was originally made about10 years ago.  We knew that our friends would love it because that was who we made it for 10 years ago.  And they reminded us that they liked it because it tasted just like the banana pudding from Rosalie's Cucina, a great restaurant near our house. This is a simple, no bake recipe that is makes plenty.  

Do you love the flavor of short bread cookies, vanilla pudding with cream cheese and the hint of banana?  Okay, I said hint of banana because it is not one of my favorite foods, but when combined with the vanilla pudding and the cookies, I don't mind it.  The 13 by 11 inch pan will provide you with a dessert that will feed a good size crowd or leave you with leftovers for a few days.

Not Yo Mama’s Banana Pudding

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream 
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 
2 cups milk 
1 5-ounce box instant French vanilla pudding 
6-8 bananas, sliced 
2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies

Directions

Line the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Bonus!

 Now, do you have some extra bananas lying around the kitchen?  We had a few from the banana pudding recipe we made last Saturday night when our foodie friends came for dinner.  We finally found the time to use them up yesterday afternoon.    Hubby remembered that we had the recipe from Starbucks for their banana bread that is sold in the stores.  He wiped this recipe up yesterday and we enjoyed a slice with our coffee this morning.  

 

Starbucks Banana Bread

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe medium-large bananas, mashed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (in addition to 1/2 cup)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan and dust with flour.  Blend the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.  Mix the egg, sugar, and vegetable oil until combined.  Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and  blended, add the buttermilk, vanilla, and mashed bananas; mix well.  Fold 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts and pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Top the batter with remaining 1/3 cup of walnuts.

Bake for 45-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.