Pudding

A week ago I promised you some banana pudding, Elvis's favorite dessert. Well, I finally had a day to myself where I could actually get in the kitchen without the "Honey, want to go to Lowes?", or "Mom, I've got so much to do, could you please throw my work clothes in the washer for me?" You know how it goes. My family always comes first. Whether it's a trip to Lowes or helping my daughter go through her closet to make space for that shopping spree she just went on.

Anyway, since they're both out of the house today and I'll also have some more time tomorrow I thought I'd make pudding. Banana pudding and white chocolate with strawberries pudding for today. Tomorrow I'll try my hand at some mango cream with almond cookies and some coconut pudding with pineapple and shortbread cookies.

So, before my alone time is up, here's a belated Elvis Banana Pudding and a most delicious White Chocolate Pudding. Love you guys.



Banana Pudding

1 box vanilla wafers
1 box instant vanilla pudding
1-teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 tablespoon vanilla vodka
½ cup Cool Whip
3 bananas, sliced thinly
Whipped cream
¼ cup crushed vanilla wafers

Prepare vanilla pudding according to instructions. Add 1-teaspoon vanilla extract to the pudding and mix well. Allow to set about 5 to 10 minutes. Fold Cool Whip into the prepared vanilla pudding.

Start layering either in a large trifle bowl or in individual dessert glasses. Start with a layer of wafers. Top with banana slices. Add a layer of pudding. Continue layering until you reach the top. Add a topping of whipped cream and sprinkle with crushed wafers. Chill until serving time.

White Chocolate-Strawberry Pudding

1 box mini Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chessman cookies
1 box instant white chocolate pudding
1-tablespoon chocolate vodka
½ cup Cool Whip
Strawberries, sliced thinly, leave a couple whole for garnish
¼ cup crushed chessman cookies

Prepare white-chocolate pudding according to instructions. Add 1-tablespoon chocolate vodka to the pudding and mix well. Allow to set about 5 to 10 minutes. Fold Cool Whip into the prepared pudding.

Start layering either in a large trifle bowl or in individual dessert glasses. Start with a layer of chessman cookies. Top with strawberry slices. Add a layer of pudding. Continue layering until you reach the top. Add a strawberry that you have cut and fanned out to the top sprinkle with crushed cookies. Chill until serving time.

Picnic in a Box

A box, or a container, or a mason jar; anything with a lid or cover. If you’re going to eat outside and you don’t want flies or mosquitoes buzzing around your food, keep it covered. It’s been so hot and humid here in El Paso after our storms last week that we just wanted to sit outside for a nice and cool weekend meal. But, it was still too hot to BBQ. What to do? I decided to cook a small pork roast I had in the fridge in the crock-pot overnight. After checking to see what would go with it, I saw I sill had some of the red chile BBQ sauce I had made for the brisket last weekend. Hm? Shredded BBQ Pork, some cold Pineapple Coleslaw and Borracho Baked Beans with a little Pico de Gallo. Ok, that was settled. Dessert. I had bananas I was saving for some Buttermilk Banana Bread I was planning to make during the week. When I saw there was more than enough for the bread I decided on our picnic dessert…Banana Pudding. So there you go, our picnic in a box, El Paso style.

BBQ Pork
1 (3-pound) Pork Rib Eye Roast
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons BBQ seasoning

Combine in slow cooker and cook on low for 12 hours. Allow to cool and shred, using two forks. Combine shredded pork, 1-cup red chile BBQ sauce, and ½ cup beef broth in a large pot. Stir to combine. Heat thoroughly.

Borracho Baked Beans
1 large can of BBQ Baked beans
1 12-ounce can beer

Combine beans and beer in sauce pan and heat over low heat. Simmer over low for 15 minutes.

Pineapple Cole Slaw
1 package pre-shredded cabbage and carrots
1 (8 ounce) can of crushed pineapple
½ cup mayonnaise
1-teaspoon cider vinegar
1-tablespoon sugar

Combine cole slaw mix and pineapple in a bowl. In a smaller bowl combine mayo, vinegar and sugar. Whisk to combine. Stir into slaw mix. Cover and chill.

Now put your picnic box together. Layer beans, pico de gallo, cole slaw, and pork in your container. Provide covers for the containers to keep the pests away and off your food.























Make your Banana Pudding. Everyone has a favorite recipe for this delicious dessert. I’m no different. The only thing I do a little differently is I add 1 tablespoon of vanilla vodka to the pudding along with the sweetened condensed milk. I also add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the cool whip before folding it into the pudding. Layer in your container and refrigerate until ready to serve. Ah, summer nights can be so cool when hot.