I recently had some unexpected time when I didn’t have to rush to a job, event or meeting. I stumbled upon a Starbucks that was very inviting and I couldn’t resist. I am not a coffee drinker but enjoy the baked goods and chocolate frappuccinos. The rack of cinnamon coffe cakes were reaching out to me. I wasn’t in a chocolate mood and ordered my first vanilla beam frappuccino. I loved it!! It went very well with the cinnamon cake. Although I entered Starbucks with the intention of relaxing, I found myself sitting at an outside table. Once I finished my cake I located a comfortable chair and foot stool to catch up on some chillaxation time.

Banana pudding is a dessert generally consisting of repeated layers of sweet vanilla custard, cookies (usually Vanilla Wafers or ladyfingers) and sliced fresh bananas placed in a dish and served, topped with whipped cream or meringue. The wafers absorb the custard. I prefer the wafers to be a tad bit soggy from the custard.

It is commonly associated with Southern U.S. cuisine, however, it can be found around the country. Furthermore, it closely resembles an English Trifle in that it is assembled in layers and includes custard, fruit, sponge cake, and whipped cream.

banana pudding

It can be prepared using a baked or refrigerated method, with the latter being the more popular, particularly among home cooks. Moreover, many recipes have been adapting using vanilla pudding instead of a true custard. Other recipes omit the wafers. An early Banana Pudding recipe was published in “The Kentucky Receipt Book,” by Mary Harris Frazer, in 1903. However, even this recipe does not include wafers.

* 1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla wafers
* 2 boxes Jell-O vanilla pudding (not instant)
* 4 cups milk
* Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
* 4 very ripe bananas (make sure they have brown specks on the skin)
* 1/2 cup plus 1/8 cup raw, unbeaten egg whites (from about half a dozen eggs), room temperature
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1. Line the bottom and the sides of an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish (about 2-quart capacity) -oven safe and nonreactive – with a layer of the vanilla wafers. They should just cover the bottom of the dish.

2. Prepare the vanilla pudding according to the pudding directions on the package (you will need the 4 cups of milk to do this). While the pudding is still hot, stir in the nutmeg; set the pudding aside to cool for 5 minutes (but no longer).

3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

4. Peel 2 of the bananas and slice them into rounds that are 3/8 inch thick. Top the layer of cookies in the bottom of the dish with the banana slices. Top the banana slices with a second layer of vanilla wafers. Peel the remaining 2 bananas, slice them into rounds, and distribute them evenly on top of the second cookie layer. For the final layer, top those bananas with another layer of cookies.

5. Pour the still-warm pudding over all. Shake the dish carefully, and tap it on the counter, to remove any air holes within the layers.

6. Make the meringue. Add the egg whites, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice to the medium-size bowl of a standard kitchen mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk the mixture on medium speed until it just holds a peak. It should be light and fluffy; do not overmix it.

7. Using a rubber spatula, top the entire surface of the pudding evenly with the meringue. Dip a spoon into the surface of the meringue and pull it out quickly to create little peaks all over the top of the pudding.

8. Place the pudding on the top rack of the oven. Bake just until it is nicely browned on top, about 3 minutes. (It can burn very easily, so watch it carefully.) Remove the pudding from the oven and let it cool down for 1 hour on the countertop. Then place in refrigerator and chill for at least 3 hours, but not more than 5 hours.

Some people prefer banana pudding warm, just out of the oven. I like it after it’s been i the fridge for a few hours. Very refreshing on a hot day.

(Source: wikipedia, splendidtable.publicradio.org)

Peanut Balls combine some of my favorite items to eat.  One way to describe their flavor is to say they are like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.  It has that same thick coating of chocolate with a smooth and creamy filling that is almost fudge-like in texture made of peanut butter and several other ingredients listed below.

The State of Ohio has their own special name for this confection; “Buckeyes”. Buckeyes look slightly different than Peanut Butter Balls in that the top of each bonbon is bare of chocolate.  This is done to make it look like the nut of the Buckeye tree, which just happens to be the State Tree of Ohio.  I prefer chocolate all of the way around.  The more the better!

The process is very simple and requires just a few ingredients:

peanut butter balls

In a large bowl combine the 1 cup powdered sugar and cocoa. Stir in the peanut butter, milk, and vanilla. Form the mixture into balls. Roll each ball in 1/4 cup powdered sugar.

While balls are chilling, melt the chocolate.  Temper the chocolate if you desire.

Once balls are firm, they can be dipped.

Using a toothpick, skewer a ball and dip it halfway into the melted chocolate.  To make a Buckeye, you will want to leave at least a dime-sized circle of undipped candy on top of the ball.  Otherwise drown the sucker in chocolate!

Swirl the excess chocolete off of the ball (as shown in the photo above).  It’s more fun than draggin  it along the lip of the bowl or waiting for the chocolate to drip off.  Place the covered ball back on the cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining peanut butter balls.

Return balls to fridge to set the chocolate. Serve once candies are firm.