I am not a pudding person. I mean, I like pudding and will happily eat it if it’s served to me, and I’ll even make it for my family (they adore it), but it’s not my first choice. I’m much more likely to reach for a pastry or a loaf of bread. 

But then last week the bakery made banana pudding for the diner dessert and I could not keep my hands off it. I scooped out the bits leftover in the corners of the pan and, when the pan emptied, I went to work on it with a rubber spatula (until my daughter wrenched it from my hands and took over the pan polishing). 

At one point we ran out of pudding, and, since the person who was in charge of making more wasn’t in yet, she walked me through the steps via texts and phone calls. I had to work fast, on account of the customers beating down the door for more pudding.

After all that pudding flurry, I had to make it for myself at home, of course. One would think it’d be easy, since it’s all store-bought ingredients, but I don’t do easy very well (I can’t make boxed brownies to save my life). It took me a couple tries to even source the right ingredients. 

The first time, I bought cook-and-serve vanilla pudding instead of instant because I can’t read. It wasn’t until the next day when the mixture was still soupy that I pieced things together. I was going to feed it to the pigs but then my daughter cooked it up and, since it appeared to set fine, I just ran with it. (It worked, though the pudding texture wasn’t quite as creamy as it should’ve been.) That pudding, I took to a July Fourth gathering where it got gobbled. 

Then I sent my older son to the store for more pudding mix, but he came back with instant banana pudding, probably because I mentioned I was making banana pudding even though I’d texted that I wanted vanilla. So now I have two boxes of instant banana pudding sitting in the drawer. Any suggestions?

Finally, my younger daughter made it out of the store with the right stuff and, just a couple days ago, I made it again, this time the right way from start to finish, whew! (Except now I’m looking at my photos and I realize I used a 5-ounce box of pudding when it was supposed to be only 3.4 ounces so I guess my pudding was stiffer than it should’ve been? Dang, instant food is hard.)

I’m kinda sick of banana pudding now (though not so sick that I didn’t just eat another serving — photos make me hungry) so last night I took a bunch of it over to my parents and my mom made such a fuss that you’d of thought I’d brought her the moon. 

I recently read a piece somewhere about the thrill of taking comfort food to potlucks. Most people show up with their quinoa salads and hummus, the article said, but it’s always the Doritos and rice krispie treats (and the banana pudding) that get eaten first. There’s something so homey about the easy classics (which I don’t know much about, clearly, but I am learning) so why not just go with it sometimes? It’s easy “cooking,” and the guaranteed (and outsized) appreciation and adoration does wonders for one’s ego.

So listen. Next time you’re at the grocery store, pick up a box of mini Nilla wafers, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and a box of instant (INSTANT) vanilla (VANILLA) pudding. Stash them away in the back of your pantry where they will while away the months, just waiting to be called into service and make you a star.

Banana Pudding
The recipe is based on Magnolia Bakery’s famous banana pudding, a mash-up of my co-worker’s texts and The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Go easy on the bananas and wafers: “layer” means a single layer. The pudding is king — don’t dry it out or moosh it up with too many crackers and bananas.

The bananas need to be just barely ripe; they hold up better this way. Also, I think they’re best sliced quite thin. They will get brown, over time, in the pudding, so if this bothers you, dipping them in lemon waters helps prevent discoloration, or so I’ve read….

The pudding can be eaten immediately, if you like, but after a few hours, the crackers will soften and become cake-like, and the banana flavor will permeate the pudding. Up to you!

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1½ cups cold water
1 box (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding 
2-3 cups heavy whipping cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
4-5 bananas, barely ripe
1 11-ounce box mini Nilla wafers

Beat together the sweetened condensed milk with the cold water. Add the pudding mix and beat some more. Cover with plastic, transfer to the fridge, and allow to set up for at least four hours, though overnight is even better. 

Once the pudding is set, beat the heavy whipping cream and vanilla until you have stiff peaks. Fold approximately 2 cups of the cream, whipped (or, if you used 3 cups of cream, then 2/3 of the whipped cream) into the pudding, reserving the remaining cup or so for dolloping, or decorating.

To assemble, put a single layer of Nilla wafers in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Dollop over half of the pudding and spread smooth. Put another layer of Nilla wafers (reserving some for decoration, if you wish), and then a layer of banana slices. Spread the rest of the pudding on top. Optional: decorate the top with crushed wafers and whipped cream. 

Store the pudding in the fridge, covered, or devour immediately. 

This same time, years previous: mushroom burgers with cheese, the quotidian (7.8.19), fresh strawberry cake, nose spots, the quotidian (7.7.14), the quotidian (7.8.13), simple creamy potato salad and French potato salad.

A couple weeks ago, my friend Leryann, the one who moved here from Puerto Rico and then got married in my back yard, hosted a girl cousins’ week. (The backstory: earlier this spring, her best friend was diagnosed with cancer and then, unexpectedly, died suddenly and, in the midst of her grief, Leryann decided to pull together the people she loved — to spend time with them, and laugh and play together — because: life ends, so live it well.) She planned a full week of activities for her cousins, as well as their mothers and my younger daughter, that included everything from movies to eating out to ice cream runs to an all-day trip to an amusement park. One of their “events” was supper at our place.

It was Leryann’s brother’s birthday (he joined in the fun partway through the week); he’d requested waffles weeks in advance but then I forgot and made an entire OTHER meal and then caught my mistake and, the day of, had to pivot — not because he was demanding anything of me, but because I’d said I would and so I would, dang it.

I was glad I did, too, because they all went to town on those waffles. 

The evening also included a (very squealy) water ballon fight, some intense hair braiding (and spraying)…

The reaction upon learning his shoe size (15).

… and, the grand finale, a cheese tasting party. The aunties tasted all the cheeses I put out and then asked for more, and then they selected the cheeses they wanted (a whole bunch of which were gonna be stashed in luggage and hauled back to Puerto Rico), and then Leryann had the brilliant idea to vac-pack one-pound samplers, like so: 

Aren’t they cute? The cheeses should hold up well since they’re individually wrapped and vac-packed, though I’m curious if any of the flavors will migrate to the other cheeses. That Cotswold is pretty oniony….

***

Last week, after taking a six-month hiatus to work on the book (update: got a bunch done, still got a bunch more to do), I started back at the bakery.

I trained three days in a row, getting up at 4:30 each morning. Day One, the baker brought me up to speed on updated systems and technique. Day Two, I did the shift myself with the baker looking on, and answering questions and assisting as needed. Day Three, I was on my own.

Everything came back amazingly fast — bake times, working the ovens, shaping the sourdough, recipe development (we’re working on baguettes!), mixing glaze and egg wash, etc — and it was wonderful fun to catch up with old bakery friends and meet the new ones. At the end of each day, I’d come home and crash on the sofa, absolutely exhausted. 

For now, the plan is for me to just do one bake shift a week. I enjoy the jolt of energy I get from being a part of the team, as well as the hard work. It’s good to be back.

***

Saturday, we made applesauce. For a while there, I thought we were outgrowing applesauce so I kinda stopped making it (much), but then the younger two kids started gobbling it down on the regular (or they would’ve gobbled it down if I’d let them) and I realized that I might need to reconsider. But then I learned that our favorite local orchard no longer had Lodi’s — our favorite saucing apple — so I had to call around to a bunch of places before finally sourcing some.

Long story short, we put up four bushels and now we’re stocked.

***

My brother’s family came in for the weekend so we all planned to get together for a meal at my parents’ place. But then I realized that I’d never had them all over for a cheese party, so I suggested they pop over to our place first, for cheese and champagne.

After they all left to head over to my parents’ place, I fell asleep on the porch swing with a half glass of champagne listing precariously in my hand while my husband cleaned up the kitchen. 

And then we hopped in the car and went over, too.

This same time, years previous: the quotidian (7.5.21), the quotidian (7.6.20), cucumber mint cooler, pulling together, three things about writing, let’s revolutionize youth group mission trips! please!, French yogurt cake, grilled flatbread.

Quotidian: daily, usual or customary;
everyday; ordinary; commonplace

Mr. Latte.

Eating the sun.

Upping my super-simple raw milk vanilla ice cream game — and winning (I think).

Puerto Rican rice: kale-boosted.

Fancy water.

I love it when slow food….

…becomes fast food.

Paper and light: a spontaneous art installation.

Kitchen labor.

Day’s end.

This same time, years previous: a few fun things, cucumber mint cooler, Vieques!, the quotidian (7.3.17), the quotidian (7.4.16), the summer’s first trip, creamy cauliflower sauce.