Easy Banana Cream Pie

This is an easy version of Banana Cream Pie yet it is elegant enough to impress your guests.

2 cups flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 stick cold butter diced
¼ cup ice water
1 – 5.1 oz. instant vanilla pudding
1 ½ cup milk
1 – 8 oz. Cool Whip (divided in half)
Chocolate syrup
Caramel syrup
2 bananas sliced

Place flour, salt and sugar in processor and pulse to combine. Add diced butter and pulse until butter is pea sized. Then with processor turn on slowly drizzle water into processor until it begins to come together. Remove dough from processor and cut in half press each half into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Remove 1 disk from the refrigerator (the other is for the next pie you want to make). On a floured surface roll out dough to fit pie pan. Place dough into pie pan cut off excess dough and crimp edges. Using a fork prick entire bottom of dough to keep dough from bubbling. Place in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes. When dough is done baking place on rack to completely cool before filling.
Whip pudding mix and milk for 2 minutes then fold in by hand ½ of the Cool Whip. Place mix in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set.
Lightly drizzle some of the chocolate syrup onto bottom of the pie crust. Then repeat with caramel syrup. Place sliced bananas on bottom of pan (about 1 banana). Top with half of the pudding mix. Add another layer of bananas top with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and a drizzle of caramel syrup. Top with remaining pudding. Then top with last half of the Cool Whip. Drizzle chocolate syrup on top  of the pie in a spiral motion starting in the middle and going out. Repeat with caramel. Using a tooth pick starting in the middle pull a line to the outer edge then ½ inch away pull a line from the outer edge back towards the middle. Keep going alternating pulls in and out. For easy cutting place pie in freezer for ½ hour.

Banana Nut Bread or “What Should I Do With My Old Bananas?”

This morning I woke up and I went to my kitchen to start a pot of coffee. As I was waiting for the pot to finish brewing I noticed a funny smell in the air. Following the lead of my nose I finally found the source of this sweet but acrid smell, it was coming from the fruit bowl on my kitchen counter. There were three bananas in the bowl that had gotten too ripe for corn flakes.  You know the smell I am talking about. After pondering this dilemma, which was really tough to do before having my first cup of coffee, I decided to make Banana Nut Bread. You’ve got to try a slice of this cake with some cream cheese or if you want to get fancy top this cake with your favorite cream cheese icing.  This cake is so good you will want to hide it from the kids or grand kids if you are my age. And no wise cracks about my old bananas please.

• 3 large very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbs. sour cream
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl. Melt butter in a sauce pan, remove the pan from heat and add sugar and stir. Add butter and sugar mixture to bowl of mashed bananas and mix well. Add beaten eggs, vanilla, sour cream, salt and baking soda to bowl and mix well. Add flour and nuts to bowl and mix until just combined. Pour mixture into a greased 5X9 loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Remove bread from oven and cool on a wire rack in pan for 15 minutes. Then remove cake from the pan and finish cooling on rack.