Banana Pudding

I found out last week that the summer graduation deadline is much sooner than I thought, so I’ve been working 14 hour days this week trying to finish my research for my dissertation. Sorry for the lack of posts! The craziness will be over one way or another July 17.

Today my lab had a BBQ. Our lab is very international. (I think I am the only American student doing research in structural engineering.) This means that there are many different religious eating restrictions to keep in mind. Also, people from different countries tend to not like a lot of our “American” desserts. (When I first started graduate school, many of my baked creations didn’t get eaten, much to my disappointment.) However, it seems that my mother’s banana pudding is a world-wide hit. It didn’t disappoint today. My fellow students ate a gigantic bowl (double batch) of the stuff.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 oz instant vanilla pudding

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups of water

8 oz Cool Whip

1 Banana

1 Box of Nilla Wafers

 

Directions:

1. Mix the vanilla pudding, sweetened condensed milk, and water until smooth.
2. Refrigerate for at least 5 minutes
3. In another bowl, cover the bottom with 1 layer of Nilla Wafers. (I should have taken a picture. I’ll try to remember next time I make it.)
4. Slice 1/2 of the banana on top of the wafers.
5. Fold the Cool Whip into the pudding mixture.
6. Spoon 1/2 of the pudding mixture on top of the bananas.
7. Slice the rest of the banana on top of the pudding mixture.
8. Spoon the remainder of the pudding mixture on top of the bananas.
9. Place wafers around the edge of the bowl, as shown in the picture. Sprinkle broken wafers on top.
10. Refrigerate until ready to serve.