Guess Who's Back???

Well Hello There!!!
After almost seven months, I have finally had the wherewithal to get back to my blog, which I've missed so very much :)  It's the same old song, busy busy busy, and, sadly, my blog fell off the radar. But, no more. I owe it to myself to make more time for the things I love to do, and cooking is most certainly one of them :) I'm so happy to be blogging again :)

Well, let's get right to the point, shall we? I'll get back into the blogging groove with a dessert recipe (whee!!!) For my father's 60th birthday, I offered to make him his favorite dessert. He chose Banana Cream Pie. And, I must admit, though I have certainly eaten it over the years, I had never made one. After perusing my Mom's considerable recipe files and finding nothing that jumped out at me, I went to my cookbook shelf and went straight for  *Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics*, which is a compilation of her first two cookbooks, *The Lady and Sons* and *The Lady and Sons Too*. May I please take a moment and sing the praises of Miss Paula? This woman's food is beyond delicious, I have never, ever, ever been let down by one of her recipes. I find her unapologetic use of real butter and other such "no-no's" and her refusal to get on the bus with any particular *food trend of the moment* incredibly refreshing. Her food is what it is, classic Southern cooking, not be messed with, and darned if I don't agree and give her kudos for sticking to her guns. That, and she's just so cute and funny and comforting. I'd love to hang out with her, I'll bet she has great stories. But I digress, back to the pie...

This is just your basic Banana Cream Pie, nothing too elaborate, but I think that's what I like about it, not fussy, you know? Before the recipe, a few notes:

1. Although I am generally a fan of making my own pie crust, I found myself pressed for time and used a Wegmans brand pre-made pie shell. It was totally fine. So, make your own or use one from the store, it matters not to me :)

2. I made this pie on a 90 degree day, so the egg whites did not get as fluffy as I would have liked. It didn't affect the taste at all, but it gave the pie a thicker consistency as opposed to a fluffier one. So, make sure your egg whites are as cold as possible, save this pie for a cooler day, or, just make peace with the fact that the custard with have a thicker consistency, which you may even prefer, depending on your tastes.

3. This pie gets runny fairly quickly at room temp. So, chill it right up until service and then put it back in the fridge ASAP. Obviously it'll still taste fine if left out, it'll just get soft. Treat it as you would a bowl of pudding.

Banana Cream Pie
-1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
-3 tbsp. cornstarch
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 1/2 cups milk
-2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
-2 tbsp. butter
-2 tsp. vanilla
-2 egg whites
-2 bananas, sliced
- One 9-inch prebaked pie shell


-In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/3 cup sugar with the cornstarch and salt. Blend in milk, then egg yolks. Cook and stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Cool custard mixture to room temperature. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into custard mixture. In pie shell, alternate layers of banana slices and custard filling. For service, top with whipped cream and additional sliced bananas, if desired.

So there it is, everyone. I can't tell you how good it felt to write this blog post :) Leave me comments! Let me know I haven't lost my following :) Another blog post soon, Scout's Honor :)

Love Always,
Lynn :)