From the Kitchen :: Southern Style Banana Pudding

Now that we've lived in Georgia for over three years, I'm finding myself more and more drawn to southern things.  Large front porches with hanging ferns, grits, pimento cheese, monograms, and even hairbows.  I can't wait to try making a Hummingbird Cake {I recently tasted one for the first time and it was delicious} and I'm going to keep cooking Shrimp and Grits until I have it memorized and perfected.

One of the classic desserts of the South is banana pudding.

I remember seeing dishes of this at potlucks when I was a kid, but I always made a beeline for chocolate chip cookies and ice cream sundaes.  The value of banana pudding was lost on my childish palette.

Now, it's one of my absolute favorite desserts.  In fact, I've made it for company twice in the past month.

Here's my disclaimer:  I use instant vanilla pudding mixes.  Feel free to stop reading right here if you're offended by this, and my blog is titled "Only From Scratch".  Pudding made from scratch is wonderful, but it shouldn't be used for this recipe.  The instant kind just works better.  And, I'm usually a stickler for brand name Nilla wafers, but I found Publix makes a fantastic copy, and costs almost half as much.

Southern Style Banana Pudding

3 small boxes instant vanilla pudding
5 cups milk {whole or 2%}
8 oz sour cream
1  8 oz container Cool Whip
1 box Vanilla wafers
4 ripe, but not spotted, bananas

In a large mixing bowl whisk pudding mix and milk until thickened.  Fold in sour cream and Cool Whip until combined.

Place a small scoop of pudding mixture in the bottom of a trifle bowl.  Cover with a layer of Vanilla wafers.  Slice 2 of the bananas and distribute evenly on top of the wafers.  Cover with a layer of pudding.  Repeat layers ending with the wafers.

Cover and chill until ready to serve.

recipe adapted slightly from our church cookbook