Banana Pudding Squares

And so ends my epic battle of conquering banana pudding! OK so maybe it wasn't epic, but it was a few years in the making. Let's just say I started with banana soup in '07, and have since found what I believe will become Bobby and I's preferred banana pudding recipe going forward. Of course, I did actually mess this one up too--but it tasted amazing anyway :) Kraftfoods.com emailed this to me a little while ago and I bookmarked it. I had planned to may keylime pie for Memorial Day, but Kroger apparently has discontinued the sale of keylime juice?? Add that to the growing list of things I'll have to get from Whole Foods. So I went with banana pudding squares as a backup, and it worked out fabulously!











Banana Pudding Squares

1 box Reduced Fat NILLA Wafers
1/4 cup or a half stick of margarine, melted
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tub of fat free or sugar free Cool Whip
3 bananas, sliced
2 packages of instant sugar-free vanilla pudding
3 cups cold skim milk
1 square of Baker's semi-sweet chocolate, grated/"zested"

OK this is a modified version because I added an additional layer of NILLA wafers. Start out by separating out 40-45 NILLA wafers and crushing them very finely. In a mixing bowl, add the melted butter to the crumbs and mix well. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9x13 pan, and refrigerate. The Kraft recipe doesn't specify how long, but I'd give it at least 30 minutes. This is where I got impatient and went "wrong". In another mixing bowl, blend the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Add 1 and a half cups of the Cool Whip and whisk until blended. Spread this mixture evenly over the NILLA crumb bottom. This is where mine went in a different direction. My crumb-crust didn't set and I gave up and mixed the crumbs with the cream cheese mix. Then I firmly re-pressed the mixture into the bottom of the pan. So if you can get it into two distinct layers, great. If not...mix it, repress, and move on! Then add one layer of banana slices. In the mixing bowl used for the cream cheese mix, add the two packages of instant pudding and 3 cups of milk. Whisk quickly for 2 minutes and pour over bananas. Top with additional layer of NILLA wafers (my addition) and refrigerate until ready to serve. Right before serving, spread remaining Cool Whip over the wafers evenly. Use a lemon zester or other fine grating tool and grate the chocolate square into shavings over the top of the Cool Whip. Serve in squares.

Mine doesn't look quite as pretty as the picture on Kraftfoods.com, but it was absolutely delicious. This topped the Memorial Day meal of burgers, my first (failed) attempt at homemade baked beans, broccoli casserole, and watermelon. Needless to say we are stuffed and will be rolling ourselves back to work in the morning.

We did have a wonderful and relaxing long weekend that was absolutely perfect. On Friday we walked to Mexican food...then on Saturday we started the day by going to yoga, then followed it with a trip to Whole Foods for sushi, then to the pool with a pitcher of banana coladas for a few hours, before I surprised Bobby with massage appointments in Westport Village, and then we walked to Napa River Grill. It was perfect. Then on Sunday, Bobby played 18 holes with some of the med school guys while I went for a run...and today we hit the gym early and then spent the afternoon at the pool again with banana coladas before dinner. We don't get a lot of vacation with Bobby's schedule, so to have a full 3 day weekend together was great...even if it was a "staycation" :) So tomorrow begins June, and Bobby will wrap up Peds and his 3rd year in the next few weeks, and I'll be diving into Intern-a-palooza 2010. But definitely looking forward to another long weekend next weekend in Seattle!