Easy Homemade Pudding

 Most people who eat pudding, have boxes of this on their pantry shelves.  It usually costs 60 cents to $1 a box, (plus the milk), and it's loaded with lots of artificial flavors and chemicals.  I usually make my own for about 25 cents, (plus the milk).  It only takes about 15 minutes and it tastes so much better.   There's only 1 pan, and no mixer involved.  Let me show you.

Today, I am going to make vanilla, at at the end, I will tell you how to make variations of flavors.

You will need:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/8 teas. salt
2 3/4 cup milk
2 Tab. butter
1 teas vanilla extract

In a 2 quart saucepan, mix together the sugar, salt, and cornstarch.

Note:  if you are watching your sugar intact, you can use a sugar substitute.  I have many times, and it still taste just fine.   Make sure to whisk everything together well.

Slowly whisk in the milk, making sure to incorporate all the sugar mixture.  Scrape along the edges of the bottom of the pan.  Turn on the stove to medium high heat.  Stirring consistently, (so the milk does not burn), bring the milk to a boil.  Cook for 1 more minute.

Note:  you can use whole milk, skim milk, 1% or 2% milk - the choice it yours. - I usually use skim milk.

Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the vanilla and the butter.

Whisk in well, and remove from heat.

Note:  If you want your vanilla pudding to be very white, use clear vanilla.

Pour into individual serving dishes, (or one large bowl).  This recipe will make 2 1/2 cups.  Cover with plastic wrap, (to prevent a skin from forming on top of the pudding).  Refrigerate until cool.

Once the pudding is chilled, it is ready to enjoy.

You will notice it has the same smooth rich taste that the box puddings have, but none of the chemicals or artificial taste.

Note:  for variations:
Butterscotch:  replace the white sugar with 1/2 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
Banana: When you add the vanilla and the butter, add 2 ripe mashed bananas that you have added 2 tsp of lemon juice, (to prevent the bananas from turning brown).
Dark Chocolate: Add 1 square, (1 ounce), of unsweetened chocolate, (broken into pieces), when you add in the milk.

Enjoy !

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

We arrived home from vacation and found that our neighbor had just finished mowing our lawn for us.  What a wonderful  welcome home surprise.  My husband was dreading the idea of mowing on his first day back from vacation.  As a thank you gift, I  went to my list of 50 muffin recipes and decided to make his family a batch of my banana chocolate chip muffins.  If you've followed my blog, you've already read my blueberry lemon muffin recipe.  Here's another one to add to the list.  This recipe will make 1 dozen 2 inch muffins.

You will need:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tabs. baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 banana
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Line 12 cup muffin pan with muffin cups, (or spray with baking spray).

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.   Stir together well.

In a large bowl, combine the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.  Beat on medium speed for 1 minute.

Add the flour mixture.  Beat on low speed, just until the flour is mixed in.

You should not see any flour streaks.  But don't over mix the batter.

Mash the banana.  You can use a fresh very ripe banana, or a a frozen banana that you have thawed out.  (I always have bananas in my freezer for baking).

Add the banana to the batter.

 Add the baking chips.

Stir the banana and chips into the batter.

Fill the muffin cups.

Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, until tops of muffins spring back when touched.

Remove from oven, and set on a baking rack to cool for a few minutes.

Once you can handle the muffins, remove from the pan, and allow to cool a few more minutes on a baking sheet.

Now you are ready to eat the muffins.

Notice how fluffy the interior of the muffin is.  And the banana adds a nice sweetness to the flavor of the muffin.  And of course kids love the chocolate chips.  You can eat them plain, (which is how I like my muffins), or you can add some butter, or peanut butter to your muffin.  These make a great breakfast muffin, or an after school treat.  And the great thing is, it doesn't require a lot of time or ingredients to make a batch.

Give these a try.

Enjoy !

Barb's Banana Bread

This Banana Bread is SO EASY, that you won't need to get out your mixer.  We always have ripe bananas around the house, so this is pretty much a bread that I make quite a lot.  And if your bananas are ripening and you don't have time to make the bread, just throw the bananas in the freezer until your ready to make the bread, pull them out about 5 minutes ahead of time and they'll be ready to go...

Here's what you'll need:

3 or 4 ripe bananas (the riper the better)
1/3 cup applesauce (* see note below)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teas. vanilla
1 teas. baking soda
pinch salt
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup chocolate chips

NOTE:  I make my own applesauce, (just core the apple and cut into 8 slices and boil in a small amount of water until tender, then process in the food processor).  You can use store bought applesauce, or if you want the extra fat even use 1/3 cup of melted butter.  We find that we like the taste of the applesauce MUCH better and don't miss the fat at all!!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  This bread will come together quickly, so you need your oven ready to go.  Spray a bread loaf pan, (or butter it).  I use an 8 X 4 inch size for this banana bread.

Mash the bananas.  Boy do these smell wonderful.

 In a large bowl combine the mashed bananas and applesauce.

 Mix well with a spoon.   NO NEED FOR A MIXER.  You'll just use your wooden spoon for this bread mix.

Add in sugar, egg, and vanilla.

 Mix well with spoon.

 Add in flour and chocolate chips.  Mix well.

If you want to add a few nuts at this point you can.  My husband doesn't really like nuts in his banana bread so I leave them out, but walnuts or pecans would be good.

 Pour into bread pan

Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Cool on rack.  Remove from pan, slice and enjoy.

This is delicious.  Your family won't miss the fat and extra sugar that other banana breads have - we've replaced them with God's natural sugar from the applesauce.   I have made this in small gift size loafs for family, neighbors, and friends.  They all love it and are surprised that I use applesauce.  When I tell them they all ask for the recipe.

Now go make something healthy and delicious for your family.  Let me know what you think.