Creamy Banana Pudding

This dessert is based on a recipe I found online for Magnolia Bakery's Banana Pudding. I'm 8 1/2 months pregnant, and this is the only thing that I have been wanting to eat for the last week. I made some and ate it something like three times a day until it was gone. Good thing I'm almost ready to have this baby so that I (hopefully) won't be doing that again! But let me just say, it was totally worth. This is creamy, sweet, and delicious. Enjoy!

Creamy Banana Pudding

1 pkg. (4 serving size) Banana or Vanilla instant pudding
1/2 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup cold water
1 vanilla bean
1/2 pkg. (12 oz.) vanilla wafers
1 pkg. (16 oz.) light cool whip
6 bananas, thinly sliced

1. Mix pudding (I used sugar free) with sweetened condensed milk and water. Whisk until well combined. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into pudding mixture and stir to combine. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Fold in 1/2 of the cool whip.
2. In trifle bowl or large glass bowl, layer 1/3 of the vanilla wafers. Top with 1/3 pudding mixture, 1/3 bananas, and 1/3 cool whip. repeat layers three times, ending with cool whip. Top with a couple of crushed vanilla wafers or shaved chocolate. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours (but it is best if refrigerated overnight).

Balsamic Brown Butter Asparagus

I love asparagus. Nothing says spring to me like crispy, fresh green asparagus. It might have something to do with the fact that my grandpa had an orchard and grew asparagus in the orchard...so I grew up not only eating it (a lot) but also picking it fresh from the orchard. I thought this recipe was a WOW...and even my asparagus-hating husband said "it's not too bad." I take that as a high compliment since he normally won't even look at it, let alone taste it. If you like asparagus, definitely try it--it's great!


Balsamic Brown Butter Asparagus

1 lb. asparagus spear, washed and trimmed
cooking spray
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 Tb. butter
1 -2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay asparagus in single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally so it doesn't burn. Make sure to watch carefully--you want it to brown, but not burn!
3. Remove butter from heat and stir in balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Drizzle over the roasted asparagus, tossing to coat well.

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