Gone Bananas!

You might be looking at that picture and think for a moment...humm....I wonder if she has gone bananas?? I mean, seriously. Bananas? And the answer to that question is that I've always been there, just some days I hide it better than others! LOL :)

But ~ that is not what this post it about. We'll discuss my craziness some other time! This is about what those bananas can be turned into! The joy of baking! I have always loved to bake cakes and cookies. They are my favorite. uummmm.....warm cake from the oven without any frosting. Could there be anything better? only if they are cinnamon rolls warm and gooey -- okay, getting side tracked again.

My mom has been a diabetic since she had me. My husband is also a diabetic. My brother-in-law and my father-in-law are also diabetics. That would be the problem the cake. Even if I Splenda it up ~ the flour turns to sugar. Plus, the flour is not on Luke's diet anyway!! So, this summer, I've been determined to change my ways. I'm going to make pie that even me ~the cake lover ~ wants to eat!

I finally have a wonderful, flaky pie crust recipe from a lady I work with that has baked for 30 years! (thank you Nadine!) That was one of the reasons I didn't even want to make pie. The hard to make crust. I always heard if you handle it too much it won't be flaky and the other recipes I tried were not any good so buying a crust was SO much easier. But, not anymore!

Now, the good stuff. The fillings! I've made a blueberry with frozen berries, a raisin pie, a chocolate peanut butter torte, peach pie with canned peaches, and now I've even made a homemade banana cream pie. Oh, yeah. YUMM! I never liked that artificial banana flavor that is in the packages of pudding but homemade? Oh, yeah! You'll notice that the family agreed because all I have left are a few bananas! :)

Nadine's Crust
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup Crisco (yeah, it's the only reason it's even in my house!)
1/4 cup cold water

Mix and roll out. I usually have to add a bit more water to make mine a dough. So, just add a little bit at a time till becomes a dough. (makes 1 crust)

Banana Pie Filling
3/4 cup sugar or Splenda
3 table. cornstarch
2 cups half and half (one of those small containers is perfect! no measuring needed!)
3 egg yolks
1 tea vanilla
4 bananas sliced thin

Cook Sugar, cornstarch, and half & half until bubbles. Cook 2 min
Add bananas and egg yolks. Cook 2 more min.
Take off heat and add vanilla. Let it cool for a bit. I actually just put my crust in the oven at this point (no filling) and bake crust for 12 min. (while filling cools for 12 min). Then, pour filling in (add meringue if you like at this point) and bake 12-15 min. I let it chill in fridge overnight then topped with cool whip (sugar free!) the next day before serving. ENJOY!