‘Nilla wafers and I – we done did it.
You hear? Is this thing on?
We made you your very own banana puddin’. You’re welcome.
Let’s iron out a few things, straight up:
- It’s not pudding. Its name is Custard. And it makes puddin’ look like a little girl.
- It’s not banana flavored. Ever tried to flavor something banana-ish? Yeah. Then you know. It’s guaranteed major yuck-o.
- I made mine way better than everyone else’s share, on account of the booze in it. ‘Cause you gotta take care of you.
Go on. Take one.
I’m so glad you’re here. Even though I’m a bit of a kidder (read: smart aleck), I hope you know that the love is for real. I don’t joke about the love.
For one thing, there isn’t really enough love out there. Or respect. There’s fist-bump-explode-me kinda respect, but that’s respec. I’m talking about the good stuff. The reason you come here (at least I hope). And this blog should be filled to the brim with real love, real respect … and real whipped cream.
The whipped cream is just for making banana pudding more delicious. Nothing kinky. This is a family show.
If you’re scared about cooking and baking gluten-free, don’t be. It’s really super pinky swear promise okay. Totally do-able. Seven years ago, I cried into my bean flour. I baked carrot cake that smelled like glue (what is that smell??). Today? No more bean flour. That crap stinks. Get some Better Batter and get on with it.
No more crying.
Unless it’s a good cry. Sometimes those are nice. Cleansing. Like a fresh Summer rain. *ahhhh….*
Some of the other bloggers out there act like bullies. You notice that? You read their blogs, and you feel like a toad. Like a wart on a toad. Like a wrinkle on a wart on a toad.
Want to know how come I know that happens? Its name is, “It happens to me too!” I published a gluten-free cookbook. It sells very nicely thank you (no really. thank you. I love you.). And I’m writing another! I write for national magazines!
But when I go to some of these blogs, I feel like a wrinkle on a wart on a toad. I’ll never be able to bake like they bake! Or blend flours like they do! Or take pictures like they do! And my kids will never be as perfect as their kids! And my blog will never be as pretty! And their google rank!? Oh, the humanity! Look at them, blending and taking and baking and ranking and making perfect! Perfect is better. I want to go to there, this perfect place with the bloggy goddesses.
I send my husband a desperate email: I’m a hack. Did you hear me?! Then a loon of a text: A hack!!
Step away from the crazy-making blogs that don’t give you something of value. That tear you down. That don’t love you, wrinkles and warts and all.
I don’t have a sister, but I love you like one. My girls have each other, and I see the way they breathe the very same air. They beg to sleep in the same bed ’cause sleeping in the same room isn’t quite.close.enough. When one cries, the other tastes her sister’s tears.
They also wear each others’ panties. But that’s neither here nor there.
It’s like this: I want to build you up. Make you feel good. ‘Cause you’ve got some feelin’ good coming your way. However you came to be gluten-free, it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t a cake walk. But you’re here now.
Turns out, I’m here, in this world, to hold your hand, and to try like heck to make you feel good. I’ve done so many other things already in my life. Gone in so many other directions. But, turns out, I’m here for you. To do this. For you. For us. I swear I didn’t choose it. It chose me. (Well, first it fired my lawyer a**, but who’s counting).
So when I say I love you, I mean … Hey Sister Soul Sister, I love you.
Would you do me a favor? When you go to a blog, would you take notice of how you feel when you’re there? How you feel when you leave? Do you ever do that? Think about that? Would you be willing to give it a go?
What? I get misty when I drink.
So the puddin’. You know all about this pudding, so it really needs no introduction. When I posted ‘Nilla wafers, you told me about banana pudding. The wafers of your imagination were soaking up the puddin’ and all the nostalgia, getting mushy and noble. I’m not sure if those wafers were dipping into the sauce like mine, but that’s really a distinction without a difference, if you ask me. Layer in those bananas. Go on. You know you wanna.
| Banana Puddin’ |
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 5 to 6 tablespoons all-purpose gluten-free flour (I use Better Batter)
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 extra-large egg yolks
- 3 cups milk (low-fat is fine, nonfat is not)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons dark rum (optional)
- 15 to 20 gluten-free ‘nilla wafers
- 3 ripe (but not overripe) bananas, sliced into disks
- whipped cream for serving (optional)
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the sugar, 5 tablespoons of flour and salt. Add the egg yolks, and mix to combine. No heat yet.
- In a separate, medium sized saucepan over medium heat, bring the milk and vanilla to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat.
- In a slow pour, slowly pour 1/4 cup of the warm milk mixture to the sugar-flour-salt-egg yolk mixture in the large saucepan, whisking constantly. Place the large saucepan on the stove, and turn the heat to medium-low. Whisking constantly, add the rest of the milk mixture in a slow pour to the large saucepan. Continue to whisk over medium-low heat until the pudding begins to thicken (about 2 minutes). It should not be very thick, as it will thicken upon standing after being removed from the heat. If the pudding does not seem to be thickening, add the final tablespoon of flour, continuing to whisk.
- Remove the large saucepan from the heat, and stir in the butter and the (optional) rum.
- In 4 to 6 separate small containers, or one large container, place a layer of nilla wafers, then a layer of banana slices, and a layer of pudding. Repeat the wafer-banana-pudding layers until you reach the top of the container.
- Refrigerate the mixture until chilled, at least one hour. Top with (optional) whipped cream before serving.
Nondairy milk works just fine, as long as it isn’t fat free.
Looking for something to do with the 4 egg whites you have left over? Make Quick {Sandwich} Bread (use the “search GF Shoestring” function at the top of the blog to find the recipe).
See you on the flip side, Sista.
Nicole
P.S. Everyone used to call me “Nikki.” Even though that all changed for good after college for reasons that remain a mystery to me, I still miss it. Crazy, right?
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Wow. How do you come up with these things…this.looks.absolutely.scrumptious. I need a bigger spoon…:-)
Hi, Linda!
I will definitely get you a bigger spoon. Note to self. Linda doesn’t want to waste any time.
You know, I didn’t really come up with this. You all did! The comments section to the Nilla Wafers post is replete with references to banana pudding!
xoxo Nicole
You. Are. Awesome!!
Amazing Soul sister!
You sound just like the voice in my head! Seriously, no joke. In a good way though!
And yes, I feel pretty awful after visiting some blogs. Not in a poor me way, but sorta like a “I wish I had a smidgen of the coolness these bloggy women have” way.
Keep on going with those Nilla wafers, Gonna make some today, Nom nom!
Hugsies,
Noor
Hi, Noor,
That’s the feeling! That I’ll-never-be-as-supercool feeling. The heck with that! This is all so very easy. Keep in mind that, when I take a photo of the food, I pick the very, very best of the batch of Nilla Wafers, and the very, very best most fluffiest whipped cream, and I crop out the parts that don’t look so pretty. It’s not airbrushed, but it’s not exactly reality, either. The only reason I do that is because my stuff has to look at least a bit aspirational, or you won’t wanna make it. And if you’re not excited about making it, then you’re not gonna try your hand at it. But it’s all completely accessible, from anywhere. If I don’t think an ingredient is readily available pretty much anywhere, I don’t use it in a recipe (or I make sure it’s truly optional).
The love is real. The recipes are do-able. There is no veil. It’s all out there, you know?
Okay. I’ll stop now. :)
xoxo Nicole
Oooooooo!!! Nomnessssssss!!!!
And everyone called me Jessi in college….some of them still do…lol
May I just say Nicole that I love your narratives before the recipe almost more than the recipes sometimes. Is that wrong? I love your recipes too though!
It’s just that I see everyone putting LOL everywhere about all kinds of emails and blogs and rarely if ever do I actually laugh or chuckle audibly. Except for maybe yours…
It is extremely tough to find a blog that I can relate to in a “real person” kind of way. Not boring or stuffy and someone with a life and a family. Thanks for all you do with your blog and your recipes. Just know that I tell everyone to buy your cookbook both in person and online in hopes you can publish many, many more and keep me from having to deal with failed, expensive GF experiments.
Michelle
Hi, Michelle,
You made my day. Because (I think) you feel comfortable here, and because I think you’re really pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down. I know just what you mean about the many “LOLs” where they don’t belong. I only say “LOL” when I mean it. And I usually write it with periods (L.O.L.), since I do really mean it when I say it. That is also one of the big reasons why I don’t feel at home on many other blogs. Not only does the blogger seem bossy, but it makes me mental when I think that there’s a mob mentality among the readers. I find it very isolating. So I have vowed not to spend more than 10 minutes at a time reading other people’s blogs, and to instead just spend more time working on my own.
Thank you so much for evangelizing for me! I really appreciate it. You’re always welcome here. And I am writing another cookbook! It should be out Fall 2012.
Thank you again for the kindness. And the straight dope. :)
xoxo Nicole
One of my oldest memories is my family ‘fighting’ over “The Puddin’” that was only served on Tday. Whip cream is not optional in my family! I know good puddin’ and we have missed it without the texture you get for the nilla wafers. I’ve tried it without, I’ve tried it with substitute cookies……never to live up to Grandmother’s. I am gonna try this. If it is awesome you may be my new BFF :D
Thank you a million times over! You make me feel like I am not the only one. Some days I read your blog and get misty eyed becuase you have such a gift of putting feelings into words and tying them to recipies. Bannana pudding is a BIG deal in our family but there are 2 of us that can’t eat it. I am so excited to try this one. I will even put them in mason jars so everyone will know that the Ian B and I get the special stuff!
Isn’t it funny how our names grow up as we do… I was Jenny B all through school. Now, I have one friend that still calls me that.
Well Nikki, here’s to staying young at heart!
Jenny B
Hi, Jenny B,
I think maybe you get misty because you feel connected? At least that’s what I hope it is. When you’ve felt like “other,” it’s so nice to feel a sense of belonging.
I think that everyone else will be jealous of your pudding in mason jars. I love mason jars. I wish I could squeeze my children into them. They’d be so much easier to keep track of.
I wish my name had never grown up. I never asked anyone to grow it up. They did it without consulting me. ;)
You’re not the only one. You belong here. With me. I’m a lunatic, but I make some mean banana pudding. :)
xoxo Nikki
Oh this souds so good…but I’ve also got one in the house that is df-can I substitute rice milk and still get a similar consistancy or will it be to runny?
Hi, Rochelle,
I haven’t tried it dairy free, but I have made pudding and custard with soy milk before, and been successful. It shouldn’t be runny unless you use something like rice milk, which tends to be very watery. If you like the flavor, coconut milk would work probably best of all. Enjoy!
xoxo Nicole
I was going to put a link to the Train song, “Hey, Soul Sister” but then I read the lyrics. Not really appropriate. There needs to be a Soul Sister anthem for girls. “Girls Just Wanna Have fun” doesn’t cut it.
Oh, and about your mascot. How about a cartoony Villi since that seems to be the troublemaker. You want it with a Spanish flair? But a sombrero on him. Pancho Villi and the Gluten Revolution!
Oh my god I love Pancho Villi! Do you think he knows Shakira?
xoxo Nicole
I think they did a video together.
I thought so …
Oh.Yum!! So.Making.This….and who the heck says you aren’t already one of the bloggy goddesses…not me, that’s for sure!
Nikki, the thing with other blogs is I feel like a ‘visitor’. Here…you make me feel like ‘family’ and I love that feeling. I chuckle my way through most of your posts and then find these incredible recipes for deliciousness that has been denied for so long and it is like finding the pot of gold at the end of a beautiful rainbow. I feel welcome and comfortable here like I would sitting down with my own sister or my daughters or my best friend. Nicole is a beautiful name…but Nikki suits you more in my mind because we call our BFF forever by nicknames now, don’t we? ;)
XOXO
Hi, Nance,
Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me all that. That’s exactly the feeling that I experience, and the one I try to provide you. It’s really gratifying to know that you are pickin’ it up. I know it can verge into sounding flippant, but it never, ever is. I feel a strong sense of responsibility for providing a ‘home’ for the gluten-free community, and I don’t take it lightly at all. Thank you again. You really made my day. :)
xoxo Nikki (thanks for that, too :) )
You always make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside! I just LOVE you Nicole!!! You’re the best so never change and keep your delicious recipes with a slice of life coming our way :) P.S. you ain’t no hack baby…you’re the real deal! <3
Hi, Tammie,
Warm and fuzzy is the best! I’m so glad. A slice of pie, and a slice of life. Got it. Thanks, Tammie!
xoxo Nicole
Nikki, once I found your blog I haven’t gone back to any of the others. I much perfer “family”!!! Love Banana Pudding so thank you for helping some of us to relive our childhood!!!
Hi, Peggy,
I love it. Thank you so much! I will always do my best to treat you just like that .. like family.
Enjoy the nostalgia!
xoxo Nicole
I like the idea of adding rum! I have a feeling this will be one treat I won’t be sharing with family. LOL There wouldn’t be any left for me!!!
You gotta take care of #1, Peggy. You gotta take care of you. :)
xoxo Nikki
Oh Nicole, I love your blog (and you) best of all. I do visit some other g-f bloggers, just to see what’s out there. And I enjoy looking at their stuff. But I rarely make any of their recipes. Yours, I make almost everything (even back when you used “the other” flour.) I have your cookbook and use it at least 3-4 times a week.
You make g-f cooking simple, like me I guess, and fun. I do not want to produce a gourmet meal. I only want to be able to feed myself as simply and affordably as possible! I want to make good, easy bread for sandwiches and for toast, good cookies and muffins and desserts that my grandkids won’t know I made with “my flour”, not “regular.” I don’t want to spend my whole weekend in the kitchen or waste money on obscure ingredients for each recipe, I can’t. And on the flip side of the snobbly g-f gourmet bloggers out there are the “frugal girls.” And that is way too much work and I’m not going to the lengths that some of them do to save money on food.
Your blog suits me, it’s homey. And you feel like a friend. (BTW my given name is Martha and as a child I got Marcy, which became Marty in high school. ) So here’s to Nikki! And I will raise a spoonful of whipped cream for the toast.
Hi, Marty,
I can’t believe you’ve been with me since the days of the “other” flour! I remember being thrilled when I found that I could buy that “other” flour at a reasonable price in the regular supermarket! My how things have changed – for the better! You summed up the main idea of this blog way better than I ever have. We want to be able to eat like we are used to, and eat well – & also to fool other people who might scoff at gluten-free food. Period. Full stop.
By the way, who are these frugal girls? Extreme coupon clippers and the like? Or maybe they sew all their own clothes, and raise and kill their own food?
I’m so glad I feel like a friend. I feel like a friend, since we can also use one in this. And we each deserve to have one who “gets” us. I think you and I “get” each other, Marty. I have a cousin Marty whose given name is Martha. I have always loved it. Hear hear!
xoxo Nikki
Nikki, I loved reading your blog immediately. The things you say ring so true, and make me truly believe I’ve found a soul sister. I already have a sister named Nikki, but if she ever reads your blog, she’ll understand why there’s room in my heart for both of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for bringing joy, excitement and real hope to me and others about having delicious food again, after a celiac diagnosis. You may not feel it yet, but I can’t help think that some day soon, you are going to be VERY well-known and respected among the GF blogs and food professionals. You are already well-loved, and deserve to be even more so. I’m spreading the word about you, and your great advice and recipes, everywhere I go. xxx
Hi, Tammy,
Thank you so much for the kind words. They really mean a tremendous amount to me. I’m so glad you feel hopeful. That is why I do this. Full stop. It’s really gratifying (& motivating) to know that it is hitting home. As long as I have my all-purpose gluten-free flour, I’m brimming with optimism.
It sounds like your sister got to keep her nickname. Sadly, nearly everyone stopped using mine, and even as a kid I missed it when they stopped. I just didn’t know how to ask for it back, you know?
Thank you for spreading the word. I’m not holding my breath to be welcomed by blog cliques. The hell with ‘em. I don’t need them. I just need you and yours. :)
xoxo Nicole
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