Best Friend Series #1 (Lisa) -Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

I first had banana pudding in the summer of 2009.

Before then I was not interested in eating pudding of any kind unless it was in a plastic cup containing swirls of vanilla and chocolate ---you know, the Swiss Miss variety.

Anyways, for the greater part of my life I didn’t have the privilege of eating this simple but decadent dessert, so I asked my friend Lisa to make me some since she’s kinda southern.

She did.

It was fabulous.

Lisa is fabulous.

No, she really is.

If you ever get the privilege to meet her the first thing you’d notice would probably be her. Yes, HER.

Not the vintage dress she is wearing or the statement necklace that she happens to have on, but HER.

She’s the whole package and is put together uber fabulously.

Whenever we go out together and I see people staring, I understand that it is Lisa they are gawking at and I happily stand aside and let them look.

I look too.

Faboosh!

Lisa is also one of the wittiest people I know. She can outwit anybody with her comebacks. Anyone. Try her.

Lisa is also gangster. She kinda scared me when we first met. We met in 2008 when we were both working at a local TV News station in NYC as Assignment Editors.

Cream cheese whipped with sweetened condensed milk. Yes, please!

I was sitting behind the desk scared and nervous about my first “big girl” job while our now other bestie, Connie, was training me.

Lisa came over to ask Connie if she was ready to go to lunch and Connie then introduced me to Lisa.

It went like this:

Lisa (with her arms crossed)-

“ Connie, you ready to go?”

Connie-

“ Yea, but Lisa this is Jihane, she’s going to start working at the desk with us.”

Lisa (with her arms crossed and no smile on her face) -

“ OK, hello. Connie, are you ready to go?”

LOL! We crack up about that now because she probably didn’t even realize she did that! If she’s not interested, she’s NOT interested, and she was NOT interested in me when we first met.

Favorite picture of Lisa taken by Yours Truly.  On our way to a bakery in Paris.  :)

I don’t know what the turning point in our relationship was that made us become the best of friends, but we are!

I asked her the other day when she came to visit and she said, “I don’t know really, I think I got to talking to you and realized you had some sense.”

HAHA! Of course…

Anyways, she was the one who introduced me to banana pudding when she made a huge pan of it just for me about 2 years ago.

Not pretty, but it was delicious!!!

I’ve loved the dessert ever since and will always be reminded of my fabulous Lisa whenever I eat it.

She’s my boo and I am hers. :)

-I have been wanting to try this banana pudding recipe for a LONG time now, and I am glad I did. I brought it to work and people liked it mucho.

Recipe ( From Paula Deen—Not Yo’ Mama’s Banana Pudding)

**I halved the recipe**

• 2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
• 6 to 8 bananas, sliced
• 2 cups milk
• 1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.
In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Delicious.