Banana Puddin’

I don’t cook a lot. I don’t have a signature recipe.  My friend Chris makes a bacon-wrapped meatloaf that is apparently incredible! I've seen it, but I’ve never eaten it.  He’s known for that meatloaf.  My sister is a great cook. She makes the best biscuits I’ve ever eaten.  My friend Donna Moody makes lemon blossoms – these little  2 bite size cookie things that are just fabulous. I know other people that everything they make is just wonderful – my friends Kathy R, and Debbie C and Sharon D.  I’m not that good at anything. 

However, once upon a time I made my sister Robyn’s recipe for banana puddin’.  Yes, it’s  puddin’ not pudding. . . At a school where I once worked,  we had a “cooking contest” and I made Robyn’s banana puddin.  I won.  The person in charge had to give me the first place prize and she wasn’t happy about it.  This banana puddin’ ROCKS!  There is French vanilla pudding involved and heavy whipping cream and whole milk and cool whip and a few other things.  It’s so thick and creamy, you can’t POUR the pudding, you have to scoop it.  It’s pretty good, even if I do say so myself. 

So, the day I won that cooking contest, I had leftovers. I took  the bowl to church for my AWANA leaders. They loved it – which was very satisfying. They bring goodies quite often, and I simply can’t do enough for them, so it made me happy when they liked it.  I felt like Sally Field – “ They like it, they really, really like it!”

On Monday, my sweet friend Mrs. Dawn’s husband went home to be with Jesus.  She’s beside herself, as you can probably imagine.  Her friend, her husband, her sweetie – is gone away from her.  She’s got an empty spot inside.  

I had to go to Publix yesterday so I called another friend who I knew would be with her. I asked her what Mrs. Dawn needed.  You know that in the South, when someone passes away, we bring food. My friend Mrs. Turner is from New Jersey and she doesn’t get that.  She asked me once “What’s up with you people? The day my mother died, there were people knocking on my door with food.”  But, that’s what we do!   She didn’t need food, but she did need some plastic cups!

I asked Mrs. Debbie if there was anything Mrs. Dawn needed or wanted.  Mrs. Dawn told Mrs. Debbie she didn’t need anything but she sure would like  some of my banana pudding.   

So tonight, I made a banana puddin’ and delivered it to my friend Mrs. Dawn.  It’s not a  big deal  - she’s already gotten lots of stuff from other people.  It’s not going to keep her company in the night when she turns over and her husband isn’t there.  It won’t make having to go the funeral home and get through the next few days any easier.  But she smiled when I took it to her and she enjoyed it while she ate some of it.  For a minute, she smiled and ate banana puddin’.  And that, my friend Mrs. Turner is why we do it.