Pie and Pals

Isn't she a beauty! We got to have the Wood kids over to play and then afterwards we had a little birthday celebration for this lovely momma. I made my first Banana Pudding Pie (see recipe below) and Tobin ate my piece! (He didn't really it's an inside joke). Since Jody is a real life Bee Keeper, this poem is dedicated to her.

The Song of the Bee

By Marian Douglas

Buzz! buzz! buzz!


This is the song of the bee.


His legs are yellow;



A jolly, good fellow,


And yet a great worker is he.

In days that are sunny


He’s getting his honey,


In days that are cloudy


He’s making his wax:


On pinks and on lilies,


And gay daffodillies,


And columbine blossoms, 


He levies a tax!

Buzz! buzz! buzz!


The sweet-smelling clover,


He, humming, hangs over;


The scent of the roses


Makes fragrant his wings:


He never gets lazy;


From thistle and daisy,


And weeds of the meadow,

Some treasure he brings.

Buzz! buzz! buzz!


From morning’s first light


Till the coming of night,


He’s singing and toiling


The summer day through.


Oh! We may get weary,

And think work is dreary;


‘Tis harder by far


To have nothing to do.

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Banana Pudding Pie 

• Vanilla Wafer Crust (recipe below)
• Vanilla Pudding (recipe below)
• Whipped Cream (recipe below)
• 3-4 medium bananas, cut into slices
• 20 vanilla wafers plus more for decoration (see note)

Vanilla Wafer Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups (about 30) crushed vanilla wafers
• 1/2 cup butter  I used coconut oil and it was fantastic.

Vanilla Pudding (doubled)

• 1  1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 8 egg yolks
• 4 cups milk
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whipped Cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

For the crust:

In a medium bowl, stir together crushed vanilla wafers and butter  or coconut oil until blended. Firmly press on bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.

Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool 30 minutes or until completely cool.

For the pudding: Whisk together sugar, flour, eggs, yolks and milk in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 10-12 minutes or until it reaches the thickness of chilled pudding. (Mixture will just begin to bubble and will be thick enough to hold soft peaks when whisk is lifted. It must be thick and slightly bubbly to set up properly!) Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure to press the plastic directly on top of the custard so it doesn't get a "skin" on it. Refrigerate til completely cool. (Can be made up to a day in advance.)

Whipped Cream: In a medium bowl, whip cream on medium high speed til soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat til thick and stiff. Don't overbeat or you'll have butter!

Assembly: Arrange half of the banana slices evenly over bottom of cooled crust. Spread 1/3 of cooled pudding over bananas, then layer with 20 vanilla wafers. Spread 1/3 more pudding over vanilla wafers, then add the remainder of the banana slices and cover them with the last of the pudding. Spread the whipped cream over the entire pie and decorate with more vanilla wafers if desired.

The layers from the bottom up should be: vanilla wafer crust, bananas, pudding, vanilla wafers, pudding, bananas, pudding, whipped cream

Refrigerate at least for 4 hours. Overnight is best. Consume within 2 days.

Also I used an entire box of vanilla wafers for the pie. If you want to decorate with additional wafers then get a second box to be on the safe side.

Make me. Eat me. Be happy.

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