If there is one recipe that reminds me of my Dad’s parents it is banana pudding. My grandparents live in a small town where cell phone signals are spotty at best, the nearest Wal-Mart is 15 minutes away, and it is impossible to count the never-ending stars. When I was younger and would visit during the summer my cousins and I spent most of our time outdoors riding Papaw’s golf cart around the property, playing hide and seek in their green houses, and enjoying the freshest vegetables straight from the garden. No one ever asked what was for dessert because everyone knew it was Mamaw Neva’s Banana Pudding.
Food H & P:
3-4 bananas
1, 8 oz container of cool whip
1, 5 oz box of instant vanilla (or banana flavored) pudding
1, 8 oz bag of Nutter Butter snack size round cookies
3 cups of milk
Food Rx:
Mix the pudding packet and milk together with a whisk about 2 minutes or until thick. Slice the bananas. Then it’s just layering. Place 1/3 of the bag of the Nutter Butter cookies on the bottom of the serving dish, cover with half of the pudding mixture, then half of the sliced bananas, lastly ending with the cool whip. Repeat the layers once more then top this delicious dessert with the remaining cookies for decoration.
Tips:
For a prettier pudding, dipping the bananas in sprite or water with a few drops of lemon juice will keep them from turning brown.
I admit my grandmother did not use Nutter Butter cookies, but the traditional Nilla Wafers. You can not go wrong with Nilla Wafers; however, the Nutter Butter cookies are firmer giving the pudding more of a crunch and peanut butter goodness! I was introduced to the Nutter Butter variation by my sweet pastor’s wife as she made this delicious dessert when throwing us an engagement shower. Little did she know about my grandmother’s condition. Around the time we were getting married my Mamaw Neva was starting to show the beginning signs of dementia.
I see my grandmother in so many of the “grandparents” I treat in the Emergency Room with advanced dementia. I am reminded that, like mine, each one of them has a unique story with signature recipes for their loved ones. Due to the cognitive deficits, a lot of times we must take a “shotgun” approach with diagnostic testing, in order to make a diagnosis for an illness that a patient with dementia may not know they are experiencing. In other words, there are standard basic testing that we order to get a general quick overview of what might be going on with the patient.
I know my grandmother will probably never remember my daughter’s name, but every time I eat banana pudding I’m taken back to a time of endless summer days and no memory deficits. While it’s difficult to witness the forgetfulness, lack of ability to care for self, and repetitive questions, I am reminded of God’s goodness and immeasurable blessings as I see the joy my 1 year old gets every time she eats her favorite food, bananas! I plan on continuing to make this dessert for her so in a way she will always know her great grandmother!
