Banana Pudding

Banana Pudding

(Not a banana-flavored pudding, this is rather a traditional layered dessert of vanilla pudding, vanilla cookies, and fragrant, ripe bananas)

Get steamy in saucepot over med-low heat:

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

Whisk together and add, whisking into warm stovetop mixture:

Another 1/2 cup milk 

3 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

Switch to using a silicone spatula, and stir constantly until thick enough for furrows to remain a few seconds.

Temper by gradually adding a bit of hot pudding to:

3 egg yolks

Thicken everything back up, stirring constantly. Add in off the heat:

3 Tbsp cut-up soft butter 

2 tsp vanilla

Pour pudding through a mesh strainer, and layer in a dish with:

18 nilla wafers 

3 ripe bananas, sliced

Refrigerate, with cover touching pudding, to prevent skin.

Serve with whipped cream!

Irish cream coffee

East Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches

East Carolina Pulled Pork BBQ

 (from your dutch oven)

3 lb boston butt pork roast, bone-in and fat on, dried off with paper towels

In a gallon size ziploc bag, shake the magic together:

1/4 c brown sugar2 Tbsp seasoned salt1 Tbsp paprika2 tsp garlic powder1 tsp onion powder2 tsp crushed sage (1 tsp powder)1/2 rsp black pepper1/2 tsp red pepper (cayenne)1/2 tsp chili powder1/4 tsp cumin powder1/4 tsp allspice

Once spice rub is thoroughly combined, add in the roast to the ziploc, sealing shut before distributing spice rub to every corner of the roast. Stick that pork bag in the fridge for overnight. Next morning put a tsp of oil in the bottom of an iron dutch oven with an ovensafe lid, dump the roast in (Important: turn roast so fat cap is up) and put the lid on. Put it in the oven, and set the oven to 300, because this is sparta, and then walk away. The oven will preheat, for a nice blast of heat, and then even off at low and slow. Check it 4 hours later, with the small pull test. It needs to pull like butta, not like a chicken breast. Depending on the shape of the meat, sometimes 5 hours. When it is done, a lot of liquid will have come out, even filling 1/3 of the crock, and the entire fat cap will be soft and slidey (rendered). Let it cool some before carefully transferring the melting meat one section at a time to a large bowl, picking out the remaining fat cap and any recognizably-anatomical parts to a tray (the Gambler's Tray), and leaving behind the fat and other liquid in the crock; pour off half of this. When the meat has been separated, it can be pulled, either with a stupid fork, or by hand, which is the right way. After pulling, the meat needs to be doused in the remaining crock juices and also in (bear with me if ya ain't from 'round here…) BBQ sauce:

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar1 Tbsp or more red pepper flakes(also, 2 tsp sriracha; do it)

Stir that stuff up and, trust me, dump it on. Stir it into your pulled pork to distribute the pepper flakes. Try not to eat too much while testing for seasonings, because it is best served on a potato roll, with dill chips and coleslaw as toppings. Serve with spicy sweet potato fries, baked beans, or southern potato salad.