Simple Banana & Coconut (Cream) Dream Pie!!

Summer is here and it is time for those yummy refrigerator pies to make an entrance! This recipe takes the classic cream pie to a tropical level with both banana and toasted coconut as part of the filling. Then it's topped with some whipped cream and more toasted coconut all sitting in a crumbled vanilla wafer crust!

And the best part is that it is easy peasy to make!!

The basic recipe I used is from Eagle Brand only I made a couple changes. First, instead of using a graham cracker crust, I  decided on a vanilla wafer crust. For some reason I just thought vanilla wafers would go better with the whole banana flavor thing. This was easy enough to make, although I should have opted to use my food processor to crumble up the cookies instead of pounding them down manually using my trusty rolling pin. Just mix the cookie crumbs with butter, about 1/3 cup butter to 1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs, and press into a 9 inch pie plate. Then for the whipped cream topping I just used good old Cool Whip instead of whipping up my own from heavy cream. This what helped to make the recipe so simple.

For the filling all I used was...

3 T corn starch

1 1/3 cups water

one 14 oz can of Sweetened Condensed milk

3 large egg yokes, beaten

2 T of butter cut up in small pieces

1 tsp. of vanilla extract

1/2 cup plus 2-3 T of flaked coconut, toasted

and 2 ripe bananas dipped in some lemon juice

Start by dissolving the 3 T of corn starch in the water in a medium size pot. Then add the sweetened condensed milk and then slowly add the egg yolks all the while stirring consistently with wire whisk over medium heat until the mixture becomes thick and bubbly. Remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla extract. Then let it cool slightly before adding the 1/2 cup of toasted coconut.

Slice your bananas and dip into the lemon juice, this will prevent them from turning brown. Arrange slices in the bottom of the pie crust and then add your coconut cream filling. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set. 

Before serving, remove plastic wrap and top with the whipped cream then garnish with the remaining toasted coconut.

See wasn't that easy???

Mr. Rosemary Lane and the kiddos LOVED it! Mr. RL said it was super creamy and even my son Michael, who is not the biggest fan of coconut, gave it a hearty thumbs up!

Thanks for stopping by today and remember to drop by Wednesday evening for another awe-inspiring 

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'Til then...

XO 

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Have a Shake to Boost Your Energy ~ With a Delicious Greek Yogurt Shake

Studies are now showing how healthy Greek yogurt is for the body. It is low in sugar, lactose and liquid whey. It is about the same number of calories as its regular counterpart but packs double the protein and half of the carbohydrates and salt. 

Adding bananas to this shake adds much needed potassium, fiber and vitamin C. It is also an energy booster. Dark chocolate is wonderful for your heart and cardiovascular system. It lowers both blood pressure and cholesterol. Studies have shown that consuming just a small amount of dark chocolate each day has lowered the blood pressure in individuals with severe hypertension. 

The coconut, while it does contain saturated fats, a small amount of it added to your drink will help you to feel full longer, helping to ward off any temptations to eat unwanted calories. The coconut flakes have fiber and fats, both pretty much canceling each other out, but it does add wonderful third flavor to the the shake.

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana, peeled and cut into smler pieces

1 cup plain Greek yogurt, cold

1/2 cup milk, cold

2 oz. dark chocolate, melted

2 T. coconut milk

2 T flaked coconut

1 T maple syrup

1/4 cup crushed ice

Place all ingredients into your blender and blender on high for about 45 seconds. Pour into a large glass and enjoy!

XO

Delicious Peanut Butter and Banana Pie with Homemade Chocolate Syrup

It always seems that I have at least one or two bananas that eventually begin to turn brown, of which I do not want to throw out, and typically I end up making banana bread with them. So today I went on perusing the good old net to find something beyond the standard banana bread and I ran straight into this recipe. I found the adorable blog Chocolate Covered Katie a healthy dessert blog, and she made a no-bake peanut butter pie. It looked amazing and lucky for me I had 3 very brown bananas and all the other ingredients on had I needed to make the pie. (Since I only had 10 inch spring form pan, mine is rather flat.)

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter

3 bananas

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

a pinch of kosher salt

4 T. powdered sugar

I blended all of the ingredients in my blender until smooth. 

For the crust I had to improvised since I REALLY wanted chocolate but had no chocolate graham crackers or cookies. Unlike Katie, I did bake my crust for about 5 minutes in an oven set at 350 degrees F.

So for the crust I used...

2 1/2 cups crushed regular graham crackers

1/2 cup of heath bar, crunched

2 heaping T cocoa powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup butter melted 

1/4 tep. kosher salt

Toss all the dry ingredients together and then add the melted butter. Press the crust into a prepared spring form pan and bake. Remove and let cool.

Pour peanut butter banana mixture over the cooled crust and set in the freezer until it firms up.

To serve, remove from freezer and let set for about 10 minutes. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and crushed peanuts and enjoy!

Since my kids cleaned me out of store bought chocolate syrup, I had to resort to making my own. It was pretty easy though, all you need is...

1 cup Hershey Cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tbs. real vanilla

In small saucepan whisk together the cocoa and sugar, add the water and salt and over medium heat gradually bring the mixture to a slow boil. Make sure to stir constantly and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Remove pan from stove, add the vanilla and let cool completely. Mixture will thicken upon cooling. Store in the frig in an airtight container for up to one month.

By the way, this dessert got two thumbs up from both the kids and the old hubster.

Ciao 4 now!

XO

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Strawberry Banana Jam

It was 2 summers ago that I first tried my hand a jarring fruit jams...so I made peach jam, blueberry jam, strawberry jam and even strawberry rhubarb jam. But I have to say that out of all the jams I've jarred, this one is my absolute favorite!!!