Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

Yep--Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding.  That is the official name of this recipe from Paula Deen.  I first tasted this when my friend April made it.  April and I met when we interned together at the VA hospital in Temple, TX.  She admitted that she was not a cook, but all year she kept telling me how she made the best banana pudding.  I didn't really believe her because come on, it's banana pudding.  I like pudding and all, but how good could it be?  She kept telling me "no, really, I make the best banana pudding.  I get compliments on it all the time."  Finally, toward the end of our internship year, she made it.  It was love at first bite.  This is some darn good banana pudding!  And the name of the recipe is right on.  This is banana pudding but it is also so much more.

I made this dessert at our pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving.  I know people like to have pie for dessert at Thanksgiving, but Mark has been asking me to make this pudding.  I have only made it once before and Mark has been asking for me to make it ever since.  He says it is his favorite thing that I make!  I refuse to make a whole tray of it for just the two of us though, so this was a good opportunity to make it and share it with others.

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

Ingredients:
2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 bananas, sliced
2 cups of milk
1 (5-oz) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-oz) container Cool Whip, thawed

Directions:
Line the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch dish with 1  bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer.  Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth.

Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.  Add the cream cheese mixer to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.

Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with remaining cookies.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  (You can make this all one day ahead of when you plan to serve it--it keeps overnight pretty well.)