I am so sorry....

First of all I must offer my humblest of apologies for not supplying you with a Foodie Friday post last week. Last Friday, nay, last week was very hectic and dramatic. It was The Princess’s birthday and we were going to have a house full of people which included my in-laws, my BFF and her daughter. Unfortunately at the last minute (literally) BFF’s daughter came down with strep throat! Horror of horrors! I do not get to see my BFF very often as she lives in a far away land known as South Carolina and we were both looking forward to some really good girl time. Needless to say I was heart-broken. However I soldiered on and The Princess had a magnificent birthday. But I digress.

I know you were disappointed when you checked in and saw there wasn’t a new post. You might have even cried at little. If that is the case I am truly, deeply sorry. But fear not! I have returned with a glorious new post and it’s a goody. This recipe is a favorite around my house, especially in the summer time. In fact, I just finished making it for the kiddo’s Teacher Appreciation Dessert Fest tomorrow. FYI, being the wife and daughter of a teacher I know how under-appreciated they are so don’t forget to tell the teachers in your life how important they are. Love to all you teachers out there! Mwah!

Anywho, this is an awesome dessert. And it’s ridiculously easy. I give you…

Chocolate Chip Banana Pudding

8 oz. sour cream (don’t freak out, I swear it’s divine and you don’t taste it)
8 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed
5 oz. package instant vanilla pudding
2 cups milk (whole works best but if you’re watching your waistline/it’s all you have in the house, any kind is fine)
2 packages of break and bake chocolate chip cookies (I prefer Tollhouse but I’m a cookie snob)*
3-4 bananas, peeled and sliced**

Bake cookies according to directions on the package.

In a large bowl combine sour cream, whipped topping, pudding mix, and milk. In the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan (or a trifle bowl or casserole dish or whatever you have handy) put a layer of cookies and bananas, then a layer of pudding mixture. Alternate until all ingredients have been used. I try really hard to have enough of my prettiest cookies to go on top. It makes for a very nice presentation.

*If you don’t have time to bake cookies you can just pick up a bag of Chips Ahoy and use them instead. But I wouldn’t because the fresh taste so much better. Trust me.

** Try brushing your sliced bananas with a little lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. They won’t taste lemon-y if you just use a little, I swear.

And there you have it! The world’s best and easiest banana pudding! And if you’re a dire hard traditional banana pudding lover you can substitute the chocolate chip cookies with vanilla wafers but where’s the fun in that? Oh and FYI, I don’t use all of the cookies. I bake them all, use the prettiest ones and eat the rest. And I highly recommend taking one (or all) of your fresh baked cookies and swirling them around in the bowl of leftover pudding mixture. Yummy!

And my hubby just told me I need to give credit where credit is due for my recipe (which I totally was going to do, btw). My mother discovered the sour cream banana pudding recipe a while ago and has been making it for years. Delicious! I got the idea of pairing it with chocolate chip cookies after a visit to Swallow at the Hollow in Roswell. It’s a magnificent BBQ place with live music and incredible food, which includes Chocolate Chip Banana Pudding. Now they make theirs from scratch, right down to the whipped cream, and it is marvelous! Make sure you go there if you’re ever in the area and I recommend ANYTHING on the menu.

Adios ya’ll!