Holiday Faves- Banana Pudding & 5 Cheese Mac ‘n’ Cheese

When we all come together over the holidays, there’s two things everyone knows will always be on the menu: 5 Cheese Mac ‘n’ Cheese, and Banana Pudding. This usually involves my mom screaming at everyone to get out of the kitchen so she can cook, but I’ve perfected both of these on my own time, so she was open to having me help this year

Dad had me cut bananas while he lined the pans with vanilla wafers.

We made 4 of these in 8x8 pans, so we needed 4 boxes of Jell-O vanilla pudding. This requires about 3 cups of milk per box, so 12 cups in all. There’s no substituting skim or non-fat milk. 2% the least. You need the consistency with this brand and the thickness. We didn’t need to put the pudding in the fridge either, which saved time. First step is to layer the bottom of the pan with vanilla wafers and then top it with banana slices. Do this until the pan is filled to the top. Mix the pudding and let it sit in the fridge if it’s too watery but you can usually just top the dish with it. I drop the pan a few times (or like 10 times) until the pudding gets into the cracks. When it’s finished and you take a scoop out, you want to make sure all of the wafers are coated with enough pudding so that they’re not still “cracker hard”. Top with whipped cream.

Top with whipped cream and let it sit in the fridge for at least 5 hours. I know it’s a long time to wait but trust me… it’s soooo worth it

We were all full beyond belief but every year we make space!
On to the next:

2lb box of elbow macaroni.

Mozzarella, blended cheese, feta, parmesan, and sharp white.

1 can sweetened condensed milk (if you want it a little sweeter, use two).

Mix one egg, one stick of butter and condensed milk along with one cup of 2% milk to the bowl and mix.

Add cheeses to bowl and combine (you can use fresh parmesan cheese or grated cheese).

When oiling pans, we use our fingers… southern style!!

Cover the pan for the first 20 minutes then remove for another 15-20 minutes and let it get a little brown on top. The length of time depends on the type of pan you’re using. Glass or clay dishes are best.

Ta-da!!!
We treated ourselves with holiday drinks. My sister’s boyfriend is a master drink maker so he did our Captain’s and Egg Nog drink, and we made vodka/raspberry Canada Dry as well. Gotta keep it goin!

Happy Holidays friends!! <3