yummy summer recipes

well, since 4th of july is coming up, i thought i would share a couple "crowd favorites" that i have made & have become big hits (even demanded at family gatherings! ha!)

banana pudding
this california girl has learned to make this dish in true southern fashion! in fact, i have to take everyone else's words for it because i don't even like bananas!

ingredients:
3 cups milk
1 box instant banana cream pudding
1 box instant french vanilla pudding
1 box nilla wafers (i used the mini ones)
3-4 large bananas
8-oz package of cool whip

pour milk & pudding in large bowl. beat with whisk for 2 minutes or until well blended. let stand 5 minutes.

in a 13x9 in baking dish place a layer of nilla wafers on the bottom
slice up 1 & 1/2 to 2 bananas and layer on top of wafers
spread a layer of pudding over bananas
top with a layer of cool whip
repeat each layer one more time

let chill in fridge at least 2 hours. be sure to make enough for everyone, because it will be eaten up very quickly!!

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erica's potato salad
sorry, no pictures :( i never liked potato salad so one day a couple years ago i decided to make up my own. my husband went on & on about how good it was, and i even liked it (i'm picky)! i brought it to a family function and it was such a hit it's now a staple at every holiday & family get-together!

you can use as much or as little of everything as you want. i never measure anything, so this is really just a suggestion. eyeball it & taste it to make sure it works for you! this makes a lot!

ingredients:
8-10 small red potatos
8 eggs
6 chicken boullion cubes
3 bulbs green onions
8-10 klassen sandwich sliced pickles (this is just my preference- i'm a pickle snob & the sandwich sliced ones are much easier to dice)
1 & 1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup mustard
1/3 cup ranch
seasoned salt
pepper
cajun seasoning

dice up potatoes and place in large pot (with peels still on), along with eggs & chicken boullion cubes. cover generously with water and place on burner set to high. bring to boil. once water is boiling turn burner to low and let sit for 30-35 minutes.

while waiting chop up green onions and dice pickles. place in large bowl with boiled potatoes. peel and dice up eggs (most of the time they peel easily for me, sometimes they don't. i have no secret to wonderfully peeling boiled eggs ha!) i just use a fork to dice the eggs because we don't have an egg slicer. place eggs in bowl.

add mayo, mustard, ranch, and seasonings. stir until everything is well coated. make sure to taste test and then add more mayo/mustard/seasoning to your preference. serves best cold so chill in fridge for several hours (or best overnight) before serving.

that's it! both are pretty simple, yet big hits regardless! i'm a fan of those kind of recipes! let me know if you make either of these and how they work out for you!!