By Margaret's surgery went well. Linda called Wednesday, her voice lighter than it's been in three weeks, to say the pathology was clean — they got clean margins and the lymph nodes were clear. The prognosis went from favorable to excellent. She said: She's going to be fine. I said: Good. Margaret's going to be fine and you're going to be all right. She said: I know. But it helps to have someone say it.
She'd received the box I sent. She said Margaret had eaten the elk jerky in two days and asked where to get more. I said I'd send another bag in October after elk season. She said Margaret asked if I was a real person or someone Linda had invented. I said I was fairly real. She said she'd tell her that.
The spring is fully on. Lilacs at the fence are blooming — they bloom for two weeks in May and the smell reaches the kitchen in the mornings when the window is open. There's no perfume that belongs to a place the way lilacs belong to this yard. Colleen's mother planted them in the 1950s and they've bloomed every May since then, regardless. They would bloom without anyone living here. They would bloom if the house burned down. That kind of persistence is worth noticing.
Made a strawberry rhubarb pie from the first rhubarb and the frozen strawberries from last summer — the fresh strawberries aren't ready yet, won't be for another three weeks. The frozen berries are a reasonable stand-in and the pie was good and Mom approved it, which is the right standard for a rhubarb pie in this house. She said the balance was right. That's all you need to hear.
The pie was for the house — for Mom, for the rhubarb that came up whether or not anyone tended it, for the kind of continuity that lilacs represent. But this pudding was for the phone call. When Linda said she’s going to be fine and I heard her voice go light again, I wanted something that felt like that — easy and bright and requiring nothing more from anyone than a spoon. Strawberry banana pudding is that kind of dessert. It asks nothing of you and gives back more than it should.
Strawberry Banana Pudding
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 2 hr 20 min (includes chilling) | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 boxes (3.4 oz each) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 3 cups whole milk, cold
- 1 cup sour cream
- 8 oz whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), divided
- 1 box (11 oz) vanilla wafer cookies
- 3 medium bananas, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons sugar (if using unsweetened frozen strawberries)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Macerate the strawberries. If using frozen strawberries, toss sliced berries with 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl and let sit 10 minutes until they release their juice. Fresh berries can go in as-is.
- Make the pudding base. In a large bowl, whisk together the instant pudding mix and cold milk for 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth and well combined.
- Fold in whipped topping. Gently fold in 2 cups of the whipped topping, reserving the rest for the top layer. Do not overmix — keep it light.
- Layer the dish. In a 9x13-inch dish or a deep trifle bowl, arrange a single layer of vanilla wafers across the bottom. Top with half the banana slices, then half the strawberries, then half the pudding mixture. Repeat layers: wafers, bananas, strawberries, pudding.
- Top and chill. Spread the reserved whipped topping over the final pudding layer. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. The wafers will soften into the pudding as it chills — that’s exactly what you want.
- Finish and serve. Just before serving, garnish with a few fresh strawberry slices and banana rounds if desired. Scoop into bowls and serve cold.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 61g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 390mg