Knowing that it was going to be a fellowship lunch based on good, Southern cooking I decided to make one classic family recipe and one new recipe with deep country roots that I knew would be a crowd pleaser. Both of these recipes were very inexpensive, easy to prepare and they are both very good make-ahead dishes. I made my mom's macaroni salad and a banana pudding poke cake I saw on Pinterest.
Normally, my goal with church fellowships is to make something quick, affordable and delicious; so delicious in fact, that parishioners eat it all and we don't have to bring any home with us. However, with mom's macaroni salad recipe, I was silently hoping they wouldn't love it too much and I could have leftovers. Thankfully, there was a bounty of salads today - potato, quinoa/cornbread, black eyed pea and lima bean and regular veggie salads - so there's just enough for us to have with dinner.
Here's mom's idiot-proof recipe for delectable macaroni salad:
Ingredients:
1 box elbow macaroni (you can technically use any small pasta, but I like the elbows best)
1 small can evaporated milk (NOT SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK)
1 small jar pimentos, drained
1/2 of a small green pepper, finely diced
1/2 of a small white onion, finely diced
1 c mayonnaise (good Southern families only use Duke's)
3 T sugar
1 T white vinegar
Method:
Prepare macaroni according to package instructions (try for al dente, so as not to be too soft). Drain and cool 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients in another bowl. Pour "sauce" over macaroni, stir. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be made ahead up to 2+ days (I think it only gets better with time).
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I also signed up to bring a dessert. I scrounged through my Pinterest board "Recipes: To Try" and decided this was the perfect occasion for a banana pudding poke cake. This recipe was so simple, it didn't even include instructions, but rather a six-step infographic. All of the components of this cake are delicious alone and since it is a play on a Southern staple I assumed it would be equally tasty.
When we arrived at the hoedown, my dessert was whisked off and labeled for judging. Apparently we were having a dessert contest, just like you'd see at the fair.
I am proud to announce that I was the winner of the cake category and the best-in-show award, so you can now address me as Dessert Queen. There were four judges who tried over a dozen entries, so I'd say that is a pretty good testament to the flavor of this cake.
Here is the recipe for banana pudding poke cake:
Ingredients:
1 box moist yellow cake mix
ingredients listed on mix to make cake (mine were 3 eggs, 1/2 c oil, 1 c water)
2 boxes instant banana pudding
ingredients to make pudding pouches (mine needed 4 c milk)
1 container whipped cream, thawed
1/2 box Nilla wafers, crushed
Method:
Prepare cake according to box instructions. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon (or small, clean finger) poke holes in the cake about 2 inches apart (if your holes are too close the cake will collapse when cut).
Whisk pudding packets with milk and allow to stand for 2 minutes. Pour pudding over cake; spreading evenly. Place in refrigerator to cool completely (I did this the afternoon before our event and it got nice and soft, I think any more than 24 hours and it might get too mushy, but less time would be fine too your cake will be more firm).
Spread whipped cream over the pudding layer and top with wafer crumbles. Serve cold.
Note: this cake can be customized to so many other flavors - using a white cake, chocolate pudding, and Oreo crumbles etc.
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I am super pleased with these two recipes and of course, my new title. And yes, I have laminated my ribbons and hung them on the fridge.
Sincerely yours,
The Dessert Queen
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