Homemade Pudding...perfect for Shortcake or Trifle!

 Summer is here!
The berries are on and with the abundance of strawberries, raspberries and other yummy fruits, we have a longing to enjoy Shortcake, or some kind of trifle. 

I come from a family of amazing cooks!

I connect in particular with my Grandma Ruth. 

(My dad's mom died shortly before I turned nine,
after a short, but, courageous battle with lung cancer...
She had NEVER smoked a day in her life!
(here to read more about this)

 My grandpa married a year later, 
bringing this wonderful woman Ruth into our family).

My Grandma Ruth made everything from scratch and I always loved her homemade pudding.  
I grew up in a home where we just opened a box,
dumped in milk,
shook the mixture in a quart jar and that was pudding
and so it really made an impression on me that you could take basic ingredients,
boil them together and that made the yummiest pudding I had ever tasted.

So, what do you think happened this past week, when our neighbor knocked on our door with a giant ice cream bucket full of the most ripe and juicy strawberries from their garden?!?
My hubby asked if we would make up an Angel Food Cake and enjoy it with our strawberries.  

(I cheated and used a "box" to make up the cake, only because I didn't want to sacrifice 12 eggs to make the cake entirely from scratch).

I do have to admit, that Angel Food Cake 
made from a box, tastes pretty darn delicious 
AND 
I have a very special spot in my heart for it, as this was my sweet sister Kandee's VERY favorite cake. Nearly every birthday she celebrated, we always had Angel Food Cake, made with love from a box!  It's so sad that she is no longer with us. I miss her dearly and it's almost been 10 years since she's been gone.
SORRY... 
I digress... now back to my post. 

Ethan thought he had died and gone to heaven!  

This was the first time he can remember 
ever eating Angel Food Cake.  

Here is the recipe for homemade Vanilla Pudding, 
that is from my sweet Grandma Ruth. 
I'm SO glad I can continue 
sharing her recipes with my own family!

Basic Vanilla Pudding
3 ½ cups milk
2 beaten eggs
¼ cup unbleached flour
¼ cup cornstarch
½ cup white sugar
Big handful of brown sugar
Combine all ingredients together and cook on stove until mixture boils and thickens.
Remove from heat and 

add in 2 teaspoons vanilla 

and 2 Tablespoons butter

Stir until well combined.
Cover top of pudding with plastic wrap and let cool 

(the plastic wrap keeps the pudding from getting a film on the top).
 

For Trifle...
Layer the following:
Cake, Pudding, Berries (do this twice)
Top with whipped cream, a strawberry and a small slice of cake... Voila!   
You have a yummy dessert that is fit to serve to a king!

PS...This is also a great filling for cream puffs or anything where you need pudding.   
You can also add sliced bananas and put in a cooked pie crust, top it with whipped cream and have “Banana Cream Pie”.

Enjoy a delicious 
summer-time indulgence today!!