Tittle Tales

Here lately, as one of my many sporadic hobbies, I’ve been exploring and trying to be creative in the kitchen. Bless my sweet family for being patient and for being great test subjects for all my new found recipes. Most of the meals have been successful and I will keep the winners in my weekly rotation. As for the flops, well we will just leave to the more professional and gifted in the culinary umbrella. Enough said about my failing attempts with certain unclear directions with those monstrous recipes. Ha!
So moving forward, I am very pleased to say one of my most favorite breakfast sides to cook, and turns out delightfully eatable, is Delta Grind Grits. I swung by the B.T.C. to pick up some items last week and among my bag of groceries was a bag of those grits. We make them for breakfast, but my kids and I eat them for lunch and dinner as well. My out of town family house guests have now requested the grits be mailed to them so they can have them to make. I have to say, they score huge points in my house and the recipe on the back of the bag is simple and brilliant. Thanks Delta Grind Grits for helping my kids really think I can cook.
The moment I tried these grits, this girl was hooked. I can’t bring myself to buy, much less eat, any other kind. One of my favorites among the innumerable perks that comes from living in this town is that I can get this delicacy locally. And, all the while supporting great hardworking friends and business owners who are pouring talent, time and hope back into this town’s economy.
Now, to all my readers, I have a request. It’s not a tall order, just a favor and I am pretty confident someone’s going to deliver exactly what I am looking for. I have some dear friends who live here in Water Valley who have helped me so much since my family and I have moved here that I would love to show my gratitude by making them a homemade banana pudding. Not just any banana pudding, I want to make them the best one I can find. So, I am asking for feedback from anyone who has an award winning, tried-and-true Mississippi banana pudding recipe that they think can beat any other recipe out there. Doesn’t matter how old or new it may be. If you have one, email it to me at Tittlema@aol.com and that pudding will be the winning gift for my sweet friends. They will appreciate it, as will I. If I use your recipe and if I have a success in the making, I will also let you know.  
The year and half I have lived in the great state of Mississippi I have noticed there are several identical recipes where the style of preparation and cooking differ from the way its done in the sunny state of Florida.
So, I could easily make a banana pudding from my recipe book (Floridian inspired), but I’m interested in making one that has history and roots from the hills of Water Valley or surrounding areas and see how they differ. So I need your help, readers, in my search for the perfect banana pudding recipe and don’t forget the directions for that fluffy meringue that tops this delicious dessert.