Here is the home-made vanilla pudding recipe I kept forgetting to post! It's easy and delicious and you can use it in so many ways -- instead of whipped cream with strawberry shortcake, as a filler for cream puffs, cake frosting, as a classic dessert with cookies and sliced bananas, etc...
Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 well-beaten egg
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon butter
This takes some time -- because you don't want to cook it too hot/fast and scorch your pudding:
In saucepan, blend sugar, cornstarch, and salt; add milk. Cook and stir over medium heat 5 minutes, then add butter. Continue cooking until thickened (turn down heat if mixture starts to stick).
Remove from heat. Stir small amount of hot mixture into the beaten egg; return to hot mixture. Cook and stir 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Chill.
Enjoy!