Best Banana Pudding EVER!

You will be everyone's favorite person if you bring this to your next gathering, I promise!

Ingredients:
2 bags of Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies
6-8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding
1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, softened
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 ounce) container of Cool-Whip, thawed

Line the bottom of a 13x9 pan with 1 bag of cookies.  Layer bananas on top.
In a bowl, combine milk and pudding mix.  Blend together using a mixer until smooth.  In another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth.  Fold the cool-whip into the cream cheese mixture.  Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.  Pour over the bananas and cover with remaining bag of cookies.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Strawberry Pecan Pretzel Salad

I have always loved going to potluck dinners and eating the strawberry jello salad with the pretzel crust.  However, I tried to make it myself and it was a disaster both times.  When I came across this recipe on Pintrest, I knew I had to try it.  It looked so easy and fail-proof.  And since I'm putting in on this blog, that must mean it worked!

I did all the prep work the night before and then mixed it right before I served it.  It was fabulous!  I could've eaten the entire bowl!

The leftovers (if there are any) will last about one day in the fridge.  Much longer than that and the crunch stuff gets soggy and the juice from the strawberries makes it watery.  

• 1 cup pretzels, crushed
• ½ cup pecans, chopped
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup butter, melted
• 2 cups strawberries, diced
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 8 oz whipped topping

Instructions

1. Mix together crushed pretzels, chopped pecans, brown sugar and melted butter.
2. Spread in a pan and bake at 400 degrees for 7 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool and then break it into small pieces.
3. Beat together softened cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla.
4. Fold in whipped topping.
5. Before serving, stir the diced strawberries and sugared pretzels and pecans into the cream cheese mixture.