Hello Mlg (((hugs)))
God bless you this day.
It is interesting you asked about pudding, because my hubby and I just had a conversation about pudding this past week while making a vanilla pudding. We have tried many pudding recipes over the years, and we both agree that we like Jello brand pudding better than any of the "from scratch" recipes we've tried. Perhaps it's the childhood taste that is just difficult to replicate.
Anyway, in terms of banana pudding, we found that making a vanilla pudding and then adding sliced bananas was the way to go.
I'm reminded of the ole vanilla wafer with vanilla pudding dish. Here is a link to an example of that recipe which includes a "from scratch" pudding recipe. Just be sure to hold down the control key while you click on the link, so it will open an additional window.
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/ori ... ding-37000Additionally, and, even though it was not banana, I liked the chocolate eclair cake, that was really popular back in the 1970s. It was easy to make, and it had graham crackers, pudding and a thin chocolate topping, in a 9 x 12 dish. I think most of the recipes on the internet use instant pudding, but if you don't want to use instant, you could definitely substitute with home-cooked pudding -- whether jello brand or another recipe.
Wow, it seems I've only offered opinion and possibly compounded your dilemma.
But since I've had pudding a couple times over the last week, it was fresh on my mind.
In closing, hold your head up and keep pudding one foot in front of the other.
God bless and keep you.
Love,
Mack