Toasted Banana Pudding

Toasted Banana Pudding
Dorcas Annette Walker

Every time my mother made toast we made sure to be in the kitchen. The object that kept us enthralled was a tall thin metal appliance. When plugged in a conveyer belt would start to move. My mother would put a slice of bread at the opening and inch by inch the bread would enter the tunnel-like entrance. As soon as one slice of bread disappeared, she would put another slice at the opening until it looked like a train of bread moving through a tunnel. What was even more captivating was the tiny glass window about the size of a quarter in the middle on either side of the toaster where one could see the bread as it slowly moved through the toaster. We would take turns catching the toasted slice of bread waiting until the last second before it began to fall. It wasn’t until my high school years that I discovered that nobody else had a toaster like ours. Whenever I’d invite a friend home with me they always wanted to make toast sitting spellbound besides my mother’s toaster watching as slice after slice of bread got toasted. Today it is rare to find a toaster like my mother’s even at an antique store.

People have toasted bread since the Romans era over an open fire with a simple metal frame or long-handled fork. The word toast comes from the Latin word, “tostum”, which means scorching or burning. The first electric toaster was invented in 1893 in Great Britain. In 1909 the first American toaster only toasted one side of the bread at a time. In 1913 the Copeman toaster was patented, which automatically turned the bread. Then during World War I, Charles Strite, tired of the burnt toast served in the company cafeteria invented a pop-up toaster. The first fully automatic pop-up toaster was invented in 1926 by Toastmaster one-A-one and was considered a prized wedding gift. When the first pre-sliced bread when on sale in 1928, toaster sales skyrocketed by 1933.

Toaster facts:

- In Norway, every other Tuesday, people gather and pay homage to the almighty god “Tohstre”.
- An estimated 75 million Americans eat toast every day.
- The average person spends 35 hours a year making toast.
- Toasters are the subject of a 2005 Kaiser Chiefs song.
- Toasters cause 95% of deaths in children under 5.

My Toasted Banana Pudding captures the last days of summer with its light texture and mild banana taste. Preparation time for my Toasted Banana Pudding is thirty minutes (not counting cooling time) and this recipe serves fourteen.

Toasted Banana Pudding

1 baked angel food cake
4 bananas
2 (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
2 c milk
2 c plain yogurt
cool whip

Cut up the angel food cake into inch-size pieces, spread on a large tray, and bake at 350º for 15 minutes; turning every five minutes with a large spatula. Spread toasted cubes in a 9 x 13 dish, slice bananas, and layer on top. Mix up pudding as directed and add yogurt. Pour over bananas and stir until everything is covered. Refrigerate for a couple of hours until firm. Garnish with cool whip and serve!

Weekly tip: A toaster uses almost half the energy as an oven; energy is wasted if a toaster is left unplugged after use!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com