I’ve never made banana splits before you guys, isn’t that ridiculous? We were watching a movie recently and, I don’t even remember which one it was now, but there was a scene in an old-fashioned diner. You know, classic Americana, 1950’s, juke boxes, poodle skirts…. you get the picture. In the scene they brought out this big and beautiful banana split and none of us could help wanting to dive into the screen at that point. I realized immediately that a banana split was lacking in my repertoire of recipes and I knew that I had to fix this major problem as soon as possible. I didn’t want to make just any banana splits though, they had to be epic and loaded with all the goods. There was a time when ice cream topped my list of favorite treats, actually it still might if I had to choose. Does anyone else go through food phases though? I went through this huge ice cream phase in my early teens where I just wanted it every night, and I pretty much did have it every night. I know, super healthy right? This was in between my Lucky Charms fling and my die-hard romance with trader joe’s frozen orange chicken, oh and their jojos! I used to eat way too many of those addictive things. Anyway, I wanted to make homemade ice cream for these banana splits on my agenda because a great ice cream recipe has been something I’ve struggled to create. Most of the problem is that I could really use a bigger ice cream maker. The one that I have works alright I guess, but the capacity is tiny, and um, if you could see how many ice cream lovers there are in my house you’d understand that it’s sort of a depressing uphill battle to even attempt keeping up with demand. #lifepriorities Okay, so I’m really excited to share this whole recipe with you, but especially the ice cream. I’ve already been making it so much because it’s been a huge hit with the gang. One of the best parts is that you can just make the same basic vanilla recipe and then decide what flavor you want it to be. For example, in this recipe you divide it three ways and add something different to each portion for your peanut butter, chocolate, and Reese’s cup flavors. It does take a little time from start to finish but it’s very simple to make. Oh, and of course if you want you can make it even easier and you can just choose one flavor to try. Also, then there is always the option to use store-bought ice cream if what you’re really wanting is just a quickie banana split. What you can’t get anywhere else though, is the fresh and hot caramelized bananas that are what this whole thing is about. These completed banana splits are maybe a little over the top even, but that’s why they are perfect for sharing and they’ll be sure to impress the guests and please just about any crowd. I’m thinking these need to be on the menu for the guy’s Superbowl night too. If you thought a basic banana split couldn't get better, you've got a huge (delicious) surprise coming your way!