1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
2 heaping TBS. flour
1 1/2 cups milk
pinch of salt
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 box vanilla wafers
1 ripe banana

Combine sugar, flour, and salt in heavy pan.  Separate egg whites and place in a glass bowl.  Add egg yolks to sugar mixture.  Slowly stir in milk (I use 1/2 evaporated milk and 1/2 water) to make mixture smooth. Turn heat on medium/high, stirring constantly.  When it begins to thicken, turn heat down to low and continue stirring constantly until it thickens to right consistency.  Set aside to let cool.  Place the butter and vanilla on top of pudding while it's cooling. (That's the way my mother always did it!)  While butter is melting, make the meringue.

Line glass baking dish with vanilla wafers. Stir the pudding until butter and vanilla are mixed in good, then pour  half of pudding over the wafers. Thinly slice banana and place on top of pudding (I only use 1/2 of the banana).  Add a layer of vanilla wafers, then pour in rest of pudding.  Top with the meringue.  Line edges of baking dish with vanilla wafers.  I take crumbs from the bottom
of the wafer sack and sprinkle on top of meringue.  Bake at 400^o until meringue is lightly browned.
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Meringue:  turn mixer on high and mix until egg whites start to thicken.  Add 1 tsp. vanilla and about 1/2 cup sugar (more or less depending on how sweet you like it...I heap up the 1/2 cup so it's really sweet!).  Continue beating on high until egg whites are stiff.