A Caramel Freak's Caramel Pie

I came across a can of sweetened, condensed milk in the pantry today.  It transported me back to the old days when my mother would make Caramel Pie.

She made the filling by putting an unopened can of sweetened, condensed milk into a pot of water and BOILING IT over low heat for 3 hours.

Wow.  I have no idea why those cans didn't just explode.  Talk about dangerous!!

But I love that pie.  It's my absolute favorite and I want to make it for Christmas.  Scouring the internet, however, didn't lead me to a safer way to make it other than standing over the stove, stirring constantly for hours.  Who has time for that??

I figure since Mom did it for years (and so, apparently, does everybody else), I'll give it a go.  DH says it's OK if I blow up the kitchen; it's remodel time anyway. (I wish he weren't kidding!)

Here's the recipe:

Eagle Brand Caramel Pie

Yield: 8 Servings

• 1 can Eagle Brand sweetened, condensed milk (lowfat?  I don't know why not)
• 1 graham cracker crust or pastry shell
• sliced bananas and/or nuts and/or chocolate chips and/or coconut and/or whatever you like
• Whipped cream, Dream Whip, or Cool Whip (I beg you, don't use Cool Whip. It's an insult!)

Remove label from the can. Place UNOPENED can in saucepan and cover with water. Place lid on saucepan; boil over low heat for 3 hours, adding hot water as needed to keep the can covered. Remove can and LET COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE OPENING. (Note: Milk can be boiled the day before and placed in the refrigerator overnight to save time. You will need to place the milk into a bowl and stir to spreading consistency.)

Place layer of bananas and/or whatever in bottom of crust; spread with a layer of caramelized milk and then a layer of whipped cream, Dream Whip or Cool Whip. You can make this multi-layered if you like.

Garnish top with banana slices or whatever you like (coconut is good). Refrigerate a couple of hours before serving.