In a medium sauce pan, mix together milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
Mix everything until it is well combined, but do not add the vanilla.
Start heating the ingredients on medium heat while constantly stirring.
Bring everything to a boil, continue to let it boil for about 2 to 3 minutes or until it thickens.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Let the pudding cool if using as a ice cream topping.
If using the pudding as a dip, pour into a serving dish, cover, refrigerate until cooled and ready to serve.
Or if you are making a pie filling with this pudding, add the pudding to the pie crust, place in the refrigerator to cool and thicken, before serving.
But if enjoying just the pudding by itself, pour the warm pudding into dishes, place into the refrigerator to cool and serve with a dollop of whipped topping.
Enjoy!