Love Being in the Kitchen

I love being in the kitchen and this reminds me why.  It's quite different with a three year old and three month old but bringing them in with me to share in the preparation can be a beautiful thing.  The silent part is near impossible but being with them is amazing.

Banana Bread

Of all the things my Grandmother left behind, the love of baking and cooking and her recipe books are some that I cherish the most.  I have binders stuffed with her recipe collection, most hand written, as well as a few cookbooks.

Banana bread is definitely a Fall favorite.  My Mom makes it every Christmas.  Now I make it every time we have old mushy bananas.  Grandmother also taught me never let anything go to waste!

Here is her recipe:

2 cups sugar
1 cup of shortening
6 well-ripened bananas, mashed
4 well-beaten whole eggs
2 cups and 4 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup of chopped nuts, walnuts, pecans or roasted almonds -optional (I don't do this)

Grease two loaf pans.
Cream together sugar and shortening.
Add bananas and eggs, one at a time.
Combine dry ingredients, sift and add to mixture.
Stir in 1 cup of chopped nuts, optional.
Pour into loaf pans and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
If you use glass pans, bake one hour at 350 degrees.

Do not underbake.

Her words of advice: Let your bananas ripen until they have black skins.  If you use yellow or green bananas, you may lose the flavoring.

You can also freeze the black bananas (in a plastic bag) and add some sugar from the recipe to them as they are thawing out.