I'm back...with banana bread!

Not sure where the time has gone...2 weeks since I last posted? How did that happen? The good news is that the creative spirit is alive and well around here. I've been knitting, and sewing, and baking, all of which you will see more of in coming days. And we've been doing a major purge around the house! Most of the big baby equipment/furniture is gone, and hubby and I have been sorting paperwork that for the most part should have been shredded years ago! (Side note: by the end of this process we may need a new shredder!)

But since you, dear reader, probably don't read this blog to hear about our paper pile-up and craigslist adventures, I bring you a "taste" of what we've been enjoying lately: banana bread! Today is sunny and over 60 degrees out, but we have had our share of cool and rainy days, dreary afternoons that scream for warm baked goods.  Banana bread is comfort food at its finest...good for breakfast, snack, dessert...so it doesn't last long around here! 

This recipe was my mom-mom's, and I have no idea where she got it--from her mother, a magazine or newspaper, or a friend.  But it is irreplacable.

 Banana Bread

makes one regular sized loaf

I

1. Cream together 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup butter or margarine, beat until light, 

2. Add 1 egg, and 2 mashed bananas (extra ripe ones, you know, the brown yucky-looking ones left on your counter that everyone has been avoiding). 

3. In a separate bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp baking soda. 

4. In a measuring cup mix 3 T. milk with a little lemon juice or vinegar (about 1/4 tsp) to make sour milk. You can also use buttermilk, but honestly, its just not something I ever have on hand, so I stick with the sour milk.

5. Add dry mixture and sour milk to banana mixture in several portions, alternating between the flour and the milk. 

6. Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, if desired and your kids will eat them!

7. Grease a standard loaf pan (cooking spray is fine). Bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean and bread is golden brown and delicious looking.

8. Try to wait for it to cool a little before eating...but not too much. I love it with a little butter, but it's pretty good plain too. 

Hope you enjoy!

Note: after completing this post, I realized I have blogged about my Mom-Mom's banana bread before...obviously it is a rainy day tradition around here! This time you get the recipe.