I love the smell of Banana Bread in the Morning


Good morning all,  I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.  Summer for my family is really fun, because cooking during the summer is a family Affaire.  Some of our favorite recipes come from the mystery writer Joanne Fluke.  Her recipes don't require a lot of ingredients, effort or time.  They always taste great and their fun to make.  A big plus, you have engaging stories and characters as well as recipes to enjoy.
You don't have to start from the beginning of the series either.  Any book in the series is good.  Todays recipe Banana Bread comes from her book  "The Sugar Cookie Murder".  Ah,  love that banana bread smell.  This book also has a lot of other recipes for any type of party you might be planning, so check it out.  Here's the recipe and enjoy.

                           3/4 cup softened butter (1 1/2 sticks)
                           1 1/2 cups white sugar (granulated)
                           2 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
                           1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (3 or 4 overripe bananas, the ones with the black spots)
                           2  cups flour (no need to shift)
                           1 teaspoon baking soda
                           1 teaspoon salt
                           1/2 cup buttermilk
                           1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Mix  the butter and sugar together until they're nice and fluffy.  Add the beaten eggs and stir it all up.

Peel and mash the bananas.  (You can do this with a fork, if they're ripe enough) Measure out  1 1/2 cups of mashed banana and add it to your mixing bowl.  Stir well.

In another bowl, measure out the flour and mix in the baking soda and salt.

Add half of the flour to your mixing bowl. Stir well. Add half of  the buttermilk (you don't have to be exact) and mix that in. Add the rest of the flour, stir well, and then mix the rest of the buttermilk. Stir thoroughly.

Mix in the nuts at this point, if you decide to use them.

Coat the inside of a loaf pan (the type you'd use for bread) with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon in the banana bread batterand bake at 350 degree F. for approximately one hour, or until a long toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack in the pan, loosen the edges after 20 minutes and turn the loaf out onto the wire rack.

Now your ready to enjoy your delicious Banana Bread.  Next time look for Frankie's World the Siamese who thinks he's a dog.