Giving Banana Bread

You know those bags and packages of stuff in the freezer that need to be either eaten, used in something or thrown away? We all have them in varying degrees….or at least everyone I know does. Well, I have been trying to work on getting some of the older things in the freezer out of there. While I was going through the freezer compartment on top of the frig, I found a couple of quart size freezer bags with bananas in them. I had seen them before and kept pushing them to the back. This time I decided time was up. So I made banana bread.

When we buy bananas, which is seldom, we rarely get them all eaten before the last few get too ripe. So I peel them and put them in a freezer bag. They make great banana bread. I just keep adding to the bag until it is full, then start on another one.

Well, I thawed these 2 bags out and gues-stimated it was enough for a double batch. The regular recipe calls for:

3 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. butter (this time I used olive oil)
1 1/4 c. sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 c. chopped nuts

Cream (mix very well) butter (or oil), sugar and eggs with mashed bananas. I mash them with a potato masher. It works great. Add the dry ingredients and nuts. Mix well.

Grease your loaf pans. I am blessed with a hodge-podge collection of small to medium sized loaf pans that I received when one of my great aunts passed away. She was quite a cook. I think of her each time I use them. I like to use these pans because it makes it easy to give these small loaves away. I took most of them to church and gave them to the older folks in the congregation. It was great fun.

Only fill the pans about 1/3 or about 2 inches deep, otherwise they have to bake too long and get too brown before the insides are done. Bake at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes. Check them before the time is up. A toothpick should come out clean. 

Then go out and share the wealth of your bounty and blessings. That is what banana bread is for at our house. And it tastes good, too.

 Until next time – Fern