When Life Is Driving You Bananas, Make Banana Bread

Now that I am no longer a graduate student and have had a couple of months to rest my mind from all that reading and writing, I have been contemplating re-entering the blogging world.  Not that I have too much exciting to say, but I did really enjoy reflecting and writing about my life contemplations and experiences.  So here we go… So much has happened, so I may have to do a bit of back tracking with my next post or two to really recount what is going on in our lives. 

So why is life driving me bananas, you ask? Well, because we were supposed to close on a house on Friday and in the 11^th hour we were asked for yet more documentation and that prevented it from happening.  It made for an angst and tear filled Friday, and it has taken both of us most of the weekend to snap out of our funk and frustration.  As I said, lots to fill you in on.  Here is the short version:  we decided to stay in Flagstaff and after a short-lived and horrible rental situation, we were presented with the opportunity to buy a house and it ended up making the most financial sense.  I know.  That makes no sense.

So, I will bring you up to speed on how our life decisions this past spring brought to this point in the next week or so.  But first, a tried and true recipe that worked at high altitude with minimal adjustments.  I reduced the amount of baking powder by about a ¼ teaspoon, but that is it.  I had to go back to Epicurious.com to look this one up as it is a Bon Appetit magazine recipe, and I wasn’t sure where I have a copy stashed.  It was published in 1998!  I have been making this same banana bread since then.  Cuhrazy!  Now I feel old. So, moving on.  I am too lazy for pictures today (it may also be because we are housesitting and would otherwise be homeless and I have no idea where my camera and cord is.  I told you we had lots to catch up on!)

Best Banana Bread Ever

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup of A.P. flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup ripe mashed bananas

½ cup whole milk (I used 2 %)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ c. solid vegetable shortening (I typically just use a stick of butter)

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (I have my weird textural thing about nuts in baked goods so I left these out)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9 1/4 x 5 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in medium bowl. In small bowl, mix mashed bananas, milk and vanilla. Using electric mixer, beat shortening (or butter) in large bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat banana mixture and flour mixture alternately into butter mixture in 2 additions each. Stir in pecans (if you so choose). Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Wrap tightly in foil and let stand at room temperature.)

Credit:  Bon Appetit, November 1998, Susan C. Samuel