5 minutes/3 bananas/1 loaf of goodness

The brown bananas in the fruit basket kept looking at me forlornly as I walked past them in the kitchen. They knew they were overripe and that not one person in the house would eat them. They knew they were destined for the trash can. But I fooled them.

On a recent trip to visit my godmother, she had bananas that needed tending. I offered to make banana bread, but told her I had lost my recipe. The same recipe I have been using since high school. The same recipe I used to make while living with her in college, that her youngest son used to absolutely love. The same recipe that she managed to miraculously produce! And with that she saved the day, and the bananas, and my cherished recipe.

So I put my bananas to use and turned them from this:



To this:



And the bread was gone within 24 hours. Not surprising. It is moist and delicious, and pairs exceptionally well with walnuts, if you have some in your pantry. So, if you have 5 minutes and 3 bananas, why not give it a whirl?

Banana Bread

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
½ cup margarine or butter
3 bananas, mashed (about 1+ cup)
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9x5” loaf pan.

In large bowl, mix first 5 ingredients, then ct in the shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles course crumbs (a potato masher works well for this, too)/ With fork stir in mashed bananas and beaten eggs, just until blended. Spread batter into a pan.

Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour until toothpick comes out clea. Cool for 10 minutes on a rack, then remove from pan