Wednesday 3 October 2012

Easy Banana Bread!



Yum!   


 What do you do with all those over ripe bananas? I usually make up a batch of my yummy homemade granola (March 11, 2012 blog) or when I had children living at home, I made banana bread. The kids would come running through the door after school to a house filled with the aroma of this delicious banana bread. They would gobble down a couple of slices, and off they would go to play in the back yard. I have several versions of this recipe............mostly changing the type of nut. Feel free to use any nut or none at all!! In the Winter, I add pecans or even chocolate chips, for a heavier feel. I like all types of nuts, so each time I make it, it is different, depending on the flavor profile I am looking for or what I have on hand.



 JJ's Banana Bread

1 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 C mashed bananas
1 C sugar
1/2  melted butter
3/4 c.  macadamia nuts, rough chopped




Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

I just love my first KitchenAid mixer, my son, TT bought for me for Mother's Day, years ago. I think of him every time I use it. Heart warming.........
                                                          
Look at this 63 year old Kitchenaide mixer. Notice how the handle is on the top and no handle on the bowl. My Mother had a similar model that she used everyday.




This 1940's magazine ad for the KitchenAid Stand Mixer extols the wonders of this "Electric Maid": "It mixes... mashes... beats... whips... strains... sieves... grinds... shreds... chops... slices."


  In another bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar, and butter.  Add egg mixture to flour mixture and process on low speed.  Then add the nuts.





  Spoon batter into buttered pans.  Bake for about 45-50 min.







I love to serve on pretty platters, and I am always on the look out for new ones!! My belief........if you run out of space in the kitchen cabinet, you can slip a platter, under the sofa!! It is protected and out of sight!! We eat with our eyes!!

"No matter how modest the meal, create a special place to sit down together....... mealtime is a time for empathy and generosity, a time to enjoy our meal and communicate." 

When I was raising my children, we always sat down together at the table for dinner. It was always something the children could depend on, no matter what activities they would have. Wee Bear and I still do that...........it is calming, a time to reflect on our day.
                               ~~~ 
 Wee Bear and I are back in Seattle from our 17 days of fun in New York and on a cruise from New York to Montreal. I promised to share a video I made while on board. This was the result of a 5 session class I took on board the Crystal Symphony. I had taken one class and this was our assignment. It is meant to be a trailer to a upcoming movie, but, is merely a exercise for me. I also made a movie which can be found on YouTube, just type in, Ed's Birthday cruise, by Joan Messenger. I hope you get a chuckle out of it, both Wee Bear and I had so much fun filming it! Just click on the arrow and see JJ Productions first trailer! Turn up your volume and enjoy!

Cheers!
JJ







1 comment:

  1. if thanks for the recipe Aunt Joan! coming from a restaurant family I have tried a lot of different foods and a lot of recipes. Grandma would have been proud of this one. She loved banana bread. I also found this recipe was easy to play with. I made a bunch of it, so I could freeze it. It does freeze well. As Any good cook would, I tried adding dark brown sugar instead of regular sugar, a little vanilla and walnuts. It was really good too, if you want to try a little different flavor

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