BoomerGirl Diary

It's cold outside. I look out of my kitchen window and watch big fluffy flakes of snow covering the pasture in a soft white blanket. I am just finishing my warm cup of hot chocolate when my husband walks in, kisses my cheek and asks, "Is that banana nut bread I smell?" ... Ok, I am dreaming.

What actually happened was, It was snowy, icy and plain yucky outside. I thought banana nut bread sounded delicious. I'm on my way home from church and stop to buy the ingredients I don't have on hand.

I jump out of the truck, slip on a sheet of ice. Down I go, in all my glory. Arms flailing, one leg somehow ends up around my neck and the other is somewhere behind my back.

As graciously as I can, I untangle myself and hurry into the store wondering if I will be on "America's Funniest Home Videos" sometime in the near future. It honestly would have been funny if it had been someone else all decked out in her Sunday best ... but it wasn't.

On to the recipe:

This banana nut bread took me several years to find and perfect. It is the fresh from the oven goodness that you are imagining when you think of banana nut bread. Try it!

Banana nut bread

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 mashed ripe bananas (average size)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter, sugar, add bananas, eggs and vanilla. In a cup, mix the milk and lemon juice, stir together. Add to the creamed mixture. In a separate bowl, sift together, flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with creamed mixture. Stir well then stir in nuts. Bake for 1 hour or until bread tests done with toothpick. When it comes out of the oven, run margarine stick over the top. Sprinkle top of bread with sugar, if desired. Let cool a few minutes (10 or so) in pan on wire rack. Run a butter knife along edge to loosen bread from pan.

Makes 1 large loaf.

I hope you enjoy this "fresh from the farm" bread as much as I did ... even with a bummed up knee.