Banana Fana Fo Fana Bread

This has been a super rainy weekend, here in Northern Indiana. For some reason, every time it rains, I feel the need to bake something.

Does anyone else do that?

I guess it's not only rainy days, because I probably triple my baking time in the winter.

Yeah, didn't you know? Winter + Snow = Toll House Cookies

Simple math people. Simple math.

Well, yesterday wasn't a cookie day, but it was a banana bread day. I love the way it makes the house smell!!

FYI If they make it as a Yankee Candle scent, it's probably going to taste and smell AWESOME!

The banana bread recipe that I've used for years, is in a cookbook my Grandma gave me in 1987, called Alpha-Bakery Children's Cookbook.

There's a recipe for each letter of the alphabet in it.:-)

I follow the recipe to the T, except I sprinkle a little cinnamon on top. (Sometimes I even stir some in.) And I don't usually add nuts.   

3/4 cup of sugar

1 1/2 cups ripe mashed bananas (about 3 1/2 large bananas) Don't use ones that are still a little green, because they aren't sweet enough.

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup nuts (If you like)

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat your oven to 350

2. Grease your loaf pan with shortening. 

3. Mix sugar, bananas, oil, and eggs in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pan.

4. Bake for 60 to 70 min., making sure the center is clean, when poked with a wooden pick or knife.

5. Let cool for about 10 min. then loosen sides of loaf from pan, and remove.

I've always found that when you wrap it up in plastic wrap while its still warm, it stays moist for days.

Although this time I won't have to worry about that, because we're already down to our last slice! Yummy!

After it was done, my husband requested some icing to drizzle on top. (I'd never tried it like that, but decided to humor him just the same.) And to my surprise, it was actually pretty good! It kind of makes it taste like a cinnamon roll.

I just used your basic icing recipe. Mix 1 cup confectioner's sugar, 1 1/2 tbs milk, and 1tsp vanilla until smooth. EasyPeasy. The icing will make it quite rich though, so grab some milk!:-)

It was good, but I'm more of a purest when it comes to banana bread, and think it's perfectly prefect, just the way it is. (My husband likes sugar, with a side of sugar.)LOL

HAPPY BAKING!!