Beautifulicious Banana Bread

A friend of mine went to Walmart the other day with a craving for bananas.  No, they don't drag their knuckles when they walk.  Now, my friend is not what you would call a power shopper, especially for fruits and vegetables.  But, the tickler sign saying $15.60 for 40 pounds of bananas got their attention.  "What a deal!" they thought.  At $0.39 per pound, it was just too good to pass up.

It cracked me up when they told me a couple of weeks later that they had to throw half of them away because they turned black.

Ickey-yickey!

They admitted that their stomach was doing their thinking when they were shopping.  But, seriously, we have all had bananas turn black on us before we could scarf them down.

As I was gently laughing with my friend, I told them how I never had to throw blackened bananas away.  "Really?" my friend asked in an unbelieving tone.  "Straight-up," I said.

There are a lot of things you can do with bananas.  (Checking this place out will make you think you are the Forrest Gump of Bananas: 100 Banana Uses).  I can save them for when I am ready to use them by putting them in a Ziploc bag and freeze them if and when they do turn black.

My favorite thing to do with bananas I don't outright eat is to make Banana Bread.  When you have 4 frozen bananas, just thaw them out and make a loaf of Banana Bread.  Freeze a bunch of bananas and you can make a bunch of Banana Bread.

I have been using the same Banana Bread recipe for over 35 years.  It's in a homemade recipe book my sister made for me. I put it in a folder so that recipes can be added to it. This recipe has been in our family forever and I wonder how many bananas have been saved and enjoyed because of it!  Here is the recipe:  

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
4 overripe bananas

(I use self-rising flour, therefore I never use salt and soda)

Here are the ingredients:

Thaw out the bananas if they were frozen.  Then, mash the bananas in a bowl.  Don't forget that four bananas make a loaf.  And with a little music or imagination, you can do the mash banana while you do, just swing your hips as you mash (insert "banana" for "potato" and click this link to do the latest dance craze as you cook, The Mash Banana!!!!!:>):

In another bowl, cream shortening and sugar, and add eggs and beat and mix well

Then, sift flour, salt and soda and bananas and mix well:

You can see that I am using my hand mixer, but you could use a stand mixer as well.  By the way, Amazon has a hand mixer you can get for under $9.00 and a hand & stand combo mixer, normally $32.49, that can be had for under $20.00.

Pour the well-mixed batter into a well-greased, floured loaf pan

Place on the center over rack and bake in 350-degree oven for one hour.

It is ready when the loaves are golden brown.  You can also stick a toothpick or a small knife in it, and if it comes out without batter sticking to it, it is ready.

If you are using the smaller loaf pans pictured, they only need 20-30 minutes to bake in 350-degree oven.

They're all ready.  That wonderful banana smell makes me want to lick my lips.

Now that is Beautifulicious!!!!!!!!

Optional ideas: You may put walnuts or pecans in the batter. Also you can put butter on top of the bread after baking and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar. Another idea is to spread a layer of butter cream or cream cheese icing after it has cooled. Some like to spread cream cheese on a slice of the bread. I like it warm with butter (Whatever your tastes prefer). The sky is the limit!!

My two daughters and my daughter-in-law love Banana Bread and they know many loaves have been baked in our home by me or them. It has been a joke with them through the years. "Mom would you be sure and save us some?" The little loaves are just a fun thing to pass around! Yes, I do always try and save them some.

Banana bread loaves freeze really well. And it's a great thing to pull out and defrost if you find out at the last minute that company is on their way. Just put on a pot of coffee and they will think you have been baking all afternoon! 

You can also make the small loaves and make a little basket to give to a friend for a birthday, give to a shut in, a neighbor or if you have a relative or friend stop in and you just want to give them a treat. It's a very nice way to show a little bit of tender love and kindness!! Enjoy!!

I love the wonderful memories these recipes bring to mind. Let me know how how you liked the recipe if you try it, and of course share any new twists and ideas you have about this or other recipes.  I'd love to try yours too!

Momma's Chocolate Chip Cookies

TLC-Mothers and Daughters:

Momma's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nothing says loving like something from the oven!  Mmmmm!

 

Mmmm! School was out and I could hardly wait to get home! I knew my Mom would have some kind of after school snack just waiting for my sister and me! Without fail we would walk through the back door and there would be the aroma of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, or some kind of yummy treat just waiting for our arrival!
 
I loved coming home after school! Not just for the cookies or the wonderful snacks, but I knew our Mom was waiting for us! And she was always so happy when we got home! She would have her starched and ironed dress on, and she always wore a very pretty apron when she was in the kitchen! She was full of all kinds of domestic traits and qualities, and our home was always warm and beautiful for the entire family to come home to. Mom was, and still is quite an extremely talented lady! The talent, love and homemaking she poured into our lives are things I want to share with you.

I wasn't that old when Momma began to teach me how to cook, and I loved it! I would make popcorn balls. No, not with microwave popcorn, but the real popcorn you cook on top of the stove and shake the pan until it stops popping, then pour it into a big plastic bowl and cook the syrup on top the stove. When the syrup was done, I would pour it over the popcorn, wait for it to cool, and start rolling those caramel popcorn balls! I could hardly wait for it to cool, and I burned my hands more than once. I got so excited to get them done and put on wax paper. I can taste them to this day! Oh, what a treat!

I liked making the sweets the best, although we learned how to make many things. In the evenings my Mom taught piano and organ lessons in our home. That was always the perfect time to get in the kitchen and get something going, and my Dad loved the surprises as well. I know brownies were always a big hit in the evenings. While I didn't bake every night, the whole family enjoyed it so much when I did!

One thing about our family was we loved being together! We ate supper every night at 5 o'clock without fail! Dinner would be on the table. Favored menus that I'll share with you later included entrees of fried chicken, pork chops, 7-layer dinner, pot roast, chicken and dumplings, or spaghetti, and we had all the trimmings!

We all sat down and ate together, something that is rare for families to do these days.  Our house prayed and ate dinner together. People get so busy sometimes; they just don't make the time to get together. That’s right; we made time to get together! It would have been very easy to simply put a T.V. tray in front of the T.V. every night and never socialize.
Eating dinner together became a very important part of your day! We talked about what went on during the day, and I always remember it being such an enjoyable time. If anyone had a new joke, a great story, or just wanted to talk about their day, that's what we did! It was one of the best parts of the day for our entire family!

I am a southern cook (how could you ever guess, huh?), and my kids were raised on the same recipes my Momma shared with me. Those homemade pizzas were so yummy, and everyone decorated their own! It is so thrilling to me now, as I see our children take the time to make meals together, a special time of the day!

Well I could go on and on about those great times in the kitchen with my Momma. I will share with you more in depth later how she made as many things as I can remember.  For today, however, I'll close with a favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe I hope you enjoy with your family.  Feel free to download it and share it with those you care about.

Momma’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

 

Mix thoroughly by hand in a large mixing bowl:
  -2/3 cup shortening (do not melt)
  -1/2 cup of sugar
  -1/2 cup of brown sugar
  -1 egg
  -1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together and blend in:
  -1 1/2 cups of flour
  -1/2 tsp. baking soda
  -1/2tsp salt

Stir in:
  -1/2 cup chocolate chips

 

 

Use a teaspoon to drop the mixture in dollops (sized to your desire) about two inches apart on an un-greased baking sheet.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until slightly brown (cookies should still be soft).

Cool slightly before removing from pan.

Yield: about three dozen