Banana Nut Bread a Slice of Paradise

The perfume of Banana Bread floats on the air throughout the house as it bakes in my toaster oven. It smells so crazy-good, I could almost swoon!

That heavenly scent brings a promise of good things to come! I am making an adaptation of Julia's Best Banana Bread found on Julia's stand on a palm covered island in the Caribbean. This sweet bread recipe is so good, people travel for miles just to buy it! My rendition removes a few unnecessary calories and adds the heady, exotic flavor of black walnuts!

This bread will only get better as the flavors mellow in the fridge!

When it comes to Banana Nut Bread, simple is better. I start with farm-fresh eggs, pure cane sugar, 3 small, ripe bananas, and a healthy vegetable oil (my choice is grapeseed ~ it's loaded with vitamin E and is a light oil). This is my small way of sending Will off with a tasty and nutritious snack for his 2 hour drive from the Denver Airport to Sterling CO.

It's difficult when Will is away on business trips. Last week he was gone Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. That gave us 2 days together, and then off to Sterling, CO for 4 more days. Today Sterling was in the 70's. Tonight the wind picks up, thunderstorms are expected, turning to sleet and by early morning . . . a full blown BLIZZARD!

Now I usually wouldn't worry about bad weather, after all, we lived in Michigan for the first 30 years of our lives and know how to drive in icy, snowy weather . . . The problem is Will decided he didn't need to take a winter coat (it would take up too much room in his carry-on bag!) All he has is an LL Bean rain coat, oh, and a pair of gloves! No hat or boots or winter coat, oh no, and the wind chill at 7:00am tomorrow morning is supposed to be -2 degrees Ferinheit, with slick icy roads, hard packed snow and snow drifts!

Normally Will goes prepared but "this guy thing" about only taking a carry-on bag to save time at the airport, just might have to be rethought! (I'll let you know if he ever makes it to the call center).

BANANA NUT BREAD

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 3/4 cup unbleached flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cups cane sugar

1 cup mashed, ripe bananas - about 2 large or 3 small

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup black walnuts, optional

 

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Coat a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
• Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Whisk eggs, sugar, bananas, and oil in a large bowl until smooth.
• Add ingredients to banana mixture and stir just until combined.
• Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Bake until tester inserted in center of bread comes out clean, 60-70 minutes (I covered the top with foil about 50 minutes into the baking time, to prevent over browning).
• Cool bread on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes.
• Run a knife about the inside of pan to release the bread.
• Turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
• Double wrap and store in the refrigerator.

This is my favorite way to eat bananas . . . Every bite bursting with flavor . . . just add butter!

Our weather here today was very windy, hiding our mountain most of the day. Lots of small branches, leaves, and green peaches blown on the ground. With all this wind comes a couple days in the 70's! Quite a change from the 90's! Will try to get my new herbs planted tomorrow, as well as, some zucchini.

In a month I'll be busy picking and preserving berries, peaches, and apricots. There's always something to keeps us busy . . . Over at Julie's!!!

 

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