Banana Bread

Bananas ... I love to have them on hand for a quick (and healthy) snack, but they go bad so quickly! Sometimes I'll freeze them for smoothies, other times ... banana bread! I grew up with this recipe and it's a family favorite. My mom would always add nuts to the mix, but as we have allergies in our family, we leave them out.

1/3 Cup Milk

1 tsp Lemon Juice

1/2 Cup Butter or Margarine

1 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 Cup Mashed Banana

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

2 Cups Flour

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Raw Sugar (for topping)

Combine the milk and lemon juice and set them aside (the milk will curdle). Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, mashed banana and milk. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle raw sugar across the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes. Also makes great banana muffins (bake for about 15 minutes).

The raw sugar topping of course is optional too, but for such a small addition, I think it really adds to both the appearance and the taste (and the calories of course, but if you're eating this, you're probably not TOO concerned with the extra calories, as this is NOT a low cal dish to start with). I love the banana bread toasted with a little more butter on it ... I do try to keep myself to one slice. The recipe is easily doubled (or tripled or quadrupled ... I just mash up my bananas to see how much I have and then go from there deciding on how big a batch to make). I do often have extra ... so if anyone local expresses an interest, I'll try to drop off a loaf next time I make a big batch *Ü*