Recipe of the "Week"

Well, I didn't think it was possible, & it happened completely by accident. I wish I could say that I had some part in it, that I was ingenious enough to improve on an already wonderful thing, but that would be a lie. Nope, it all happened simply because I didn't have the right kind of flour & because I cracked open a double-yolked egg. And because my bananas were super-duper disgustingly ripe. Thus was born. . .

Best Ever Banana Nut Bread Made Even Better

(I've got to think of a shorter title)

Dry Ingredients:

-1 3/4 c. self-rising flour
-1 1/2 c. sugar
-1/4 tsp. cinnamon
-1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Wet Ingredients:

-3 super-duper disgustingly ripe bananas, mashed

-1/2 c. oil (I used coconut oil & loooooved it! Just a hint if you do this, too: get your milk & eggs to room temperature or the coconut oil will solidify on you. Not fun.)

-1 tsp. vanilla

-1 c. buttermilk (I make sour milk with lemon juice & milk)

-3 eggs

-1 c. walnuts, coarsely chopped (not "wet", I know, but it still goes here)

Directions:

-Thoroughly sift together dry ingredients in large bowl & make a well in the center.

-Combine bananas & wet ingredients (minus walnuts) in medium bowl.

-Add banana mixture to the dry ingredients & mix together thoroughly.

-Fold in walnuts.

-Line 9"x5" loaf pan* with foil & spray with cooking spray.

-Pour batter into loaf pan & sprinkle with Streusel-Nut Topping (optional, but highly recommended).

-Bake @ 325 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown & a fork comes out clean when inserted in the center. (This will largely depend on your oven. If it needs to bake longer, cover with foil to prevent burning.)

Streusel-Nut Topping

-Combine 1/4 c. brown sugar & 3 T flour. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in 2 T butter (not too soft) until coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/3 c. chopped walnuts. (You'll need one recipe of this topping for the bread & another for the muffins.)

*This honestly makes too much batter for the loaf pan. It fits initially, but as it's baking, it will overflow. Trust me; learn from my mistakes. So, I pour the batter into the foiled/sprayed loaf pan, & then dip out ladle-full amounts to pour into sprayed muffin pans. Just fill 6 muffin cups ~ 2/3 full; this is perfect for preventing loaf pan overflow. Sprinkle with streusel-nut topping as well. Bake them along with the bread for 15-20 minutes (depending on your oven). And how do the muffins come out? Moist, fall-apart, eat-with-a-fork fabulous! See?!

Recipe of the "Week"

Before I met & married the love of my life, pretty much the only thing I knew how to cook was frozen dinners. Cooking for one is just not all that fun to me. Then, Michael came along, & all of a sudden, I had a passion for cooking! There are very few things that thrill me more than hearing my sweet husband "ooh" & "ahh" over something I've fixed while his eyes roll back in his head in delight. In a spirit of sharing the love, I've decided to include a "Recipe of the Week" segment here on our blog. Hopefully, our favorite recipes will become some of y'all's favorite recipes, complete with the adoring utterances & eye-rolling rapture. Now, if you've kept up with our blog, you know that we don't actually update this thing every week. So, this might actually turn into more of a "Recipe of the Month" venture. Okay, without further ado, I present to y'all our inaugural recipe. . .

Best Ever Banana Nut Bread

Dry Ingredients:

-1 3/4 c. flour
-1 1/2 c. sugar
-1/4 tsp. cinnamon
-1/8 tsp. nutmeg
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. salt

Wet Ingredients:

-3 ripe bananas, mashed
-1/2 c. oil
-1 tsp. vanilla
-1 c. buttermilk (I make sour milk with lemon juice & milk)
-2 eggs
-1 c. walnuts, coarsely chopped (not "wet", I know, but it still goes here)

Directions:

-Thoroughly sift together dry ingredients in a large bowl & make a well in the center.
-Combine bananas & wet ingredients (minus walnuts) in a medium bowl.
-Add banana mixture to the dry ingredients & mix together thoroughly.
-Fold in walnuts.
-Line a 9"x5" loaf pan with foil & spray with cooking spray.
-Pour batter into loaf pan & sprinkle with Streusel-Nut Topping (optional).
-Bake @ 325 degrees for 1 hour, then cover with foil to prevent burning & cook an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown & a fork comes out clean when inserted into the center.

Streusel-Nut Topping

-Combine 1/4 c. brown sugar & 3 T flour in a small bowl. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in 2 T butter (not too soft) until coarse crumbs form. Stir in 1/3 c. chopped walnuts.

*Of course, it's wonderful warmed up, with a little butter & a tall glass of cold milk.  I hope y'all enjoy it as much as we do!