Basic Banana Bread

In case anyone doesn't have an easy recipe for banana bread, I thought I would share mine here. Unfortunately I don't know where I got it from. This version is scribbled in red ink on a page torn from a notebook in my handwriting. Judging by the other notes scribbled on the paper, it looks like someone gave it to me over the phone when I was working out of state.

1/3  cup shortening
1/2  cup sugar
2 eggs
1  3/4  cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2  tsp baking soda
1/2  tsp salt
1 cup mashed bananas

Two large bananas will generally produce 1 cup of banana mush. This is an area of the recipe that seems flexible. When I doubled the recipe yesterday, I used five bananas, because I had five that were too far gone to eat. It was more than two cups, and it came out fine. Last time I made the recipe, the two bananas I had one hand were small and it mashed up to less than 1 cup. Tastes good either way.


In a large bowl, cream the sugar and shortening, then add the eggs.

Stir remaining dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.




Grease pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Alternatively add dry ingredients, then bananas, to sugar/egg mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes.


I actually cooked it for closer to an hour yesterday, but I have long suspected this oven of running low. Usually I just boost the temp a little higher, but I forgot yesterday. Basically it's done when the batter is set and the bread is golden brown. My favorite way to eat this banana bread is warm, with butter. Apply thin pats of butter and microwave for 30 seconds. So good... it's almost like a dessert, banana cake maybe.


Today we went grocery shopping. When we got home, I made macaroni and cheese to pack for my lunches for the rest of the week. When I was doing field work and needed packable lunches, I got in the habit of making a big batch of something like pasta salad or tabouli on the weekends, and then eating the same thing for lunch all week. Mac & cheese is definitely not field food, as it's best hot, but with this cold weather and the stress of my first week, I'm going for comfort food.

Speaking of work, I have to go fill out a stack of paperwork that came along with the official job offer. It's just basic standard new hire stuff, the I-9, W-4s, and health insurance enrollment forms. I'm not thrilled to be doing this on my time, but I figure they wouldn't have mailed it to me if they didn't want me to do it ahead of time. Sigh. Nothing like waiting until the last minute.