At the beginning of summer, I had invited my friend over for a brunch. Because planning ahead is a personal forte, I made the menu days in advance and set out grocery shopping. I especially wanted to make banana bread, so I made sure I had all the ingredients on the recipe card from my grandma that I found in my mom’s cookbook.
Upon gathering the ingredients to get started baking, I realized I had forgotten the shortening. With my parents out of town, I started to panic as I am not good with these mess-up-to-fix-with-different-ingredient kitchen professionals. So I just went to the computer. I figured someone else had been in the same situation. I was right.
I found this banana bread recipe on Simply Recipes (http://simplyrecipes.com). It is quite simple: no shortening, no problem! You just replace it with butter instead. 🙂 I also added in some blueberries to the batch and once in the pan, I sprinkled (in very gracious quantity) nutmeg and cinnamon spices on the top before placing it in the oven. Simply DELICIOUS!
I just made another batch last night as I wanted it for a fast breakfast on the go, because Mom and I set out in the very early morning today for Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati for my MRI. Last night’s cooking experience was NOT as easy as the first time, due to the increased numbness and weakness in my hands; But the finished product was totally worth the huge mess I made in the kitchen otherwise. 🙂
Banana Bread
Prep time: 5 minutes (Not in my timing, but just what the recipe says, LOL)
Cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- *Blueberries: approx. 1 cup
- *Optional: 1/4 Tsp Cinnamon; 1/8 Tsp Nutmeg; 1/4 cup crushed Walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt (*and optional ingredients) over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. *Add in blueberries last. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. *Add cinnamon and nutmeg on top if desired. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
I mentioned to my interpreter this morning that I had baked this and she gave me the idea to serve with cream cheese. We just so happen to have whipped cream cheese in the refrigerator at the moment–I think I will try that on my next piece. 😀 Enjoy!
*I added in the blueberries and optional ingredients myself. It is not part of the original recipe:
My Life with NF2 
There is no recipe that a stick of butter or a pound of bacon can’t make better.
Butter does seem to do the trick! I still have a box of the “already cooked bacon” from the recipe I posted last week. Now I am thinking that should be eaten.:) Yum!
Hmmm! I’m not a banana fan. Wonder what it would be like with applesauce and blueberries???? Proud of you making it work without shortening.
Well, with the blueberries in the bread I sometimes can’t make out the banana flavor. LOL. I read when looking up how to replace shortening that you can with applesauce too (instead of butter.) 🙂
We have some apple butter right now too. Yet another way to try a piece! I feel like I am the only one at home eating this. 😉
That could be a problem for me:)
I am going to a friend’s tomorrow…so I just wrapped up the rest of the bread–will no longer be my problem. 😀
Smart girl:)
Oh wow!! This sounds amazingly delicious!! I’ll have to try this recipe and definitely add all the extra ingredients cause I’m sure that makes a world of a difference…. I made banana bread the other day from the same recipe you were using and thank goodness I did have shortening, otherwise I would have been panicking too!! LOL:) Much love ~ Meegs