Banana Bread

I do believe my family conspires against me when it comes to bananas. When I buy bananas, they have to be green just turning yellow. If I buy a small bunch, the kids gobble them up in two days and beg for more. If I buy a large bunch, the bananas sit and nobody touches them. If there are more than five black spots them, the kids will not eat them.

 Instead of letting the bananas go to waste, I freeze them with the peels on. Four bananas to a bag, will give the right amount for banana bread. When I am ready to bake bread, I remove the bag from the freezer. I defrost the bag by leaving it sit on the counter. If I am thinking ahead, I will defrost the bag in the refrigerator for three days. I have found I get the best banana flavor, doing it this way.  

The banana peels will be black and the fruit will be watery. This is what you want! I hold the banana by the top and squeeze out the fruit into the bag. Discard the peels; pour banana liquid directly into the recipe mixture when needed.

The recipe I use, the bread tends to go dark. There are times; I have thought I have burnt the bread. I have also found using real butter will make the bread darker. You can use margarine of your choice; I have found the brand I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, gives me the lightest color and would suggest using it.

If you are a fan of Starbucks Banana Bread, you will find this a close match. About five years ago, Starbucks gave out their banana bread recipe to customers. I made both for the family and they choose this recipe for the favorite.

You can top the bread with walnuts or shelled pumpkin seeds if you choose, before baking. If you like chocolate chips, dried cranberries or walnuts baked into your bread, I would suggest adding no more than a half cup.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup margarine

2 cups white sugar

2 cups mashed bananas – (four bananas)

4 eggs

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven 350°F

Prepare pan either by grease and flour,  if making muffins use paper cups

Combine sugar, margarine, eggs and bananas in large mixing bowl, until well blended

Stir in baking soda, and nutmeg

Add flour in ½ cup portions, until completely blended

Pour into prepared pans.

Bake:

2 Large loaf pans, 60-65 minutes

18 Muffins, 25 minutes

24 mini muffins, 15-17 minutes

4 mini loaf pans 40-45 minutes

Check for doneness, by checking with a wood tooth pick

Cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from pan.

Funny looking white carrot…

I decide the other night to try making parsnips. The parsnip is a root, that looks like a white carrot, and smells like a combination of carrots and either ginger or cardamom. 

Health wise, parsnips are a wonderful source of fiber. A half-cup serving will provide 13 grams of soluble fiber.  Soluble fibers are need for maintaining blood sugar levels and help reduce high cholesterol. A startling benefit of consuming parsnips is folic acid. Folic Acid is the vitamin B family and can help with certain types anemia. Please do not run out and take Folic Acid without consulting your doctor first.

Preparing parsnips is similar to carrots. After washing, use your vegetable or potato peeler and remove a thin layer. Trim both ends, and then slice in half-length wise. Unlike the carrot, the center of parsnips can be tough or woody. To me it was similar to chewing on sugar cane.

The recipe, I used said that parsnips can be woody and to remove that part. So you will not make the same mistake I did, I would suggest you core the parsnip. Slice each half again, and remove the center of the root. If you are using larger parsnips, the middle woody section will pull away on their own. Cut the remaining pieces into to 1 to 2 inch lengths.

Place your cut pieces into a medium pot of water; bring to a boil, until just soft. Drain water from pot and add ¼ cup of butter. Replace pot on low heat and cook about five minutes. You do not want brown or mushy parsnips. Salt and pepper to taste.

If I would have understood the woody term and how to fix it, I think the family would have enjoyed these. Instead… not such good reviews for the poor parsnip. This is what cooking is all about though, being creative, making mistakes and trying new things. Good Luck!