“It is in the shelter of each other that people live.” – Irish Proverb
NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It’s my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian ‘Quote Cup’ passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, along with an update and photos of what has been going on in our lives. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!
We awoke to snow on the ground last week and our granddaughter and I played a guessing game of how long it would take to melt… she guessed pretty close. (it was gone before noon) I took the opportunity to do a puzzle I got for Christmas… an exquisite Wentworth wooden puzzle with weird and wonderfully shaped puzzle pieces. Looking out at our view, I feel so blessed that we don’t feel confined even during this #stayathome time… we even get to smile as we watch duck butts tipping up as they eat their breakfast!
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
This week some of the bananas we bought a couple weeks were over-ripening, and when a StarTribune article had the headline “A loaf of banana bread delivers a bit of calm” I knew I had to bake banana bread this week. Thanks to Rick Nelson for sharing this recipe based on one from his late mother-in-law. Check out his article at StarTribune.com for more ideas for additions and substitutions as well as more stress-relieving recipes.
CATHERINE DAVID’S BANANA BREAD
- 1 3/4 cup flour, plus extra for pan
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus extra for pan
- 1/3 cup pack brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- Optional 1/4 cup unflavored yogurt, sour cream or buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2-3 bananas)
- 1/2 cup chopped and toasted walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter the bottom and sides of a 5 x 9 x 3-inch loaf pan, then dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and reserve.
In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in thirds, alternating with mashed bananas and beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing only until just combined. Fold in walnuts.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until nicely browned and a tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out fairly clean, about 55-60 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.