Friday, July 4, 2008

Recipe: Banana Bread

I have loved Banana Nut Bread for as long as I can remember, and I have tried many variations of the recipe, but this one is still my favorite. It is an adaptation of a family recipe that I have modified enough that I am comfortable calling it my own. I have often substituted pecans for walnuts, but I prefer the walnuts. I give this to people for gifts, and they always rave over it. I often bake two loaves at a time. Enjoy!

Kathryn Estelle's Banana Bread

¾ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
¼ cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts

Peel bananas, break into pieces, and place in bowl of an electric stand mixer. Use mixer on low speed to mash bananas. To bananas, add sugar, canola oil, and eggs, and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix the flours, salt, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Add the walnuts to the batter, and fold them in gently by hand. Do not over mix the batter. Pour batter into a greased (I use canola oil spray.) 9 x 5 inch metal baking pan, and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before turning out bread onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Fiber Update

Since I finished knitting the feather-and-fan scarf, I haven't been able to motivate myself to knit anything, but I have several projects in mind. One is a Baby Surprise Jacket for my cousin's baby expected in October. Are you game, Happy Hands? I'm going to use the Cherry Tree Hill DK, I think.

I have been doing some crocheting. I made a washcloth for a friend's birthday gift, and I am working on a simple baby blanket. It is very basic, but I'm thinking of making the pattern available when I'm finished. It's the type of thing I was looking for when I was a beginning crocheter, and its the kind of mindless project I need for DVD viewing.