Mini Banana Breads

As a general rule, I prefer to cook than to bake.  I like the freedom of not having to measure everything that goes into a recipe as well as the opportunity for swapping ingredients or adding additional ingredients that are not part of the recipe but improve the flavour.  And eating too, I'll take a main course 99 times out of 100 over a dessert.  So you might be wondering why, for my first blog, I chose to bake something.  I have two words to answer that:  rotting bananas!  When the bananas are over, there is no choice but to bake something, am I right?
Of course, you can freeze them but up until this Christmas the only freezer I had was the one on top of my fridge and to say there was NO SPACE left in there was an understatement!  So even though I now have a great chest freezer in the basement (thanks to my Mom & Dad) I'm pretty much in the habit of baking when the bananas turn brown.
This is my Mom's, I swear, NO FAIL/PERFECT EVERY TIME banana bread.  Here is one more challenge for me for the blog:  I'm not a cook who prepares/measures all the ingredients in advance.  I stop when the next ingredient is called for, measure it out, add it and continue on.  For the pictures, I had to have everything ready at the start.  Luckily this recipe is so super simple, and only has 7 ingredients, it really was not too much work.
(Notice my silicone measuring spoons on the right hand side ... a gift from my sister Bonnie.  Luv them!)

Here is how it goes.  Preheat the oven to 350*F.  Cream together 1/3c to 1/2c shortening (I use margarine but my friend Marlene made it with oil and it turned out great - see:  no fail/perfect every time!), 2 eggs and 1c of white sugar.  Add 1 1/2c flour, 1tsp baking soda and 1/4tsp salt and mix well.  Stir in 2 to 3 mashed bananas (I used 3 because that's how many I had and it makes the mixture a little more moist and stronger banana flavour).

Pour/scoop mixture in greased and floured loaf pan.  For Christmas, I also got a FABULOUS mini loaf pan-pan from my sister Bonnie and I LUV it for the banana bread!  The mini banana breads are sooo cute!  And they are great for sharing too.  I forgot to grease and flour my mini loaf pan, but it is so fabulous (and this is a no fail recipe) it didn't even matter.  I knew the mini banana breads would turn out perfect.

 

The recipe calls for the loaf to be baked for one hour.  Because I was using the minis, I baked mine for about 35 minutes.  I could smell the delicious fragrance of the banana bread, I checked them with a toothpick which came out clean, they were nice and brown on the outside so I was sure they were done.  Here is how they look ... I mean seriously, HOW CUTE are they!  Also, notice my antique jars in the background that I use for canisters.  Fabulous!

In the time it took me to clean up the dishes and write this post, they were all ready to photograph.  Now just let them cool for a minute and then I'm going to eat one (or two).  They will also go for my breakfast this week and for sharing for dinner tonight with Bonnie and some friends at work:  Marlene and the other Bonnie.  The batter is moist and flavourful enough that you don't need butter -- but I've been known to add a bit anyway!

Here you get a good look at my Pampered Chef dinner plates which I got a year ago and absolutely love.  They are super cute too.

If you love banana bread as much as I do, you have to try this recipe.  It is so easy, and works every time.  Of course, you can add nuts or chocolate chips to the batter, if that is how you like your banana bread but for me ... I am a puritan.  Just good banana flavour, slightly crisp and chewy on the outside and moist on the inside.

If you try it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  Now rotting bananas are a yummy opportunity - not just taking up non-existent space in the freezer or worse yet, getting chucked in the green bin!

Welcome

Welcome to my "I Dream of Eating" blog, a space where I will share with you yummy food that I've eaten -- some of which I've prepared myself and some that I've eaten at restaurants or that others have made for me.  I've been cooking since I was a kid and when I was much younger I worked in a couple of restaurants as a prep and line cook.  I also cooked with my family growing up.  But then I drifted away from it for awhile - well professionally, at least.  I still cooked for friends and family but recently I feel more and more compelled to find a place where cooking and food figures more predominately in my life.  Hence the creation of this blog.
I will have 'guest' cooks from time to time and many of my friends are excited to contribute since they also 'dream of eating' yummy stuff as much as I do!
So welcome, enjoy!  And keep dreaming of eating ..!