Going Bananas

The Winter That Will Not End is driving me to BAKE! On Saturday I made cookies AND banana bread - and my kids don't even eat banana bread -- at least they liked the cookies. And I am eating low carb in the hope of fitting my summer clothes, so what the....????

Raining Slush Balls I just wanted the comfort, and a warm oven emitting fabulous baking aromas was the ticket! I am way beyond tired of the damp, cold, bleak and barren landscape - not to mention dirty roads, dirty boots and a dirty car with smudgy windows.

I described going out in the freezing rain feeling like "a million miniature drunks pelting me with margaritas"! In short, NOT fun, and bad hair to boot! If only they really were margaritas, I would've opened my mouth up and waited for the brain stone to hit.

Pam's Bleak Day Banana Bread

Ingredients: 2 cups mashed, ripe bananas (about 4 bananas 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup canola oil 2 large eggs 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 - 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 tsp. butter

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together mashed bananas, eggs, oil, salt and vanilla; beating until frothy. Stir in the sugar. Dump in the chocolate chips, flour, soda and baking powder and stir just to combine. Grease a glass loaf pan with the butter, and spoon the batter into the pan. Bake for approximately one hour. If the loaf begins to brown too quickly and the center is still not set, reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake an additional 15-20 minutes -- the variation in time depends on the amount and moistness of the bananas used. Allow loaf to sit for 10 minutes after removing it from the oven; invert the pan to release the loaf. Delicious warm with a bit of butter - diets be damned!