BANANA NUT BREAD



     Today we are going to make some thing for your coffee.  In the morning at breakfast, you will not be running out the door, but stopping to enjoy what life has given you.  Now tonight, you are going to be glad you found Charles Kenneth's Corner.  Above us I thought it was appropriate to show the beautiful banana tree in our back yard, because we are going to make bread.  not just any bread but a real treat.  We are going to have a simple recipe for, Banana Nut Bread .  Here in Fountain Inn S. C. we have pecan trees, but 50 years ago they were every where.  Still at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I sit and crack nuts.  I learned from my father, that if you crack them, you can eat them.  Growing up around here you get peaches, and pecans from a place like this.

   

     Today, we get them from the grocery store, in a bag already cracked.  No wonder families don't spend time together.  I loved sitting around cracking nuts, and getting up to change the channel on the TV.  Kids today don't know what it's like to take turns cranking the churn to get ice cream.  My dad was smart, or mean one.  He always cranked the ice cream first while it was easy, then he gave it to me to crank.  That was the best peach ice cream I have ever eaten.  Back to baking bread.  For banana bread, we need banana's that are about, but not quit, old banana's.  New banana's don't make good bread.  A good banana has brown freckles, lots of freckles, like a red headed kid.  Now we  don't want it completely brown and mush.

     Here we go, you need again buttermilk in the south you got to have buttermilk.  Before we get started make sure you have vanilla extract and eggs.  As many times before no vanilla, but we got the eggs.  So many times you will think you are all ready, but some one ate the egg, or used the sugar for the tea.  OK, all set.  Get a bowl, a fork, three bananas, and start smashing.  Then get out your mixing bowl and mixer, we're going to have a Betty Crocker moment in the kitchen.  Take some flour and with your fingers put some on your face and shirt.  Only a little here and there to make it look like you are working hard.  Put a cup and a quarter sugar and a half a cup of softened margarine, and blend, adding two eggs until smooth.  (softened margarine, is a stick of margarine left out on the counter)  Now, would be a good time to pre-heat the oven to about 350 degrees.  Add your smashed up bananas and half a cup of buttermilk blend all together and vanilla extract if you got it.  I don't so yours will taste better than mine.  Stir in two and a half cups of flour very well.  Then and only then spoon in a cup of chopped pecans, or you can use walnuts.  Take a loaf pan and spray, vegetable spray, or Crisco the bottom.  Pour in your batter, and put in oven for one hour and fifteen minutes.
The hardest part to me is waiting for it to come out of the oven.  If you noticed, we have used two pans.  You can pour it into one pan it will be shaped like a loaf.  Poured into two, it's more like brownies.  Start smelling the bananas and bread cooking it is getting close.  Put on some coffee. 
Now, what made Gran ma's so much better, she took a straw out of her broom in the kitchen.  Today we use a tooth pick.  Stick tooth pick into bread, if nothing sticks to it and the tooth pick comes out clean it is done.  If the tooth pick comes out with batter stuck to it, put it back in oven for five minutes, and check again.