Banana Bread, Prozac, Elavil or Paxil?

I’ve already discovered that sharing happy things on a blog is pretty darned fun. Well, THIS is certainly something that makes me pretty darned happy. Ok, more than happy. The kind of happy that’s misty eyed, replete and content. I know it will make you happy, too. And misty eyed, replete and content.

With Banana Bread, Who Needs Prozac, Elavil or Paxil?

4 over-ripe bananas, smashed lightly with a fork
1/3 cup melted butter (Yes, butter. Don’t substitute. That would be silly.)
1 cup sugar (In truth, I actually use a bit less – down to 3/4 cup if the bananas are nicely sweet.)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla (Don’t ever – EVER – use fake vanilla substitute. That wouldn’t be silly, that would be just plain criminal.)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1-1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup dried cranberries (I suppose you could use raisins, but they’re a bit sweet for me.) (optional)
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped coarsely (optional)

The really spiffy thing about this recipe is that you only need one (ONE!) bowl and no special equipment of any kind. WooHOO! You can also change the amounts of spices and optional ingredients. Don’t want nuts or cranberries? Leave ‘em out! If you’re a purist and don’t want the cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger, leave ‘em out! Add a jolt of orange zest or a tablespoon or orange juice or rum into the wet ingredients if you want. I prefer it as above, but (and if you read the chili recipe on October 23, 2006 you’ll know I’m repeating myself here) please yourself.

Here. I’m pasting a very gently edited snippet from the chili recipe below that I really want to make sure you believe:

“In life and in cooking, it’s important to use whatever quantities and combinations of ingredients that please you. Luckily we don’t all have a taste for the same things. Just keep trying cooking – and living – until you get both just the way you want them.”

So. Time for banana bread. You don’t need anything other than some measuring tools, a fork, a spoon, a bowl and a loaf pan for this dandy recipe. Oh. And an oven. If you can stir, you can make this yummy bread.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

With a wooden spoon, mix the melted butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Don’t mash the bananas into baby food – leave them a little bit chunky. The banana texture is lovely when the bread bakes. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla (and any other wet flavorings if you’re using them). Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and stir them in gently. If you’re adding the optional cranberries or nuts, toss them into the measurement of flour and coat them with the flour. The coating of flour around the fruit and nuts helps them suspend themselves nicely throughout the batter without sinking before the bread’s baked through.) Last, add the flour (along with those cute little raisins and/or nuts) into the bowl. Mix gently. Don’t stir it too much, or the texture won’t be as nice. Just incorporate the ingredients.

Pour the mixture into a 4x8 inch loaf pan sprayed with a cooking spray like “Pam” or “Pam for Baking.” (Ok. I don’t actually do this. I put that part in for you. I use my wonderful Pampered Chef loaf pan. It’s made of clay and is naturally non-stick and bakes the bread evenly and beautifully. If you want to know how to get one, email me and I’ll be happy to tell you.) Bake in the center of your preheated oven for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool the pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, and then gently take the bread out of the pan and let it cool it completely on a rack. I know the waiting is hard. Your home will smell wonderful and you’ll want to eat it right away. Don’t. It’ll crumble and fall apart. But when it’s cooled, you can slice it easily – and eat it all up.

Repeat as necessary. Of course you should check with your doc before you toss your Prozac, Elavil or Paxil into the trash heap, but I’m sure this banana bread will un-depress you. And has fewer side effects.

Go. Make this. Be happy. And full.