Recipe: Banana Bread

I don't know if any of you have figured this out yet, but I love to cook and bake. It relaxes me. I always feel calm when I am in the kitchen. Not to mention, it warms my heart to know that the people I cook and bake for love what I make - that's always a nice self esteem booster!

I thought I would take advantage of Hannaford's low price on Bananas this week and make some banana bread. I love banana bread especially for breakfast warmed with a smidgen of butter. I also have what I believe to be one of the greatest recipes for banana bread.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 large eggs

4 ripe bananas, mashed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk, well shaken

1  ripe banana, sliced

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray cooking spray on two (2) 9x5-inch loaf pans
   
2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the bananas and vanilla. Sift the flour together with the baking soda and salt and add to the banana mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. If you opt for the nuts, fold in the nuts.
   
3. Pour the batter into the loaf pans, place sliced banana in a row in the middle of the bread and bake for 55 minutes. Cool slightly in the pan before turning the loaves out onto wire racks to cool completely.