The Joy of Simple Things

Tonight I am baking my favorite sort of baked good: banana bread. This used to be a much more regular occurrence in the Megan & Mandy Show, but many things have changed and not much is regular any longer.

I am excited, though, to share this offering with my friends and former colleagues as we gather tomorrow to celebrate the next steps of our lives. A few months ago, as I was preparing to leave the Office, I blogged about how thankful I was for all that these great people had been in my life. Tonight, I feel even more blessed to still be a part of that family (no matter how dysfunctional we can be).

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My favorite banana bread recipe:
(I'm not sure where this one really came from.)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 ripe bananas (2 cups mashed)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs (or 1 cup applesauce)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees; spray a regular-sized bread pan with baking spray
• Beat the butter until softened; add the bananas one at a time (if frozen, warm in microwave on low power so they do not re-harden the butter), stirring to incorporate smoothly.
• Add sugar and eggs; blend completely.
• Gradually add remaining ingredients, stirring to incorporate fully.
• Pour into bread pan; bake 50 minutes to 1 hour until bread is firm and lightly browned.

(For extra fun, stir in chocolate chips or nuts just before pouring into pan.)