My mother in law is one of those magic bakers.  Cookies, brownies, basically sweets of all kinds, even those from a box come out HEAVENLY when they pass through her kitchen.  I can make exactly the same thing at my house and it will NOT taste the same.

But, since all of her from-scratch recipes are about 80 years old–even an impostor’s attempt is jam-up delicious.  I have them all in a handy notebook she printed off for me.  It’s like a book of solid gold, but since she lives ten houses down from me, I rarely cook them myself.  So you’ll never see her recipe perfection…unless I start taking a camera to Sunday dinner!

Mary Lou’s Banana Bread

1 cup sugar

2 overripe bananas, mashed

6T butter, softened

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp salt

2 T sour milk (add small amount of vinegar to sour)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups flour, all-purpose

1/2 c walnuts, chopped (optional)

  1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Grease loaf pans.
  2. Mix sugar, butter, egg and milk.
  3. Add mashed bananas.
  4. Add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Mix.  Add nuts.
  5. Pour batter into one large or two small loaf pans.
  6. Bake at 350 for one hour for a large pan, or 45 minutes for two small pans.