Banana Bread

My red and white Better Homes New Cookbook is my go-to cookbook when I am looking for a basic recipe. I'd never made banana bread from scratch before, and I went hunting for an easy, fast recipe. I found it and everyone loved it.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed bananas (2 to 3 medium bananas)
1/3 cup butter, margarine or shortening (I used butter)
2 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
1/4 cups chopped nuts (optional, I don't use nuts. I did use chocolate chips though.)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


In a large mixer bowl combine one cup of the flour, the sugar, the baking powder, the baking soda and salt.

Add mashed bananas, butter, and milk.

Beat with electric mixer on low speed til blended then on high speed for 2 minutes.

Add eggs and remaining flour, beat til blended.

Stir in nuts.

Pour batter into greased 8x4x2 inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack, then remove from pan, cool thoroughly on a wire rack.  Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf (16 servings.)

Grandma Grello's Pineapple Zucchini Bread

Every summer we wait for our garden to produce zucchini so that we can make Grandma's bread. It's great as is, or grilled. You can add fill-ins of your choice: nuts, raisins, currants or chocolate chips. This makes two 9x5 loaves; one to eat, one to freeze. You'll need more than one zucchini usually, depending on the size.

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 small can well-drained crushed pineapple
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg

other fill-ins of your choice

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl with wooden spoon.
Pour into two greased 9x5 loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until done.

Quick and Easy Beer Bread

I used to purchase a boxed mix of Beer Bread from Tastefully Simple, that I loved. You poured the mix into a bowl, added a can of beer and mixed. Pour butter on top and bake. The bread was delicious but the mix was almost $10.00  Recently though, I learned that you can make beer bread from scratch almost the exact same way, but very inexpensively.  Here's the recipe I found online at: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Beer-Bread-73440. 


Ingredients:

3 cups of self rising flour sifted (they say in the recipe the sifting is very important)
1/4 cup sugar
one 12 ounce can or bottle of beer
1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix dry ingredients together.

Add bottle of beer. Mix. Batter will be lumpy.

Pour into greased loaf pan.

Pour melted butter on top.

Bake one hour and then cool 15 minutes.

*** If you are NOT using self rising flour, add the following ingredients to the dry mixture:

3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt

Enjoy!

Homemade Corn Bread

This is just as fast as a boxed mix but so much better and less expensive also.

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup yellow, blue or white cornmeal (I've only used yellow.)
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar (I use four)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix together dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl mix together oil, milk and eggs.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix til batter is smooth. Do not overbeat.

Pour into a greased 9x9x2 baking dish (I used 11x7.) 

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm with butter.