Here I go, typing up my first post and feeling not unlike a fool. I've been testing recipes, combing hundreds of food blogs to analyse what's out there and what I can learn, painstakingly designed this blog, and yet I find myself at a standstill.

I have no digital camera.

I've been researching them, and will make the big purchase this weekend, but until then I have no way to illustrate, well, anything. Kind of silly when you think about it. Who would follow a recipe without pictures, with no way to see what the finished product is supposed to look like? Absurd, I say, but this is what I propose to do:

I'm gonna publish the recipe anyway. I'm starting with my mother's famous banana bread. Simply put, it is divine. Not so aesthetically pleasing (think of your last loaf) so it won't suffer from lack of a look-see. Maybe someday I'll rerun the recipe and post pictures but until then, here it is, quick-bread fans!

Mary Lou's Banana Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening (I use butter-flavored Crisco)
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2/3 cup sour milk**
3 crushed bananas

Combine the first three ingredients in big mixing bowl with speed set on low until mixed well. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix again. Divide batter into two greased bread or loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees F. for 40-45 minutes. Test with toothpick for doneness.

**If you have no sour milk, you can make some by adding 2 teaspoons of vinegar into 2/3 cup of regular milk; stir and let set for a minute or two, then use.




This is the recipe I cut my baking teeth on. My mother's copy of this recipe contains nuts (chopped walnuts, I think) but since I hate walnuts, I have never included them. If your tastes run in that direction, please feel free to add them. I have used 3-4 bananas, depending on size, but the older the better, flavor-wise.

I hope you try this recipe soon. It's simple, it's fast, and a big crowd-pleaser at my husband's office! This banana bread is only one of a multitude of wonderful recipes I've gotten from my mother, and it's my pleasure to share it with you!