Would you like Cheese with that Banana Bread?

I always remember seeing my mom do strange things with food. She would take a pan - heat to a high enough temperature to overcook anything that remotely touched it - open the fridge - take out three days worth of left-overs and proceed to smash it all together into something semi smouldering and worthy of a good ketchup dousing. In my memory, the food we ate at home was great (the left-overs that were fused into one were really delicious the first time around) - dad would always try new creations and my sister and I would always try and avoid the things we gagged on. It was a good balance. 


I feel like I took some of my dad's culinary genes away with me when I flew the coup. My chef husband believes that I have mastered the art of rich home style comfort food - and I bet the elastic waist on my "jeans" says he's telling no lies. Over that past few years baking has taken up the forefront in my kitchen escapades. I don't do anything fancy, I don't use magic or wizards, I just bake tasty delights. It soothes me to bake and eases the stress I accumulate from thinking about exercise. It caps off my day and makes my family leave me in peace for 30 minutes because they know I will deliver them something deliciously worth not harassing me for. 


All your dry ingredients go into a bowl. 1 and 3/4 cups flour, 3/4 cups sugar (brown or white or half and half - be crazy) 1 teaspoon baking powder, half a teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 of a teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Do the same for the wet. 2 eggs, 1/2 cup soft butter (or margarine), 2 or three of the nastiest smelly black bananas you can find - smoosh them up, if there happens to be any firmness left in them - and add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Put dry into wet. I threw in about half a cup of toasted walnuts because we had them sitting around - feel free to omit or replace with something more to your liking...like chocolate. 

Line a loaf tin with baking paper and crank your oven up to 185c. Dump your mix into the tin. I also added a crumble on top. My sister gave me this basic recipe and it is so delicious. You can easily use this on Carrot cake, Zucchini bread, muffins or even add in extra spices. Take 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup flour, 1/3 of a cup sugar, 1/2 a cup oats and mix it all together with your hands. Sprinkle it all across the top and cook the Banana Bread for 50 to 60 minutes.  

  This has to be one of my most memory inducing treats. Warmed up with a thin coat of margarine and a medium width slice of cheese - that's how my mom likes it - and I must admit, sometimes I follow in her strange food footsteps. (But maybe try it without the sweet crumble top coat first)