Recipe # 1: Banana Bread

I was bored this afternoon, and boredom tends to lead to baking for me. Mike and I had a couple scary-ripe bananas, so I thought about banana bread. It took a little bit of hunting for recipe that only needed 2 bananas, but I tracked one down.

Originally this recipe had no vanilla or cinnamon, but I added a little of each after reading some comments. Other suggestions included a tablespoon of buttermilk or canola oil for more moisture, but I found that leaving both out still left me with a great, moist loaf.

The comments also suggested only 50 minutes in the oven, but I upped it to just over an hour. I'm not sure if that's because of the high altitude or just my oven, but keep an open mind on timing. It could vary.

So this is my first official post! I hope you all enjoy! It's really easy and delicious!

Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup margarine
* 1 egg
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 cup mashed bananas
* 5 tablespoons milk
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

2. In a large bowl, cream sugar and margarine. Beat the egg slightly, and mix into the creamed mixture with the vanilla and bananas. Mix in sifted ingredients until just combined. Stir in milk and nuts. Spread batter into one greased and floured 9x5 inch loaf pan.

3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until top is brown and cracks along the top, about 60 minutes.