Mom's Best Banana Bread & Back Yard Birds

This morning the temperature gauge outside the little window over my kitchen sink reads a meager nineteen degrees. A little snow snuck in over night. The painted yellow handmade cedar birdhouse that hangs from a tree in our back yard appears empty. It's too cold for me to run out there and peek in to see if a birdy has taken up residence right now. Perhaps, there's a 'flighty' family that has moved in. We've had that bird house for a lot of years and I know of at least two birds that have called that little house home.

I sell my banana bread at the farm sometimes, but usually that is something that gets gobbled up by my family before it even hits the shelves. I make the mini loaves and package them individually. If I don't get them tucked into their bags before the kids get home from school I can forget about any potential profit from that labor.

It's a simple recipe but if you like banana bread give it a try.

Mom's Best Banana Bread

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 c melted butter
1 c sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 1/2 C flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease large loaf or an eight count mini loaf pan. Mix butter into mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in sugar, egg and vanilla. Sprinkle in baking soda and salt over the mixture. Add flour last and mix in gently. If you use the large pans bake for approx. 55 minutes. The smaller loaf pans require less time, approximately 35minutes.

Later this afternoon, I might just drop a few banana bread crumbs at the edge of the entrance to the backyard birdhouse to invite a new 'family' in.