Aunt Barbara's Banana Nut Bread

When you see these...

You know it's time for BANANA NUT BREAD!  I HEART banana nut bread!!

My Aunt Barbara's Banana Nut Bread is our famous family receipe that has been shared with many people, including Willie Nelson (who by the way, like it!)  Shhhh, don't tell my family that I'm sharing this with the world or they may just kick me out! {smile}

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)-melted

2 cups Flour

1 teaspoon Soda

2 Eggs

4 tablespoons Buttermilk (alt. receipe below)

1 teaspoon Vanilla

3 Bananas (very, very ripe)

1 cup Pecans - chopped

Combine sugar and butter in stand mixer.  Add eggs and beat well.  Smash the bananas and stir into mixture.  Add flour alternately with the buttermilk.  Lastly fold in the nuts.

Bake in a greases and floured bunt pan or 2 loaf pans for 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees.  Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan.

Buttermilk Substitute

Combine 1/2 cup milk with 1 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice.

I hope your family will enjoy this receipe just as much as we have over the years!  By the way, you can easily freeze all of half of this banana bread and it is wonderful when thawed for a treat later.

Buying in Bulk- The Do's and Don'ts

So I have memberships to Sam's Club and Costco and try to buy in bulk when it makes sense for our family but here are some things that you should not buy in bulk that I would have never know so I thought I would share!

Brown Rice

Many consumers assume brown rice to be a good, staple item to keep in the cupboard at all times. What they might not know is that brown rice has a short shelf life due to its oil content. If you plan to store something like brown rice, keep it in your refrigerator.

 

Nuts

Nuts can be pricey and are sometimes cheaper to buy in bulk, but before you put them in your pouch, remember that they'll only last one to two months. A high fat content forces them to expire quickly. If you're going to purchase a large quantity, buy roasted nuts since they last longer than raw ones.

Condiments

Unless you're eating ketchup and mayonaise at every meal or hosting a huge party in the near future, it's probably not worth your money to buy condiments in bulk. Plus, these items only last six months to a year.

Vitamins

Experiment with vitamins before you consider buying more than one bottle at a time. What if you have an unforseen reaction, or you simply become bored with that strawberry-flavored protein shake mix?

Bleach

Don't buy bleach in bulk unless you're using it all the time. The chemical product actually starts to degrade after six months.

Spices

Spices can lose their potency as quickly as six months after they are purchased. Unless you're cooking with spices frequently, it's best not to buy them in bulk.

Ice Cream

While you may be inclinded to buy big on this one just remember your freezer is only so big. Plus, ice cream is actually cheaper to buy individually, such as in half-gallons, in some stores.

Twice Baked Potatoes

One of my husband's FAVORITE things to eat is Twice Baked Potatoes....so I called my mother-in-law and this is her "famous" recipe!  I'm totally into freezing things to make dinner easier with my busy schedule and this totally fits the bill!  Did I mention how INEXPENSIVE this is?  I just bought a 10 lb. bag of baking potatoes at the grocery and I got 5 meals out of them: mashed potatoes at Easter, baked potatoes last night and I made 14 twice baked potatoes for sides!

Clean and dry the potatoes and bake them at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 - 2 hours on a baking sheet.  Don't speed up the cooking process by trying to microwave them as you want the skins to get a little crispy from the oven.  I turned them once through out the cooking process. Simply insert a knife into the center of one to find out if they are done.  They should be soft.

Cut the potatoes in half "hotdog" style for you elementary teachers or lengthwise.  Using a big spoon, hallow out the potato, reserving it in a bowl for later.  I left some of the potato around the skin just to get it a little more stability to use it as a bowl.

 Using a hand mixer, combine milk, butter, salt and pepper and potatoe in a bowl until whipped up to a soft mash consistency.

Next fill your potato skin boats with your mashed potato mixture.

Lastly top the potatoes with shredded cheese, gently pressing down to embed the cheese into the mashed potato mixture.

I put 4-6 potato boats in a freezer bag.  Put the freezer bags flat on a cooking tray into the freezer.  After they have frozen (1 day) I can then stack them in the deep freezer.

To serve, simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees.