I love banana bread. Who doesn't? Is there a better smell than banana bread baking in the oven? And I am going to share with you today the most WONDERFUL banana bread recipe ever. I'm not kidding. I get compliments on this bread from every single person I've ever baked the bread for. And not like "Oh, you're so nice to bring banana bread," type comments, more like "This is the best banana bread ever!" comments.
When I graduated college, I moved in with my best friend since 3rd grade. Although we had a rocky start (I was basically a little punk who didn't want to be nice to the new girl) we overcame that unfortunate incident and eventually became best friends! We were inseparable through grade school and high school, and went our separate ways in college, her to TAMU and me to TCU. I was so blessed to have her as a friend during those ridiculously trying high school times...who knows where we would have been with out each other!!
Think that's the end of the story, right? I mean, classic story, BFF when we were young and then never seen again. Nope, not here! We graduated from college and after her year teaching out of the country, I convinced her to move up to Fort Worth so we could live together! Yes, the time apart changed us, the Lord had grown us in different ways, and every friendship has bumps in the road, it definitely hasn't been perfect, but living together in our young adult years was soooooooo wonderful. A huge huge blessing. I mean, who doesn't want someone you feel completely comfortable with walking through some strangely awkward years with you? We forged through the church singles group together, met our husbands while living together...and watched each other marry the Godly men we fell in love with. What a blessing to walk for so many years with someone who sees all of imperfections and walks with you anyways.
She got married first and moved out (albeit, just a block down the street) and I'm sure you know, any time there's any packing up of things after living with a roommate, things don't always end up leaving with whom they came. She got my small strainer, I got her mom's banana bread recipe! And it's to die for. Super easy, I literally use a fork to mix it all together. I did have a little trial and error with my loaf pan size...bigger is better. For the first few times (years?) I baked it in a smaller bread pan, and it was consistently doughy in the middle. I switched to my larger loaf pan, and perfection!!
Banana Bread:
3-4 ripe bananas
1 c sugar
1 egg
1.5 c flour
1/4 c melted butter (I think this is what makes it...)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Mash bananas. Stir in other ingredients. Bake in greased loaf pan for 1 hour at 325.
Could it be any easier!?!?!?!? No.
So, back to the BFF story, yes, we still hang out and I completely treasure her friendship and will forever. The Lord has taken us in different directions and grown us into different people as we've grown up, but He has allowed us to remain friends, which is a huge blessing. She's pregnant and I can't wait for Jack to have a new friend to play with! I see the playdates now...and I'm pretty sure they'll involve juice for the kiddos and wine for the mammas!
2 comments:
Okay, first of all, I'm crying like a baby here in my office, and second, no you didn't with some of those pictures! Apparently not only do I share the banana bread recipe with mom but also my love for huge brightly colored glasses! Which I want to point out, I think I'm also wearing in the recital picture. Oy.
I'll say as a testament to mom's recipe that people really do go crazy over it. I've been making it to use up bananas lately, and even people who claim not to like banana bread gobble it up. I had a guy from our bible study tell me that he loves banana bread so much they served it at their wedding, and that this recipe was the best he's ever had. I keep forgetting to tell Mom, but I think she'd be pleased. :)
Thanks for this post... and thanks for not mentioning what a mess I am. I really don't know who I'd be without you. You raised me almost as much as Mom and Dad. Is it weird to say that?
I guess with the baby on the way I've been thinking about how to steer a kid through the mess of childhood, and I think there's only so much influence parents can have over a kid's decisions. I guess what I'm trying to say is I hope our little one has a Molly.
I knew you'd hate me for the pics...but I added in the denim disaster of 1993 so we would be even. :)
And quit making me cry! You're right, we were so blessed to have each other and all we can do is pray fervently that our little ones will have friends like us. So just like we decided when we were in like 8th grade, our babies will be best friends just like us, right? I see our plan coming together! Kinda like an arranged marriage, but not at all.
Post a Comment