Banana Bread

My youngest son found some frozen bananas. They are souvenir from the summer, when the bananas take only days to go from green to ripe to over ripe to 'make banana bread as soon as possible' or 'throw them in the freezer for future use'. The best part about the frozen banana is that it is waiting for you to be ready--whereas the bananas on the counter are on their schedule, the ones in the freezer are on yours. Thaw them, either on the counter or in the microwave and you are ready to go. I like to freeze them whole, and peel them when they are half thawed. There are a number of variations of banana bread, many of which I enjoy immensely, but our family favorite is the very simplest, a variation of the 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook recipe.

Banana Bread
3 bananas, mashed
1 c. sugar
2 1/4 c. flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
dash of salt
1 c. buttermilk
1 egg
You can add a handful of diced fruit, chopped nuts, cinnamon, allspice if so desired--it would still be considered 'the basic' recipe. Nothing more is also excellent, and what we end up making most of the time.
Mix all ingredients, pour into a 9" x 5" bread pan that is buttered and floured, bake for 50 min. at 350 degree.