Blueberry-Banana Bread

When I was a kid I hated blueberries, or at least I thought I did. The only blueberry I had ever tried was in the form of blueberry pie as in that thick, overly sweet "goo" (as I refer to it as). Bleh! Then one day I happened upon a plain old berry, pure and unadulterated, the result...yum! Blueberry season is here and the fresh ones are found on sale everywhere. Pick some up and bake this tasty, hearty bread. Just be sure to save a few for popping in your mouth. And remember, no goo.

3 medium to large ripe bananas

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

2 eggs, well beaten

1/4 cup milk

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and stems removed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of two 9x5-inch loaf pans.

Mash bananas and set aside. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter together. Stir in eggs, mashed bananas and milk. Blend in flour, baking soda and salt. Fold in blueberries.

Place in prepared loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 275 degrees and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Perfect Banana Bread

The reason I call this perfect is because it comes out perfectly baked. No soggy middles or overdone tops. No ledges or any of those pesky things you find with common banana bread. The recipe is easy - most ingredients you will have on hand. I just used a bunch of bananas that I let over ripen - kind of forgot about them. I also had quite a few bananas in my freezer that needed to be used. So with a combination of the two, I made a triple batch. I'll freeze some loaves and take a few to the neighbors.

4 large ripe bananas

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature

3 eggs, well beaten

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup buttermilk or regular milk

1/2 chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of two large loaf pans (9x5-inch each). Mash bananas and set aside. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter together. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas. In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Alternating with milk, stir in flour mixture in thirds; beginning with flour mixture and ending with milk. Stir in chopped nuts. Spread evenly in the bottom of two prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Then reduce heat to 275 degrees and bake and additional 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Favorites: Bananas Foster French Toast

I've actually had Bananas Foster at Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans, LA. ( Thanks Mom and Dad. ) It was everything I had hoped it would be. The richness, the sweetness, the warm with the cool. Mmmm. This is a sure thing recipe. Every time I make it, people that claim they don't particularly care for French Toast absolutely adore this. It's easy and just takes a little prep the night before. I served it Christmas morning last year. I assembled it right before going to bed. A very content boy enjoyed smelling it while it baked as he opened his gifts, not to mention the rest of my family that had gathered. Don't wait for Christmas though to make this. Make it this weekend and show how much you love the people you baked it for.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp corn syrup
1 loaf French bread, cut into 12 slices
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (pure extract if you have it)

In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup over medium heat until smooth, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture onto large, greased jelly roll pan. Spread to cover surface. Place slices of bread in a single layer to cover pan. Mix together eggs, half and half, salt and vanilla. Spoon mixture over each piece of bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove from pan and serve with Syrup Butter and sliced bananas.


Syrup Butter:
1 cube butter
3 cups maple syrup

Melt together and serve.