Got bananas?

Who doesn't have old squishy bananas hanging around their kitchen waiting to get tossed or used. (I know, Stephanie, not you! ewwww) But I used to buy bananas so that dad could have a half of a banana every day. And after like 3 days.. the last two bananas were too gross to eat. I would pop them in the freezer and after a while something had to be done.. because I had a freezer full of black frozen bananas.

I hardly buy bananas for myself anymore, but I do buy bananas for our snack bin at school or the Breakfast Program, almost every day. The Friday before March Break was so crazy that I didn't notice all the leftover bananas in the basket. (I usually give them away as teacher's go out the door at the end of the day).

A little digressing... I am always on the search for recipes that use up those extra bananas and as you might remember, I scored the best banana muffin recipe in the world and blogged it this time last year. Truly... wonderful muffins. In that blog, I talk about my quest for Banana Bread recipes and how long I have searched for one that isn't dry, isn't doughy, isn't too bananay... or too bland.

I think I have found it... it was a "meant to be occurrence" when my "What's Cooking" recipe magazine arrived in the mail the day before I went back to school on Monday after March Break to the overpowering smell and sight of a large amount of 12 day old ripened bananas. I quickly bagged the bananas and removed them from my office... phew... and when I got home... I cracked the magazine and tried this new recipe. It calls for Mayo.... instead of oil..

It is truly a recipe I enjoyed, a little sweet, so I cut down on the sugar, but the texture was enjoyable and the flavor is wonderful.

Every day after school I doubled the recipe and made two of these loaves each day, and in the end.. I am up 8 banana loaves and down 24 stinky black bananas. I have 4 loaves in the freezer, and the rest are all gone!

Banana Bread

3 ripened Bananas, mashed

1 egg

1/2 cup mayo ( I used Helmans light)

1 cup of sugar ( I used 3/4 cup)

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt ( I cut this down too to 1/2)

1/2 cup nuts ( I don't add these, but I am thinking I might add some mini chocochips)

Mash the bananas, add the egg and mayo and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, nuts ( or chocochips). Mix all these dry ingredients with a whisk and then add to the banana mix, just like you would for muffins, slowly and just til the dry ingredients are all mixed up.

pour in a greased loaf pan (9x5) and bake at 350 for an hour. Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes and then take out of pan.

You can double this recipe easily and why not.. really. If your making one, you might as well make two.

Enjoy.....