This week, my husband and I were delivered some news that rearranged our lives quite a bit. Our son was diagnosed with Down syndrome. I am twenty weeks along as of today, and this was not how I expected this healthy pregnancy to go. If you want to read more, you can look at the post I wrote on my IG page @thecatholickitchen.
After the initial shock of the diagnosis, I calmed down, hugged my family, prayed for resilience, and sought comfort. As I have mentioned over and over again- cooking makes me happy and it eases my mind. I had a lot of extra bananas hanging out that were nearing their end, so I decided to whip up some of the best banana bread ever. I hope you love it!
Banana Bread
You will need:
- 4-5 over-ripened bananas
- 1 stick of butter, melted
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3/4 c brown sugar (I use 3/4 c white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses. I never keep brown sugar, but I always have those two ingredients)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray.
In a mixing bowl, mash bananas until they are soft and lumpy. Add in the melted butter, 2 beaten eggs, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda. Combine until well incorporated. It should look like a thin and lumpy brown batter at this point. Add in the 2 cups of flour all at once. Mix until just incorporated. It will be like a lumpy cake mix at this point. Do not over mix or the banana bread will come out very dense.
Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes at 350*F. Once it is done, turn out onto a dish towel or clean surface to cool. The top will be nice and crusty, and the inside will be just delicious. This is a very easy banana bread recipe, and it does not require anything fancy to taste good. I do not add cinnamon, nuts, or vanilla. Trust me on this- this recipe does not need any of the above.
You can serve this right away, or store it wrapped in a dish towel or in a bag or container. This won’t last long, so I don’t estimate it needing to be stored for longer than a day or two (just from personal experience).
For my family, we love to cut off a slice eat it as is, or pop it in the toaster for some extra toasty goodness. Other days when we are feeling decadent, we will make banana bread french toast topped with a little maple syrup. Warning: there is no going back if you try this. It will become a staple breakfast in your house! If you do venture into the banana bread french toast world, I will include the recipe below.
I hope this recipe makes you and your family happy. It definitely cheered me up after a morning of tears and angst. Please pray for our family as we go on this journey together.
Lots of love and many blessings,
Chelsea
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 1:17
Banana Bread French Toast
Heat a non-stick or cast iron skillet over med-high heat. Combine 6 eggs, 3 tbsp milk, 1 tbsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp vanilla in a bowl. Beat well until everything is combined. Slice off 1 inch thick slices of banana bread (We do 2 per adult, and 1 per little kid). Dip into the batter until both sides are covered. Melt 1 tbsp of butter into the skillet and cook each slice of banana bread until both sides are golden brown. Top with a light drizzle of maple syrup and serve alongside scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon, and fresh fruit. Enjoy 🙂
The Catholic Kitchen 