Banana Bread

(from a recipe at simplyrecipes.com)

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve. Makes one loaf.

Grilled Fruit

Did you know that you can grill fresh fruit? It's mostly just to heat it up and caramelize the sugars in the fruit. According to Rick Browne in 1,001 Best Grilling Recipes  (available in paperback or for the kindle), bananas, halved lengthwise, need 6 to 8 minutes over direct, medium heat. Cantaloupes, cut in wedges, also need 6 to 8 minutes over direct, medium heat. Pineapples, peeled and cored and cut into 1/2” slices, need 5 to 10 minutes over direct, medium heat. And whole strawberries need 4 to 5 minutes over direct, medium heat. He also gives grilling times for apples, apricots, nectarines, peaches, and pears, if you’re interested. I’m guessing that you could do some fancy fruit kabobs and grill them. Watermelon can be grilled, too. Grill thick wedges over high heat for about two minutes per side. Some say to salt it first and drain it to get rid of some of the juice, others say to brush it with honey or balsamic vinegar, and others to just leave it plain. 

Bananas Foster

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup of brown sugar
6 bananas cut into 1 inch slices
1/4 cup of rum
Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Melt butter in crock pot by turning to LOW. Mix in brown sugar when butter is melted. Gently stir in bananas and rum. Cook on LOW for 1 hour. Serve over ice cream. pancakes, waffles or French toast. Enjoy!