Old Fashioned Banana Quick Bread

I love this banana bread!  It's so simple and comforting.  It reminds me of my time as a flight attendant.  I would be gone for a few days at a time so I inevitably had ripened bananas to come home to.  If I had a layover in my hometown, I would whip up a loaf of this moist banana bread and surprise my sunrise crew with a bit of homemade love.  They were so thankful to be given a breakfast that didn't come out of a plastic bag.  I just enjoyed the feeling it gave me to see the look on their faces when they took a bite.  That was all the thanks I needed!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 34/ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 medium to large ripe bananas, mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  With an electric mixer, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated.  Mix in the vanilla.  IN a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with the bananas, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Do not over mix.  Fold in the nuts if using.  Turn into a greased 9x5x3" loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes, checking with a wooden skewer for doneness (there will be a few crumbs that stick to it).  Cool in the pan on a wire rack for another 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack completely.  Wrap tightly in plastic and store in the refrigerator.

 Approximately 10 servings

recipe from Better Homes & Gardens Quick Breads Cook Book, 1975.