Banana Bread

I have been planning on writing this blog post for a little over a week, but I have been just lazy enough to be unwilling to actually sit down and just write this.

I am not really "from" anywhere, but I am also from everywhere. I really took up a lot of Southern mentalities by living in North Carolina for my most impressionable years and my short stint in my familial roots in Oklahoma. I learned how to cook all those passed-down-for-generations, deliciously-too-fattening foods that are iconic Southern styles and very much Americana. I have been proposed to, only half jokingly, multiple times over some of my favorite invented recipes. I take great pride in my cooking, and my ability to just kind of invent as I go and alter recipes on the fly according to how I feel that day. I'm like any other Southern woman really.

And this is why the most offensive thing I have been told, at least of late, came from my--thankfully now ex--psychotic roommate. More on her craziness in further posts, I'm sure, as this isn't meant to be a rant on her. During one of her passive aggressive rants against me, in my kitchen no less, she accused me of not being able to cook--to my face. That was quite a while ago, shortly after our respective gloves had come off, and I brushed it off at the time as the ignorant blabbering of the woman who was 2 minutes from starting a grease fire only a week or so prior.

However, being told that I can't cook by a woman-child that literally burnt every single thing she ever cooked in my kitchen was an affront that stuck me sorer than I really thought possible. I must admit, I haven't cooked much since I came to college, but that is mostly borne out of laziness, working late night fast food, and being too broke to afford to cook what I really want to eat. Making and delivering food to other people for 30ish hours a week really turns you off of the whole eating thing, let alone cooking. I still really enjoy cooking...but I can barely bring myself to cook anymore because I have been around food for most of the time, all week, for the last four years. I've taken to just drinking a pot of coffee instead of trying to figure what to shove in my pie-hole that will actually sate my hunger and not leave me feeling like I didn't actually eat. When I do make myself food anymore, it is usually easy stuff: spaghetti mostly, or hot and sour soup from a pre-mixed package, or a grilled cheese.

That is what Miss McCrazy Pantelones got to see all the time. The run down, 5th year college senior just trying to remember to eat enough calories to not starve and few enough to not become a whale. Too little fucks left to give to actually trying to cook. But now that she is gone, and I have become an "educated" person, whatever that is supposed to mean, I plan to change that back to how I used to be. I want to cook and create like I used to.

So, to start this off, about a week and a half ago I made banana bread, because I fucking love banana bread. I memorized an old Betty Crocker recipe for it when I was like 12, and have spent the interim decade altering it as I see fit. That day I went with something new altogether because of a spice bottle I found while at the store for more eggs.

I always make a double batch, because did I say I love banana bread? It becomes my breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next week. Don't care about the carbs, too delicious!

What you'll need:

(base of bread)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar (I use 1/2 a cup dark brown sugar, 1 cup white)
2 eggs
1/2 cup veggie oil
1/4 tps baking soda
1/2 tps baking powder
1/2 tps vanilla extract
1/2 tps salt
6 medium bananas
1 1/2 tbls cinnamon

(added to this batch) 
1 tbls Orange peel (found in spice isle)
1/2 tps clove
3 packs Folger's single serve instant coffee

The original recipe I used to use always called to mix wet together (including sugar and bananas) and dry together separately, then slowly mixing the wet into the dry. But ain't nobody got time for that. So instead I usually put everything dry in first, mix, then add all wet, mix, and add more oil as needed in small amounts until it is the right consistency.

 It only takes a few minutes to go from unappetizing mess above to try-not-to-eat-it-all-raw below.

 I decided to butter and flour my pans this go round because if I am going to be eating nice and fatty foods, why not do it right? Also doing it this way was brilliant for the muffins. I dropped one of the trays while taking it out of the oven and a couple muffins just jumped out of their cups (is that how you refer to it?

 Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes depending on your baking dish, 45 minutes if you just cave and use a cake pan. Cool for a bit and eat your face off! I am adding pictures at the end because I apparently suck at this?

 DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!