26 Days 'Til 40 (Power Of The Banana Bread)

Spring officially started last night at 7pm. And thirteen hours later, my kids and I were dodging snow flurries while running from the front door of our house to the garage. Spring has sprung?? I think not.

This morning I woke up early and instinctively made banana bread.  From the kitchen window I could see the heavy rain outside and watched it turn into...snow? Again? Did I need to find the shovels and rock salt? I just kept mixing the ingredients and hoping that I didn't have to dig our way out of the house in a few hours. Luckily, the snow did not accumulate by the time the kids and I left the house. And the temperature outside was warm enough to turn the snow back into rain before noon.
It was the power of the banana bread that prevented the snow from accumulating. I'm no scientist, but I'm pretty sure that is what happened. Power to the banana bread. 

This recipe is part of me now, as I've refined it over the years to its current state and committed it to more than just my memory. It's something that defines me, like "infectious laugh" or "drawn to stinky cheeses." So when someone asks about me, inquires what I am like, a likely response is "well, she makes this really great banana bread!" (And yes, the exclamation point at the end of that sentence is necessary.)


Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter 
1 cup granulated sugar 
2 very ripe bananas 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
2 eggs 
½ teaspoon sea salt 
½ teaspoon baking soda 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and bananas. Beat in the vanilla extract and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix the sea salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add this dry mixture to the banana mixture. Then add the flour. Do not over mix. Pour batter into the baking pan. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes.