$40 Worth of Groceries to Save 2 Ripe Bananas [Recipe]
I don’t know what has gotten into me lately. Ever since I got back from visiting with my Mom I’ve spent more time in the kitchen then I have in the last 10 years of marriage. I guess being in the kitchen with my Mom and watching how much she enjoyed cooking and baking made me realize it’s not that bad.
I had 2 bananas left over that were too ripe to eat so I decided to make banana bread. Off to The Mace Family Cookbook I go and on page 35 Brenda (Mace) Hawkins shares her Banana Nut Bread recipe. I look over the list of ingredients…let’s see, I don’t have flour; I’m almost out of sugar; I’ll need 1 or 2 more bananas, and some pecans. I have everything else! So, off to the grocery store I go.
When you live where I live it’s not a quick trip to the grocery store. The nearest one is 16 miles one way but I decided to drive into Lawton. That’s about 65 miles round trip for me. By the time I got all the ingredients, and a few extra items for the cupboards, I am in for about $45 and about ½ tank of gas. This cooking and baking thing is fun, but expensive!
Here is Brenda’s recipe from The Mace Family Cookbook:
Banana Nut Bread
Brenda Mace
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sifted flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon soda
- ½ cup margarine
- 2 eggs
- 3 large bananas
Directions:
- Sift flour, soda and salt (My Mom taught me this is always the first step in any baking recipe.)
- Cream margarine (or butter) add sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir until mixed well.
- Add bananas.
- Fold in dry ingredients and pecans
- Put in a well-greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
- Bake at 350 for one hour.
Test with a tooth-pick.
And as promised, I will always include either a household tip or words of wisdom from David’s Great Grandmother Alice Mae Johns Mace.
Household tip:
An inexpensive deodorizer for your car – cut both ends from a box containing a bar of bath soap and place under the front seat. This creates a long lasting fresh, clean smell.