Mom's Banana Bread

Today was one of those tragically rainy days when you wish so bad it would be summertime but alas, the clouds open up and dump all over you. Then everyone says, "Oh good! We need the rain!" But all you can think of is that you would really love to wear that cute summer dress your mom bought you and your new yellow shirt looks much better without a sweater over it. Or maybe that's just me...

But even though the weather was not what I had hoped for, it did give me some time to do lazy day type things like make homemade yogurt. I know making yogurt seems like the sort of thing you only do when you have lots of time on your hands, but if you eat yogurt at all I think you should consider making your own! It is really really easy and you don't get all that icky junk that most yogurt companies put in their products to make it thicker or more sugary. Yogurt, especially plain yogurt, is really good for you if you haven't already heard. All those friendly bacterias are super good for your gut and can help you digest food and even lose weight. If you have ever read Mireille Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat or French Women for all the Seasons, she raves about the benefits of yogurt on your figure. She even dedicates an entire chapter to just yogurt where she not only recommends eating yogurt twice a day but gives you a simple recipe to make your own. To be honest, I never had any luck making my own yogurt until I invested in a yogurt maker. If you eat as much yogurt as I do, the maker quickly pays for itself! I think I paid about $30 for it. It comes with 7 adorable little glass jars with lids and you only need to buy milk each time you want to make another batch. It takes all of 10 minutes with the yogurt maker and the result is creamy yummy plain yogurt with no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, no sugar and best of all, it does not cost almost $1 for only 1 jar!

After my yogurt was all done and nestled into the little maker where it will sit for hours turning into yogurt, I decided it would also be a perfect day to put those over-ripe bananas to good use. I pulled out my little notebook where all my favorite recipes are written down, and right there in the middle, where the notebook naturally wants to open is a recipe for my mom's banana bread- hands down the best banana bread you have ever had! I have made it countless times throughout my life and it never fails me. Nothing says home to me like the smell of my mom's banana bread...

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Mom's Banana Bread

12 cup oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3-5 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts

beat oil and sugar together. Add eggs and bananas and beat well. Add sifted dry ingredients, milk and vanilla. Mix well and stir in nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cover with foil to prevent the top from burning and bake for another 30 minutes.

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I can't wait to have fresh yogurt and banana bread for breakfast tomorrow!