Banana Bread

Oh my. I haven't posted any recipes in a long time. Life has kept me busy with other things. Like moving across the country. But that's another story.

Now here's a simple and delicious banana bread recipe. And a great way to use up those bananas that are turning brown on the counter.

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x4 (or 9x5) inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, salt, and mashed bananas. Mix in flour and baking soda just until combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 45-60 minutes. (I start checking on it after 45 minutes.) Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Suzanne's Potato Salad

This is a wonderful potato salad recipe given to me by a good friend. And, you guessed it, her name is Suzanne. Definitely a family favorite.

1/2 cup Real Mayonnaise (do NOT use light or fat free)
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cups cooked, peeled, cubed potatoes
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped (I usually cook an extra egg and slice it to garnish the top of the finished salad)

In a large bowl, stir together first five ingredients until smooth. Add remaining ingredients; toss to coat and cover. Chill.

(I really do like it this way, but I can't stop myself from picking out the onions and celery. I'm just not a huge fan of raw onions and celery. I have also left them out and thrown in a dash of onion powder and celery seed for flavor.)