It’s cold in Louisiana! On March 1st? What’s that all about?

You know what they say about March – “In like a lion, out like a lamb.”

A lion of a cold front blew in and now we’re back to building a fire at night and wearing sweaters during the day. I know, I know – Northerners would laugh at what we Southerners call cold: in the 30’s at night and not out of the 50’s during the day. Brrrrrrr!

Whatever you call it, I say it’s time for a warm kitchen – and with those over-ripe bananas sitting in the fruit bowl, I have just the cure for the shivers: Banana Nut Bread.

Banana Nut Bread

Yield: one dozen muffins or one 9×9 loaf

Ingredients:

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 4 bananas)
1 cup pecans (or nut of your choice)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix oil and sugar.

Beat in eggs, then bananas, then dry ingredients.

Fold in pecans. 

Fill greased muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes (30-35 minutes for a loaf) until nutty brown. 

Enjoy with a slab – no, no, just a pat – of butter and a hot cup of coffee. By the fire.