Banana Nut Bread Anti-Recipe

I would like to begin by congratulating myself. Believe it or not, I've actually persevered long enough to write my first official blog entry. 368 days ago I opened this blog and it wasn't until yesterday that I actually posted something- and the fact that I now have 2 entries to add to my less than extensive collection?? I am proud. 

So today I wanted to begin by doing the thing I love most in the world- cooking. Due to the fact that I still live with my parents and am a college student lacking in sufficient funds to prepare prime rib or fois gras, I decided to use what I had- 6 disgusting bananas. My dad discovered one day that if you place ripe bananas in the refrigerator, the peel will continue to darken while the flesh of the banana says perfectly white, while ripening with sweetness (perfect for ripening bananas for baking, lets say... banana bread). So here I am with 6 black bananas and nothing to show for it... until I decided to make banana bread. 

Here's a little tid-bit about me, and every single person I know who knows me will attest to this fact as well, I am completely incapable of following directions or doing what I'm told under almost any circumstance. Yeah, for an aspiring chef that's not exactly the best quality to have but it works for me and adds a little pizazz to everything I do. See, I have this complex about being told what to do- "Rebecca, don't touch that music box."- and BAM! a four-year-old me has just broken an antler off of one of Santa's reindeer on my mother's prized Christmas decoration.

So, I looked up a recipe for banana nut bread and low and behold, it soon becomes what my sister so ingeniously coined an anti-recipe by the third ingredient. Everything I cook is a reflection of me, and the fact that everything in this recipe is contrary to my original plan is practically a mirror image of my life. Yes, I used self-rising flour instead of all-purpose. Yes, I added twice the recommended amount of vanilla. Yes, I nixed the ground ginger all together. And yes, I added crushed pineapple. 

"Pineapple?" you ask. Yes, pineapple. This fruit is the panacea for all dry and flavorless cakes and breads. Its texture provides support for the structural integrity of the bread while its sugar and juices add a moistness that the majority of people are finding through adding instant vanilla pudding mix (an abomination, if you ask me). Yes, pudding mix has its place in the world- it belongs with 4-year-olds, not in my banana nut bread. 

So for all you cooks out there looking for a little slice of heaven on a cold day, here's my anti-recipe for Banana Nut Bread. Enjoy!

Dry Ingredients:
3 cups Self-Rising Flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/4 nutmeg
2 cups white sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts

Wet Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or another mild flavored oil)
1 cup (or an 8oz can) of crushed pineapple- WITH JUICES
1 1/2 tsp vanilla (or 2 tsp if you prefer)
2 cups mashed very ripe bananas

• Mix together the dry ingredients (if it makes you feel better, you may sift)
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients
• Stir the mixtures only until well-blended 
• Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake at 350 for 65 minutes
• If the loaves begin to get too dark, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes... if not, forget about the aluminum foil and keep on bakin'

(Photos- I used my sister's new Olympus Pen. Enjoy them now because when the Christmas break is over, its back to my little point-and-shoot)