Nana’s Banana Bread

We just returned from a two week sojourn to Maine and Virginia.  I asked a dear friend if he would be able to keep an eye on the house during his shifts as a police officer.

Rusty is a sweetheart.  He meant the world to my grandmother.  They attended the same church and I am sure growing up, that Rusty ate a fair amount of my grandmother’s cooking.

One day, he mentioned some of the cakes my grandmother had made that he enjoyed.  I wanted to thank him for being a good neighbor and I asked him what his favorite Nana recipe was.  He said her banana bread.  I don’t know if Nana’s recipe is any different than other banana bread recipes, but I remember eating it and thinking it was the best stuff on earth.  I hope you enjoy it as well.

Nana’s Banana Bread

Makes 2 loaves or one tube cake.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

4 cups flour

6 large, ripe bananas

4 eggs

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 – 4 cups chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Cream shortening and sugar.  Add eggs and beat well.  Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda.  Add to shortening and sugar mixture.  Add mashed bananas.  Fold in nuts.

Bake in greased and floured loaf pans or in greased and floured tube pan (not a bundt pan, they are too small and will overflow).

Bake until knife or toothpick comes out clean and top is brown.