Food { Banana Bread }

When I was 16 years old, I decided to cook dinner for my family every night for the whole summer. I would put together meal ideas, a grocery, and then plan how I would prepare everything in time for dinner. It was a lot of work, especially for someone that was just learning how to cook, but I loved it. The most rewarding part was the feeling of taking care of my family and their appreciation. Since then, I have related cooking & baking to showing someone that you love and care about them.

Now that I live on my own, I enjoy cooking for myself, but also for my boyfriend. He has a very busy schedule, so I try to cook him meals that he can keep in his fridge to warm up for dinner when he gets home from work. I also like preparing his favorites treats, like this banana bread, because it makes him happy, but also shows him that I’m thinking about him.

This is a recipe that I got from a Betty Crocker cookbook. A little trick to add moisture to the bread is to add about ¼ cup of yogurt to the mix.

{ Ingredients }

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

2 eggs

1 ½ cup mashed banana (approx. 5 medium)

1 cup sugar

½ cup oil or melted butter

¼ cup chopped walnuts

{ Steps }

1. Pre-heat oven to 350˚F and grease pan

2. In a large bowl, mix together: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg

3. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and set aside

4. In a medium bowl, mix together: egs, banana, sugar oil

5. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture and stir until moistened. Fold in the walnuts.

6. Bake for 55-60 minutes.

What are some of your favorite dishes to prepare for your loved ones? What are others ways that you like to show them that you love & care about them?