Banana Bread and Bluegrass

Banana bread and bluegrass…two tastes that go great together.   The girls and I took time out of our day to make up a couple loaves of banana bread.  I took a recipe I had used before and modified it just a tad. Reason one…because  I only had 2 overripe bananas…and I knew that it would be more fun for EVERYONE if each daughter got to make her own loaf…so only one banana went into each loaf.  I actually prefer the bread this way because I don’t like it when the bread has slimey globules of baked bananas speckled throughout.  Gag.  And reason number 2 for the modification…I felt that the bread should have some brown sugar in it…not just white. 

 

 

The girls got to practice their egg cracking skills.  Thing1 is pretty careful; although we do have to occasionally pick out a rogue eggshell or two.  Thing2 goes for a smack and crush technique.  We still have some work to do in this area.  

The bread turned out fantastically tasty.  We ended up taking one loaf to the local Winlock Bluegrass Picker’s Fest and shared it with our very good friends. 

 The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated white sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 c filled with one mashed banana and add applesauce until 1 c. worth

1 c. milk

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 egg

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray bottom only of a 9X5 loaf pan with a nonstick cooking spray.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Add remaining ingredients; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Pour batter into pan.  Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture if you want.  Bake 60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 min or more. Remove from pan.  Enjoy! 

So…the Winlock Picker’s Fest was held at Winolequa Park in Winlock, Wa.  It was only $5 per adult and it was well worth the money for a wonderfully relaxing evening listening to very talented and genuinely nice bluegrass musicians.  The picture to the left shows one of the bands that performed.   I can’t remember the name of their group, but they were very good.  It’s a wonderful experience for adults and kids.  The stage was close to the playground, so we could enjoy the music and company of friends while the kids enjoyed playing on the playground equipment.  We attended Friday night.  They had 4 bands play for 45 minutes each and then you could walk around the camping area and/or the parking lot and find groups of people who had gathered to play together.  Saturday, my fiddle-playing friend, Angie, and I attended an hour long workshop.  I attended the guitar workshop and she attended the fiddle workshop.  Afterward, we found a group in the camping area and played for a couple hours before heading home.  We didn’t attend the Sunday morning gospel show.  Next year, I would definitely like to schedule a camping trip around this event.  It was close to home, not too expensive, and a great experience for all ages.

Thing2 poses for a picture with her good friend.

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