Recipe Box: Miss Esther's Banana Bread

One of my Grandma Atkins' best friends and neighbors was Miss Esther.  Miss Esther lived just down a gravel road, not far from my grandma's house; she lived with her brother on their farm.  She sold eggs, and she weaved beautiful rugs.  My grandma used to take me with her to buy eggs, and we'd look through her rugs sometimes, oohing and aahing.  Miss Esther was a schoolteacher at one time; she taught in a one room schoolhouse, and she also wrote the local "gossip" column for the Bado community, the who was where and what they were doing column.  Our names were in that column several times....she would call Grandma to see who had come to visit that week, etc.  Times were definitely different back then; I miss them so much.  Anyway, this is one of Miss Esther's recipes, and wow, is it ever delicious.  The loaf even turned out perfectly in shape, color, and form.  It has become my new banana bread recipe.  Enjoy!

Miss Esther's Banana Bread

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 bananas

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Nuts (Optional; I left these out)

Mix shortening and sugar together; add eggs.  Mash up bananas, and add them.  Mix dry ingredients together; then add to mixture.  Grease a bread pan; this made one big loaf for us.  Scrape batter into bread pan; batter will be slightly thick.  Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes; it took our loaf an hour or more to get done in the middle.  

Have a wonderful day!