This Bread is Bananas, B - A - N - A - N - A - S

If you have been living in the U.S. over the past 2 weeks, chances are you have also been living under one of the now-famous heat domes. (Seriously, what are all these new weather phenomena? Polar vortex, now heat dome...what is next?) This kind of oppressive heat and humidity poses a variety of challenges, especially in a city where many public places lack air conditioning (Boston is too cold most of the year to warrant the expense I suppose). There's the need to shower multiple times a day, the struggle to find enough outlets to power multiple fans, the limitless need to refill the Brita filter and the ice trays, and of course the hastened ripening (and often spoiling) of your otherwise delicious, expensive perishable food items. 

Summertime = quickly ripening bananas

We have a few staple items you can always find in our kitchen; one of those is bananas. As you probably know firsthand, the 90+ degree temperatures combined with excessive humidity transforms the kitchen into a bit of a banana-ripening factory. One solution is to freeze the bananas and use them for later smoothies (or chocolate-dipped treats). The other is to use these overripe bananas as the main ingredient in a beyond delicious loaf of banana bread (or batch of muffins, whatever your preference!) Note: I understand that in the heat the last thing you might want to do is turn on your oven. In that case, you can make the batter before the bananas breathe their last, and set the batter aside in the fridge until the heat dome relocates.

Now banana bread is something I always enjoyed but rarely ever made for myself. I never whipped up a batch that I truly loved so it was something I essentially abandoned...and I even threw away many a banana in my day (if only I could turn back time, I'd take them all back!). Then this past winter, I finally came into possession of the best banana bread recipe I've ever tasted. It all came from the perfect storm of circumstance. As many of you know, the Physicist spent 6 months living in France last year. When he returned to the country in January, he needed a temporary home. He had moved out of his grad school house before leaving the country, and since we both firmly believe that marriage comes before living together, not the other way around, he was without a place to call home for the 2-month span between repatriation and married life. As with all things, we had faith that things would work out and he wouldn't be a homeless nomad for 2 months...and sure enough God certainly did provide: in the form of kindhearted woman from the Physicist's church who knew him well from daily mass. She opened her home and gave him a temporary address...among other things. They shared weekly dinners, occasional breakfasts, and many conversations in French (she is French Canadian...perfect for someone who had just returned from France and was eager to keep up with his language skills!). When news came of an impending blizzard, she opened her door even wider to let me take up residence in her other guest room for a few days, rather than riding out the storm by myself up in Baltimore. As the storm raged, we shared shoveling duty, hot cups of tea, and delicious loaves of fresh banana bread (well, that was just for the two of them). She and the physicist had developed a symbiotic relationship: he would mash scores of overripe bananas and she would whip up loaf after loaf of the delectable treat. After we dug our way out from under 3 feet of snow and the roads cleared enough for cars to pass, I packed up my car to head back to Baltimore...but not before this kindhearted, gentle woman handed me a photocopy of the coveted recipe which had been passed on to her by a friend. I was delighted to see that almost every ingredient was Katie-safe, and that with just minor changes, I could in fact make my own version of this most delicious treat.

The aftermath: yes, those are cars behind him.

The simple ingredients...

...plus the mashed bananas of course.
And the walnuts (somehow I forgot to take a picture of those!)

In the months since, I have made more than a dozen loaves...and every time I do, I think back to those days of riding out the storm with a Canadian native who laughed at the way the D.C. newscasters react to a little bit of winter weather. And even the Physicist agrees that this is one recipe that really is indistinguishable from its allergen-filled version. For us, it's a win-win-win situation. We have a way use our otherwise heat-spoiled bananas, we have a treat we both love and actually feel comfortable making for non-food-sensitive friends without an "it's good for being gluten/dairy-free" warning, and we get to reminisce about those weeks leading up to our wedding when we found the greatest abundance of blessings amidst the challenge of living with 50 miles of interstate 95 between us (of course, that's a whole lot better than thousands of miles of Atlantic Ocean!) Take my advice: head to the grocery store and buy some bananas. Wait until they're just the right shade of brown then enjoy a taste of warm Katie-safe banana deliciousness. According to the Physicist, it is best served with a smear of peanut butter, a pour of maple syrup...and of course, a heaping spoonful of nostalgia :-) 

See below for recipe!

"Final Days as a Burke" Banana Bread

*inspired by, and adapted from, the bread recipe of the kind-hearted church 

lady who welcomed us into her home during my final weeks as a Burke:-)* 

 3 cups Pamela's gluten-free flour blend

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

3 Tbsp. flaxseed + 9 Tbsp. water (as replacement for 3 eggs)

1 cup sunflower oil

2 cups mashed ripe bananas

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Combine the flour,salt, baking soda, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.

2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a smaller bowl and add to the flour mixture.

3. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake at 350 for about 1 hour. (give or take depending on your oven)

4. ENJOY!!