Food on Friday: let's go bananas

Happy Friday, everyone!  It's a really warm and sunny one here and I am LOVING it.  I have a really quick little Foodie Friday post for you today.  Peter and I are traveling up north tomorrow afternoon to visit his relatives there and attend a confirmation.  We are staying with his aunt and uncle so I decided to make some banana bread this afternoon so that we could take it with.  I thought it would be the perfect thing to take as a host/hostess gift for a busy weekend like this one.  When everyone is busy in the morning getting ready to get to the church, a loaf of banana bread could come in handy as a quick breakfast.  Unfortunately, this one is a little on the sweet side to use as a breakfast, but I am not complaining.  I tend to love sugar in the morning.

Have a fantastic weekend wherever you are! XOXO

Banana Bread
from Betty Crocker

1 1/4

cups sugar

1/2

cup butter or margarine, softened

2

eggs

1 1/2

cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)

1/2

cup buttermilk

1

teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2

cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1

teaspoon baking soda

1

teaspoon salt

1

cup chopped nuts, if desired (I added dried cranberries, too)

1. Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.
2. Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pans.
3. Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Makes 2 loaves (12 slices each)