When you offer a man who lived through WWII some old bananas which will otherwise be thrown away...

...my grandfather will take them (so they do not go to waste), bring them home, and have no idea what to do with them. So, with this philosophy in mind (waste not, that is!) his visiting granddaughter will make some delicious and simple banana bread and share it with the rest of her family in Chicago. If you didn't catch on by now, I am talking about myself and when I was out in Chicago and staying with my grandparents for Christmas. My grandfather's neighbor called him up and said she had a bunch of brown bananas which she was going to throw away, and asked if he wanted them. They looked almost unable to salvage, but I decided to give it a shot.
Here is the easy recipe for banana bread which does not fail to please!

What's Inside:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups mashed banana 
• 1 egg
• 1 cut nuts (optional- but make sure you use walnuts, pecans, etc... not the "nuts" in your family! Ha, lame joke...)

How to make it:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Combine all ingredients

3) Bake 65-70 minutes or until knife or other metal or wooden cooking device inserted into center comes out clean as a whistle

Lessons Learned:

The baking powder that my grandmother had in her pantry was probably not used since the last time they baked, which was probably... well, she can't even remember when it was so that must say something. Anyways, it was pretty clumpy and did not mix well, so on a rare bite of this bread you would get a lovely taste of baking soda... not pleasant. So make sure it is new and WELL MIXED!