This is the nut free version \u2013 the GP\u2019s nurse has an allergy. It\u2019s important to know these things.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>One of the first things I realized, as the mother of a chronically ill child, is the importance of being a favorite of the doctor\u2019s office front office people. After a lot of trial and error, it turns out that the fastest way into the appointment book or to get a doctor to call you back is to have bought the office staff with banana bread.<\/p>\n
Not just any<\/em> banana bread\u2026it has to be the good stuff.<\/p>\nA few years back, a friend of mine confided her secret recipe to me. \u201cIt will ruin you for other people\u2019s breads,\u201d she warned me. She was right. It did. The loaves of dry-ness that were given to us by well meaning grandmothers were now met with looks of horror from my children as the littlest ones whispered, \u201cThat\u2019s not my Mama\u2019s nana bread..\u201d<\/p>\n
I took her recipe and played with it a little. I cut the sugar and swapped out the pecans for almonds. After a lot of trial and error, I ended up with the magic key that opens doors for us everywhere we go. When I call our family doctor for a same day appointment, I barely get \u201cHi, this is Rebecca F\u2026\u201d out of my mouth before the receptionist\u2019s voice changes from professional to friendly. I\u2019m not work, I\u2019m the nice lady who bakes. Where I used to be just another mom of an arthritic kid, the woman who answers the phone at the rheumatologist\u2019s office now says, \u201cOh, hi, Rebecca! Did you need to speak to Dr G or William (her assistant), or did you need an appointment? We\u2019re pretty full, but I\u2019m sure I can squeeze you in somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
You see? Doors swing wide open for The Baker of the Bread<\/em>.<\/p>\nI have friends who shake their heads and tell me that it shouldn\u2019t be that way, that we shouldn\u2019t have to schmooze our way into getting good care. I nod my head and agree with them, but who am I kidding? This is the way that the world works. Squeaky wheels may get the grease, but people will bend over backwards for you if you bake for them!<\/p>\n
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Here\u2019s the recipe. I don\u2019t take step by step photos, but I figure that y\u2019all can read recipes and figure it out for yourselves.<\/p>\n
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Banana Bread<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\nIngredients<\/span><\/p>\n1\/2 cup butter (you can use margarine or shortening, but why would you?)<\/p>\n
1\/2 cup sugar<\/p>\n
1\/2 cup brown sugar<\/p>\n
3 or 4 very<\/em> ripe bananas (you want 4\u2026.5 might even be better) mashed<\/p>\n2 eggs<\/p>\n
1\/2 cup buttermilk (in a pinch, you can sour regular milk with a little vinegar and that will work too)<\/p>\n
2 tsp vanilla (don\u2019t double this. I already did it for you.)<\/p>\n
1 tsp baking soda<\/p>\n
1 tsp salt (If you use pink Himalayan salt, like I do, then drop it to 1\/2 tsp)<\/p>\n
2 \u2013 2 1\/2 cups flour (it\u2019s all about texture)<\/p>\n
1 cup chopped nuts (I like almonds, but you can use walnuts or pecans if you like it the traditional way. If you prefer to leave them out completely, that\u2019s good too.)<\/p>\n
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Directions<\/span><\/p>\n1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom ONLY of loaf pan.<\/span><\/p>\n2. Using a mixer, cream butter and sugars in a large bowl.<\/p>\n
3. Add eggs and mix until well blended.<\/p>\n
4. Add bananas, vanilla, and buttermilk (soured milk). Beat until smooth.<\/p>\n
5. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened.<\/p>\n
6. Add nuts if you\u2019re going to, and stir by hand.<\/p>\n
7. Pour into pan. (Yes, pan. This makes one tall loaf, or 2 short ones.)<\/p>\n
8. Bake (two loaves take about an hour, one loaf about 1 1\/4 hours.) The bread will be dark, so DON\u2019T PANIC! Test for done-ness by sticking a toothpick in it. If it comes out clean, it\u2019s done. If not, then let it cook a little longer.<\/p>\n
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While you probably should let it cool completely before slicing it, so that it doesn\u2019t squash down or look weird, that doesn\u2019t happen often at my house. If we\u2019re eating it, it\u2019s gone before it has a chance to cool.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re bribing people with it, let it cool and then wrap it up. If it\u2019s well wrapped, it will keep for 3-4 days at room temperature. If it makes it to your freezer, it does<\/em> freeze extremely well for gifting later.<\/p>\nI hope that you enjoy it, and good luck at the doctor\u2019s office!!!<\/p>\n
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\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One of the first things I realized, as the mother of a chronically ill child, is the importance of being a favorite of the doctor\u2019s office front office people. After a lot of trial and error, it turns out that the fastest way into the appointment book or to get a doctor to call you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1979,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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