The bananas ripened quicker than we could eat them. All week, I watched their skins grow darker and darker; and come Sunday, I enjoyed their sweet aroma as I mashed the pulpy insides before adding the other ingredients to bake up a soft, moist banana bread.
But first, I pulled out my Mom's old loaf pan and coated the inside with a pat of butter. I turned the pan this way and that, noticing how my years of washing it in the dishwasher left its "Desert Dawn" speckled yellow severely faded. (No dishwasher for my Mom. She always just filled it with hot "sudsy" water and let it soak.) How many meatloaves and banana breads had she — I — baked in this pan? The "Pyrex #213 Desert Dawn 1.5 Qt. Loaf Pan" has been in the family for nearly 70 years! I'm told the dishwasher devalued this vintage treasure — as if its value comes from color.
Using it connects me to the past and nurtures my soul. I'll freeze the banana bread for our upcoming camping trip. A bit of butter, a hot cup of coffee and an early morning campfire will have it tasting all the sweeter; and the pan will always be priceless to me.
BANANA BREAD
4 overripe bananas (if large, use 3)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter
Preheat oven to 325°.
In a medium bowl, mash bananas with a fork.
Stir in other ingredients.
Pour into a buttered loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour.
Check for doneness. The banana bread is done when a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
