Banana Bread and Shepherd's Pie

Goodness, I've just been in a cooking mood lately. It feels like I have been in the kitchen all day.

This morning I made two loaves of former Seattle Mariner Jay Buhner's Banana Nut Bread (I didn't put the nuts in). The recipe comes from one of the Mariners Wives charity projects in 2000, a cookbook titled Home Plates- Favorite Recipes of Mariners Players and Staff.

I usually double the recipe to make 2 loaves.

Jay Buhner's Banana Nut Bread

1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/4 teas baking powder
1/2 teaspoon
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teas salt
1/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 Tbs milk
1 cup mashed bananas
1/4 cup nuts, chopped (pecans or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, beat the sugar and shortening until light. Add eggs-one at a time. Add milk. Beat until smooth. Add flour mixture and bananas, alternating, to a creamed mixture. Beat until smooth. Fold in nuts. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 8x4x2 loaf pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until tester inserted in comes out clean. Melt 2 Tbs butter all over the top. Cool on a rack.

For dinner tonight, I made Rachael Ray's Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie. This tastes even better the next day. I love it with chicken, but it is also good with ground beef. You'll also find the Shepherd's Pie recipe in Rach's Cooking 'Round the Clock, along with a 5 Minute Bread Pudding Recipe (it is her "UK Comforts" meal). If you haven't had Shepherd's Pie, it is traditionally made with lamb. You cook the meat with carrots and onions and then make a gravy and add it, along with peas. Mashed potatoes cover the top. Yum-o!

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