Nearly Rotten Bananas=less sugar needed!

Lately, my excitement for the spring/summer produce extravaganza has proven to be, well, let's just say that my eyes have been bigger than my stomach. Many a fruit and veggie have made it into the freezer this week for a later eating--with the exception of my nearly rotten bananas. (Note-bananas, while not necessarily a spring/summer produce item, has made it into this post today because of their ripening ability!)

The said bananas are staying out for one reason-and one reason only. Annie's Banana Bread. This recipe is found in the Neiman Marcus Pure and Simple Cookbook-a cookbook I've had for nearly 18 years. This is the ONLY banana bread recipe I have made for the last 18 years-since I became a Texan. Makes sense, no? Dallas is the home of Stanley Marcus and the aforementioned Neiman Marcus. The original store downtown is a masterpiece--and it has a wonderful restaurant called the Zodiac Room to boot. Its only fitting that one of the first cookbooks I received since setting foot on Texas soil is one from Neiman Marcus.

The beauty of this recipe is that it calls for 1 cup of sugar. That's a lot of sugar for a loaf of banana bread in my book. I can tell you that I've never put in an entire cup of sugar....it can easily be reduced by 1/4 or 1/2 and still maintain that sweet flavor. Enter the nearly rotten bananas. As they, ahem, ripen, the natural sugar in them becomes sweeter and therefore reduces the need for the added sugar called for in the recipe. The bread comes out moist, delicious and perfectly sweet-every single time.

By the way, I do feel compelled to say that I'm eating watermelon and pineapple as I type-tastes even better since my dear mother in law cut the fruit and I didn't have to touch a knife!