Michele's Banana Cake

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family has. I have been in and out bed sick since Thursday; may have strep throat. As shared in an earlier post, it is very hard for me to do nothing. So between naps (haven't been in bed this much since I had major surgery) I've been doing kitchen things: washing dirty dishes, cooking and washing more dirty dishes. How do people just sit still and do nothing for days at a time? I feel some better this morning but not well enough to get far from my bed. If I'm not much better tomorrow I will go see the doctor.

Preheat oven to 325° (for glass pan) or 350° (for metal pan). Spray 9x13” pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup shortening
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs, separated (whites beaten until stiff)
1 cup mashed, very ripe bananas (2 very large or 3 regular size)
1 2/3 cups plain all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup buttermilk or milk
1 teaspoon real vanilla
½ cup very finely chopped pecans or walnuts

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar with an electric mixer.

In a small mixing bowl, separate egg whites from yolks. Add yolks to sugar mixture above and beat well. Beat egg whites in small bowl until stiff. Set aside. This will the last ingredient added to the large bowl.

With electric mixer, beat in bananas.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to sugar mixture and mix well.

Mix in milk and vanilla.

Fold in nuts and then the egg whites. Mix thoroughly but do not beat.

Spread into a 9x13 pan. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. Check it at 30 minutes. Insert toothpick in center of cake to test doneness. It will be a very dark color.

Makes a very tender cake that is very good warm. Would make great muffins; using aluminum cupcake liners and reducing cooking time. It is also good served cold with banana frosting.

Banana Frosting:

½ stick of real butter, room temperature
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
½ box of confectioners sugar
½ teaspoon real vanilla
½ very ripe mashed banana

Add ingredients in order listed and mix thoroughly before adding the next ingredient. Spread over cooled cake in pan and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Keep refrigerated. Makes 24 servings.

Fishing with Noel!

Those that know me, will tell you that the last thing Vicky would choose to do is go fishing. The idea of simply sitting in a boat waiting for a fish to bite my hook seems like a total waste of time. Things to do, I always have things to do...things that have to be done, things that have piled up and things that I have wanted to do but have not had the spare time. We have a cabin on the lake tonight and tomorrow night. Pray for me! Quiet time doing nothing! Can Vicky do that?

Noel bought a fishing boat last weekend and he is really looking forward to rekindling an old hobby of his...fishing! I have only tried it once or twice and it bored me to tears. When Noel and I were dating (seven years - yikes), he and I spent all of the warm months on the water. He was a very experienced skier and Savannah and I loved learning even though we were never that great at it. We have a lake just minutes from home and he and Savannah would take the boat out in late afternoon then I would join them when I got off work at 4:00 p.m. (had great hours back then). When Savannah was older she had less time to join us and eventually we bought motorcycles and rode them for the next 7-8 years. I absolutely loved riding and actually biking was what God used to draw us back to Him. I sold my last bike about a year ago (Noel has one but it sits under the carport most of the time)...other things had taken the place of our riding time. The things of God have us very busy and when you work full time it is almost a necessity to stay at home on Saturdays to catch up on housework and preparing for the week ahead. Most Saturday afternooons, Noel and I drive out of town about 3o minutes to have an early supper but now with the new boat, it looks like we will be catching supper!

Well it's time to get off the computer and pack for the weekend...always things to do!

I forgot to mention, I took today off!!!!!