soul baking…….

We are working again on our tile floor this weekend and it's the kind of work that sometimes can be a tandem job for two or it's for one person only. Yesterday we did all the cutting for the hallway so I did all the measuring and marking while Kelly worked the tile saw. It works as a good partnership to get the job done. Today though is the laying of the tile and it's strictly a one person job which Kelly is the master of and that suits me fine. This leaves me though with time on my hands and can limit me in what I might choose to do since the house is in a state of upheaval. The last weekend that we tiled together the kitchen was the focus of our work but since that is now complete I can busy myself there and create. I truly love baking so I was more than happy to open my cupboards and see what I could mix together in a bowl and concoct. Being in the kitchen creating is my idea of time well spent. I love to get lost in my experiences there and allow it to feed my soul. An afternoon of baking therapy is often just what I need. And I need not worry about all those calories since most of the time when it comes to baked goods I barely even touch a morsel of it since I don't partake of sugar as a rule but I enjoy the process of the creation. I decided since the cookie jar was empty I should possibly fill it with some fresh chocolate chip cookies and then I moved on to a banana walnut bread since my freezer is filling up with bananas. After that was done I flipped some more pages in the recipe book and came up with a quick brownie recipe that will head to the freezer for lunches along with the slices of the banana loaf. I love having a selection of ingredients at hand that will turn themselves into a tasty cookie or loaf or bread etc. and not only does it end up feeding your taste buds and belly, but it also feeds your soul. For me it's called baking therapy and this is a good thing……and I like good things.

Here is my banana walnut loaf recipe that I have been making for probably over 25 years…….

Banana Walnut Loaf

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a 9 x 5" loaf pan.

2 large ripe bananas
1/3 cup soft margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 cup hot water
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans if you like them better)

1. In a bowl beat bananas and margarine; beat in sugar, egg, egg white and water until smooth.
2.Combine flour and baking soda; stir into batter and all but a few of the nuts, mixing until just blended.
   Do not overmix. Pour into pan; arrange reserved nuts down the middle of the batter mixture. Bake for
   35-45 minutes or until a tester inserted into the centre comes out dry.

I try to use organic ingredients whenever I can and I have also interchanged gluten-free all purpose flour in this recipe and it turned out great. You could even add some raisins if you wanted to. I usually will make two loaves at the same time since the oven is hot anyway and there is plenty of room for two pans. It's just simply more efficient. One loaf can then stay on the counter for snacking on and the other can head to the freezer.

I hope your Saturday is a good one and that you will do something that will feed your soul …...

Maggie