Hometown Cookbooks-- Homegrown Memories

I am eating "Mary Wilkening's Banana Bread" tonight.   It isn't Weight Watcher approved but it is heart warming and food for the soul.  When I get in a funk, I drag out a State Center, Iowa cookbook and make something from home.  I know most of the cooks in the books.  My State Center cookbooks have traveled the country with me.  They are the gems of my kitchen.

Mary's banana bread is great.  Mary and Virg Wilkening lived next to St. Joseph's Catholic Church where our families went to church....by going straight down the gravel alley I could get to their house from our house in 30 seconds on my bike.   I grew up with Daria, Patty, and Ginny Wilkening as the sisters I didn't have.  Deb Liston rounded out the immediate pack of girls.  From playing dolls to playing games, there was always something good happening.

We had a bunch of kids in the neighborhood....there were the three Williams kids, the Bryants, the Pollacks, the Seegers, the three Wilkenings, the three Malloys, my cousin, Cindy Malloy, lived two blocks away, and other assorted children. There was always a something going on--kickball, work up softball, rollar skating, bike riding, ice skating, hop scotch, jacks, 7-up (a ball game played on a wall), red rover...you get the idea.  It was busy.  The town was our big playground.  The group of kids was fluid-- it was always changing with the interests of the people involved.

So, maybe it's not the food that I crave, but it's the memories.  Growing up in State Center was fun.  In the summer, if we wanted a Fudgesicle, we rode around town on our bikes until we found 5 pop bottles.  We returned them to the store for refund at .02 each.  .02 x 5 bottles = .10 = one Fudgesicle.  10 bottles = 2 Fudgesicles.  Yes, we hunted until we had enough bottles so all of us could have a treat!  This was real-- like math at it's finest.

Back to the banana bread.  This is a great recipe and it will make your home smell like heaven.  AND it made me think of all the good times and good friends that were mine during my growing up years.


Banana Bread by Mary Wilkening
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. nutmeats, chopped (I use pecans)
2 c.  regular flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda

Crush the bananas with a fork; add eggs (beaten light), sugar, flour sifted with the salt and soda.  Add nutmeats.  Grease a loaf pan with butter.  Bake in slow 325 degree oven for 1 hour.  Makes one  5" x 9" loaf.

You might as well make two loaves.  It will disappear as fast as you cut it.  Slather it with butter, cream cheese or Cheese Whiz....it's a meal in itself.  Serve it with a cup of fresh coffee and think of your childhood.

Molly gave the fresh bread her approval.  She put some cream cheese on her slice.  Ten week old Sally isn't into solids yet but she's never far from her mother's side.   I know that she'll be eating Mary Wilkening's Banana Bread someday soon in my kitchen.

So, make those memories now....start with some fresh banana bread tonight.