dusty...

I...uuhhmmm...hmm...you forgot to peel the bananas before mashing them?

Sweetheart, at what point did you realise you made a mistake?

I'm sorry for laughing my dear but...

Laurenzo, if your bread is mushy in the center, that means it isn't cooked long enough. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, probably another 10 - 15 minutes or more. Good luck ... hope you will like this recipe of mine!

I bake it long enough (recommended time) and then if I bake it longer, it browns too much on top. I've tried putting tin foil on top near the end to avoid burning the top. Well anyway, I will try this delicious-looking recipe and let you know. I happen to have a bunch of ripe bananas ready to go! Thanks.

Whooooaaa! Someone is loosening up with the travel/non-travel related threads.

Hey dusty, did you really not peel the bananas??

laurenzo, it might be your oven so lower the temp and bake it longer..that way it will cook through but won't dry it out or brown it too much.
I love baking with convection ovens, fast and always comes out perfectly!

scary thing is I have a convection oven and haven't used it much as one. I will this time give it a try. I have been nervous it would ruin a recipe. Why? Couldn't tell you!

Whenever we go to visit family or friends who live some distance away (i.e. we TRAVEL), I bake something yummy to give the host. Maybe this recipe will be the new thing. There, it's now travel related!

I'm not a fan of my convection oven (is that a pun?). I don't use that feature any more due to it drying out the food more than what I like.

Like Scarlette said, lowering the oven temp. and cooking it longer should do the trick.

Also, I prefer very ripe bananas to cook with, as I like a moist, sweet bread. I love to add nuts to it...maybe you can add some chopped Mac nuts to make it more Hawaiian.

Sometimes I have laid tin foil just very loosely over the top of my pies during most of the cooking time when I've had that problem.

Over beating or mixing results in a dense, tough or rubbery texture.

Scarlett and Old Southern Belle,

Thank you. I will let you know how it turns out. I will definitely add the mac nuts -they are my older daughter's favorite nut besides me

Laurenzo:

Also try a different type of pan. Glass pans cook faster than insulated pans. Also darker pans will cook faster.

Yes, the pan can have an effect...but I think the darker the pan, the more brown it turns out...try aluminum?

Bonnie,

That banana bread recipe is so good. I've copied it to my recipes file.

It has been passed around to many people here in Demopolis, AL!

Thank you again.

Now who else remembers Bonnie's super potato salad (also one of my favorites) ?

Byrd

Yes, darker pans cook faster, so the outside and edges will be burnt but the inside will be raw.

I have an electric stove (electric stoves are famous for uneven cooking), so through a lot of experimentation, I use only insulated aluminum pans (like Air-Bake) and turn my temp down 25 degrees, so for this recipe bake at 325F. Sometimes I rotate the pan or sheet midway (usually for cookies). Test with the toothpick about five minutes before it's supposed to be done and keep baking/testing until the toothpick is clean. It should take longer to bake but sometimes you never know, better to check than burn it.

So now we must have the Potato Salad recipe too please.

Anyone interested in the Chocolate Hazelnut Panini recipe I just found?

BONNIE'S POTATO SALAD

7 lbs. red potatoes, peeled
1 huge regular onion, minced (not sweet)
1/2 cup salad oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (no substitute)
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups thinly sliced celery
8 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 - 1/2 cups mayonnaise
French's Yellow Mustard, to taste

If potatoes are not approximately the same size, halve large ones so they will all cook evenly. Cook potatoes until fork pierces through. Drain, and let them cool just enough to handle them.

Slice while still quite warm. Mix salad oil, 1/4 cup vinegar, salt & pepper, and onion and immediately mix with sliced potatoes. (This is the secret of this potato salad..... oil mixture on very warm potatoes.) Let cool.

Add remaining ingredients with about a teaspoon of the mustard ...... mix together and taste.... would you like it saltier? Like more "tang?" If so, add more vinegar, a tablespoon at a time, and small amounts of mustard until you think it's perfect!

Enjoy.......

Notes from Bonnie:

A couple of notes on the potato salad recipe: when you mix the salad oil mixture with your hot potatoes, make sure you salt it enough while the potatoes are hot (learned that from Emeril!) and check again after the other ingredients are in; also I was conservative on that first addition of mustard.......... do a heaping teaspoon and proceed from there. (You can get too much mustard in things real quick..... and you can't know how much someone likes mustard or not..........) I stand with the mustard, salt, vinegar and a handful of spoons, and do a bit at a time until I get just the right TANG!

Scarlett:

Oh my goodness! Chocolate hazelnut panini?


Yes, please!

Byrd

Chocolate Hazelnut Panini
1 ciabatta loaf
1/2 cup hazelnut butter
2 T honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/16 tsp ground cloves
1 4 oz bar bittersweet chocolate
2 T melted butter
TIMESAVER:
Use Nutella for the nut butter/honey/chocolate

Cut the ciabatta into 5 x 3 inch rectangles and cut horizontally.

Stir the hazelnut buuter, honey, salt and cloves together and spead about 1 T over each of 4 of the bread rectangles.
Layer with the chocolate and top with remaining bread.
Brush with butter and grill in a press until the chocolate melts.
Cut into small triangles and sprinkle each with sea salt to serve.

Now I would definitely just use Nutella and chocolate

Old Southern Belle, we also have a dual-fuel oven that is both gas and convection. When I use the convection for baked goods they always bake about 10 minutes faster. I've never been a huge fan of that method, but the convection does make it cook very evenly. It is great for pizza, too.

Byrd, thank you for keeping the potato salad on the table, so to speak! I really thank the old Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cooking for that recipe. It's so old ... but I really don't think it can be beat!

Laurenzo, please let us know how your HBB comes out!

Scarlett: For this novice baker, if using Nutella, how much chocolate to add, or none?