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♦ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2006
Let’s go bananas!
One of nature’s best packaged foods,
the banana is popular the world around
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Lifestyle Editor
Peel one and eat
it just as nature
made it. Slice on
your breakfast
cereal. Grab one
on your way out the door as
a mid-morning snack. Grill a
bunch and add a little brown
sugar. Bake some ripe ones
into bread or muffins.
There are more than a few
good reasons why banan-
as are considered
the world’s
most pop- *
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fruit.
They
come
in their own
containers, don’t require |
refrigeration, don’t have f
to be cooked, are easy on
the digestive system and
can even be eaten by babies.
Bananas were first grown
in the area now known as
Malaysia, and Alexander
the Great is credited i
with introducing them in
the Mediterranean areas.
Because they are easy-to
eat and easy to store, they
rapidly spread around the
globe and began to be grown
in tropical climates around
the world. Whatever, you’ve
heard, they don’t grow on
the trees. The banana plant
is the world’s largest herb.
The word banana comes
from “banan,” which is
Arabic for finger.
They became popular in
this country in the 1800 s,
selling for the very high
price of 10 cents each at the
nation’s Centennial.
Bananas have a lot to offer
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Journal/Charlotte Perkins
Banana pudding, baked the old-fashioned way with a
meringue, is still one of the best desserts around.
GILBERT
APPLIANCE, INC.
925 Jernigan St., • Perry, GA
478-987-2284
■ ■
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nutritionally. At 120 calo
ries for one medium banana,
they make a good snack and
energy booster, and they
offer a healthy amount of
vitamin C, vitamin A,
calcium, and iron, as
well as being rich in
potassium.
Bananas are thought
by many to be a j
good antidote '
to heart-
burn,
and by some to
be a good hangover cure.
They're good eaten raw,
but delectable when used as
a baking ingredient or des
sert.
Apr icot>
Almond Bread
Here’s a real winner from
Quaker Oats. Packed with
bananas, oats (which are a
whole grain), apricots and
almonds, it delivers great
taste and nutrition.
2-1/2 cups all-purpose
flour
1 cup Quaker oats
(quick or old fashioned,
uncooked)
2 teaspoons baking
powder
y cots
W 1/4 cup plus
f 2 tablespoons
unblanched sliced
almonds
1 cup mashed ripe
bananas
1/2 cup lowfat butter
milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup packed light
brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon almond
extract
Heat oven to 350 F. Spray
bottom only of 9 x 5-inch loaf
pan with cooking spray. Coat
bottom of pan with flour;
tap out excess.
In large bowl, combine
flour, oats, baking powder,
baking soda and salt; mix
well. Add apricots and 1/4
cup almonds; mix well.
In medium bowl, whisk
together bananas, butter
milk, oil, brown sugar, eggs
and extract until well blend
ed. Add to dry ingredients
all at once. Stir just until
dry ingredients are evenly
moistened. (Do not overmix.)
Pour into pan. Sprinkle with
remaining 2 tablespoons
almonds.
Bake 55 to 65 minutes
or until golden brown and
wooden pick inserted in cen
ter comes out clean. Cool 10
minutes in pan on wire rack.
Remove bread from pan.
Cool completely on rack.
Wrap cooled bread tightly
in aluminum foil and store
up to 3 days at room tem
perature. For longer storage,
label and freeze.
Grandma’s
Banana Pudding
If you’ve ever wondered
why the newer banana pud
ding recipes just don’t have
the flavor that your grand
mother’s version did, here’s
why. Grandma used to make
her own custard, whip up
a meringue and bake the
whole thing. Here’s the orig
inal back-of-the-box recipe.
FREEZERS
Upright (Frost free)
and Chest Type
Starting at
•Commercial Rated
•Manual Defrost
•2 Lift-Out Storage Baskets
•Lock with Pop-Out Key
•Adjustable Temp Control
•Interior Light
•Defrost Drain »
•Oil Cooler
Dimensions
35" H x 61 -1 /4”W x 29-1 /2’ D
(Cabinet depth includes door)
FOOD
1 teaspoon bak
ing soda
1/2 teaspoon
salt
'fc 2 / 3
m cu p
f sine
s 1 y
chopped
dried apri-
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Want to combine great fruit flavors with nuts and whole grains? Try this Apricot
banana-almond bread.
It takes a little longer, but
it’s worth it.
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
Dash of salt
4 eggs, separated, at
room temperature
2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
35 to 45 Nilla Wafers
(reserve 10 to 12 for gar
nish)
5 to 6 med. size fully
ripe bananas, sliced
(reserve 1 for garnish)
Combine 1/2 cup sugar,
flour and salt in top of dou
ble boiler. Stir in 4 egg yolks
and milk; blend well. Cook,
uncovered, over boiling
water, stirring constantly
until thickened. Reduce heat
and cook, stirring occasion
ally, for 5 minutes. Remove
from heat; add vanilla.
Spread small amount on
bottom of 1 1/2 quart cas
serole; cover with layer of
Nilla Wafers. Top with layer
of sliced bananas.
Pour about 1/3 of the cus
tard over bananas. Continue
to layer wafers, bananas and
custard to make 3 layers
each, ending with custard.
Beat egg whites until stiff
but not dry; gradually add
remaining 1/4 cup sugar and
1 Meat + 2 Vegetables + Bread + Tea
$6.25
J EVENINGS - Thur& Fri spm-Bpm
w m
\ Mennonite A
Owned !
Ljudy
Wenger M
HOURS:
Mon - Fri 11am - 2pm
Thurs & Fri Nights
spm - Bpm
beat until stiff peaks form.
Spoon on top of pudding,
spreading to cover entire
surface and sealing well to
edges. Bake at 425 degrees
for 5 minutes or until deli
cately browned. Cool slightly
or chill.
Just before serving, gar
nish with banana slices, then
stand Nilla Wafers upright
around edge of dish. Makes
8 servings.
Bananas Foster
Let’s go bananas and let’s
go gourmet. Here’s a world
famous treat, to be served
over vanilla ice cream.
4 firm ripe bananas,
sliced in half lengthwise
4 tablespoons unsalted
butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cin
namon
1/2 teaspoon ground
nutmeg
3 tablespoons lemon
juice
1/2 cup Myers dark nun
or good quality brandy
Melt butter in a heavy
skillet; add the brown sugar
and spices, stirring until the
sugar is completely melted.
Add the ripe bananas and
cook until they are hot and
Roast Beef Dinner
$7.50
(Pi/ Jtmif,
626 Courtney Hodges Blvd. • Perry, GA
478-988-2643
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
Chiquita was
right! '
Never store unripe
in the refrigera
tor. They won’t get ripe
because the cold inter
feres with the ripening
process. ttow6Voij np6
bananas ca n be refriger
ated for up to two weeks,
according to Bananas,
com. If you’ve bought
B&n&riciS 3j]d w£mt
to speed up the ripening
process, place them into
a paper or plastic bag.
and they’ffget rip faster.
Overripe bananas are
good for baking.
well coated with syrup, but
not mushy.
Carefully pour in the rum.
If the butter is very hot, the
bananas will flame on their
own.
Or, you can cook over
medium heat, stirring, until
the alcohol cooks out. Or,
with a long match, carefully
flame the liqueur and bran
dy in the pan and cook until
the flame dies out and the
alcohol is cooked out.
Add the juice from the
lemon last.
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