What To Do With Ripe Bananas

I stopped by Kroger Friday night and saw some ripe, discount bananas. I would say they put these out maybe three days before they go "bad" ... but you DO know right that banana bread is best when the bananas are close to going bad? The mushier the better! I actually looked at my bananas this week with bananas foster in mind and I may still do that - but this bunch had 5 bananas for 49 cents - so I had more than I really needed.

Today has been a real lazy day - I've had coffee, watched HGTV and Food Network all day. Conrad has been organizing his office ... and I started eyeing my brand new KITCHEN AID MIXER which I just HAD to have - but still, as of yet, have not used.

So I went in there today and whipped up a Hummingbird Cake. This cake is mostly southern - and usually really made in Georgia. I love it. Pineapple, bananas, vanilla, and dark rum. YUM!

... and can I just say WHAT have I done without a mixer? I can't believe I've been using hand mixers this entire time. I feel like I've lost hours of my life. I washed an entire sink full of dishes while my cake mixed. SHUT UP. I did not know this was possible ... how have I lived? Know what else, it was QUIET. Revolutionary! I could weep for all the cakes and breads I could have made.

Hummingbird Cake

Preheat oven to 350
Mix these six ingredients and God help you, I hope you have a mixer so you can just stand there and smirk while this machine does all the work.

- 1/4 cup of dark rum (optional) but REALLY why would you not?
- 1/3 cup of milk
- teaspoon of vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup of mashed bananas
- 1 8 oz can of crushed pineapple

Add in a box of cake mix - I used white. MIX for two minutes - pet your dog, wash dishes, have a beer, whatever ...

Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake 50 minutes. Let cool down for 15 minutes, flip onto a wire rack for another 15 minutes.

Vanilla frosting - just used store bought. Put into microwave for 20 seconds to melt. Pour over cake and garnish with chopped pecans.

EAT!



Kah