Me and Mrs. Jones

I have a wonderful neighbor, Mrs. Jones. She is about 80 and is always coming over and bringing me treats like flowers and home-grown pecans, or just dropping by to chat and compliment my roses. She is such a sweetie. But I was feeling like a terrible neighbor- I never did that for her. So I made her some banana muffins.

I started, with my fave recipe from my fave cookbook. Mine is a 1946 reprint. It used to belong to my great grandmother, Leva.



You take 1 and 3/4 all-purpose flour plus 2 Tbsp of baking powder and 3/4 tsp of salt, or 1 and 3/4 cups of self-rising flour, which is what I always use. Then add 1/2 cup of sugar. I added 1 tsp of cinnamon as well, my own personal flair I suppose. And I never sift, I always use a whisk, til it's smooth.



Then you add 2-3 mashed bananas (let them get over-ripe for easier mashing and smoother baking) plus 2 eggs, and 1/2 cup of melted shortening. For me, the end result was way too dry/sticky, maybe I used too much banana or flour.



So I added half of one of these, which I have like 400 billion of. Another bit o' personal flair. MMM....apple prune juice.



That addition made the consistancy PERFECT, and man, did that batter smell GOOD!



Then you bake them about 380 degrees for 20 or so minutes, I think mine ended up being 25 minutes. It really depends on your oven. Just play around with it, being very modest at first, until you see how long it will take. Don't wanna burn them!



Oh, and if you are trying a new recipe and plan on giving it as a gift or taking it to a potluck or whatever, I recommend muffins. That way you can sample one to make sure it's tasty and edible before giving it.

Enjoy!