Banana Bread

1/4 c. plus 1 T. sour cream

1 t. baking soda

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

2 eggs, at room temperature

3 large ripe bananas, mashed

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking powder

1 c. pecans or walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan lightly with butter or Crisco.

In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and the baking soda. Set aside. In a standing mixer or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, cream the butter and add the sugars.

With the mixer running at a low speed, add the bananas, eggs, and sour cream mixture (which should look like mousse, due to the reaction between the baking soda and the acid in the sour cream) to the butter mixture. Mix in the flour and baking powder.

When the batter is smooth, stir in the nuts by hand and pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for about an hour (or until a tester comes out dry) in the preheated oven. Let cool for ten minutes in the pan; turn out onto a rack and cool completely

Variations:

Use chocolate chips instead of nuts, or in combination with them.

Toast slices of the bread once baked, and spread with peanut butter.

Make ice-cream sandwiches: spread softened vanilla ice cream on one slice of bread and top with another. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze till solid. Cut into "fingers," if desired, or eat whole.