Our Favorite Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups white flour or half & half whole wheat and white
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas in a bowl with a fork. Try to get all the lumps out. Add sugar and butter and mix well until smooth. Add orange juice, mix well. Add the salt and baking powder, mix well. Lastly, add the flour and mix until smooth....the batter will be thick. Turn in the nuts and mix well. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 5 loaf pan or two 8 x 4 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. The bread should be brown and crusty and you should be able to insert a knife into the center and it come out clean. Remove from pans to cool.

This makes a nice gift as well. Simply wrap tightly in plastic wrap then brown craft paper and tie with raffia.