There it was Christmas Eve and I was standing in my Mother’s kitchen mulling over what to do for Christmas morning breakfast. My mom really isn’t a baker, so ingredients were limited. But she just so happened to have some bananas, some pecans (from her CSA!!!) and some coconut all lying around. There was also buttermilk I had bought for the Red Velvet Cupcakes I was going to make for Christmas the next day. So I decided to whip together a banana bread with some coconut and pecans thrown in…now all I had to do was orient myself with Mom’s kitchen.

You know what I like about cooking in other people’s kitchens? You find some pretty cool gadgets and utensils that you get to play with. My mother’s kitchen is no exception…these spoons? I remember them vividly from my childhood and love the fact that they come in 1/2 increments (you try to find a 1 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon in Bed, Bath and Beyond).

These canisters? I remember almost breaking them once when I was in junior high (also the time I made brownies for my mom’s friend using flour seasoned with parsley…accusations of “pot brownies” ensued).

And we’ve had this measuring cup as long as I can remember. Even though my mother has moved out of the house I grew up in, the new kitchen is littered with memories from my childhood. So baking this beautiful, easy banana coconut pecan bread amidst the relics of my youth was a comfort.

The smell of banana filled my mom’s house as we laughed over pictures I took earlier of my baby cousin, sitting around the kitchen table. These are the memories that shape Christmas…not presents or carols or snow. No…it’s the joy of sharing a laugh, remembering stories and creating new memories. So if you’re just waking up this Christmas and looking for an easy recipe for breakfast, this one won’t take long. But it fills your home with a new memory to share….Happy Holidays from Shaw Girl’s (okay Shaw Girl’s Mom’s) kitchen!

Banana Coconut Pecan Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2-1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 and grease a loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl (I used a hand mixer since Big Red was back in DC). Add the eggs and continue to beat until combined. Slowly add the buttermilk as you continue to mix the ingredients together. Mix in the dry ingredients until a smooth batter is formed. Fold in the banana, coconut and pecans. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for one hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

P.S.

My mother would like everyone to know the bread “was quite tasty”!  And the coconut was the “piece de resistance”!  I won’t mention how old the all purpose flour was though…