We have been getting slammed with our weather. We live on an island for crying out loud……..we are not supposed to get snow, but this winter has been surprising us with some unwelcome white stuff. And by surprising us, I mean we received about 2 feet in one day which set in motion a bunch of sitting around doing nothing! Add another 6-8 inches the next day and we islanders were about to lose our minds! My own road didn’t get plowed for 3 days…..3 freaking days, are you kidding me? And of course, my husband left the day before it started to snow so I was on my own! 3 feet of snow in the driveway = no going anywhere for me for a while!
Looking out at all the white stuff made me reflect on the many places we have lived; did I say many? When you work in the mining sector, you go where the mines are and they are usually in the north somewhere away from civilization and we did this until our kids were born and decided to have a home base (I will tell you about our first place in a later post). Anyway, the snow got me thinking about how far we have come and it reminded me that sometimes it’s good just to go back to what you know, that sometimes there is comfort in the familiar.
When my husband and I got married we moved to Canada and back to his hometown until we decided where our journey together was going to take us. I went from a big city in the US to a small island in Canada, if that’s not a culture shock I don’t know what is. Salt Spring Island is a beautiful little place with none of the comforts that Denver had but its charm was in its simplicity. On Salt Spring, life seemed to slow down, it seemed simpler, more laid back and more “natural”. I grew up on a farm with horses, goats, cattle and wide open spaces. My husband grew up with sheep, beaches, camp fires and salty air. We were from 2 different cultures yet we knew at once that we were soulmates. Isn’t it interesting how fate works sometimes? I have long since stopped wondering why things happened the way they did and just embrace it for the amazing life I have been given.
I looked on the counter and noticed some bananas that were just about done so in keeping with the thought of going back to what I know, I pulled out a favorite cookbook from our Salt Spring days. I will admit that for the most part I don’t use cookbooks anymore, I use Pinterest and all my favorite pinners, but today I reached for the only recipe I use to make banana bread and got to work in the kitchen. This cookbook is called Win, Taste and Show and is a collection of Blue Ribbon Recipes from the 
1979 and 1980 Fall Fairs, that fair is a big deal on Salt Spring and this cookbook is the best of the best!
Before I share the recipe with you, I wanted to show you my newest kitchen acquisition……aren’t these the cutest? These little measuring bowls by The Pioneer Woman are awesome! I love her style, her recipes, her homestead and I especially love that she wears her cowboy boots when she is cooking! Ok, here is the recipe I’m raving about – I hope your family loves it as much as mine does!
Win Taste & Show Banana Bread
Ingredients
Combine together and set aside
- ½ Cup Sour Milk or Buttermilk This can be made by adding 2 TBSP of vinegar and top with milk until you have ½ cup of liquid. Let it sit for a couple of minutes until it thickens up
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
Mix together in separate bowl
- 1 ¼ Cup White Sugar
- ½ Cup Butter Melted and cooled
- 3 Egg Yolks
Add to sugar mixture
- ½ Tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Ripe Mashed Bananas Approximately 3 large
- 1 Cup Walnuts Optional
- 1 ¾ Cup All Purpose Flour
Gently fold into mixture
- 3 Beaten Egg Whites
Instructions
- Bake in a loaf pan for 1 hour at 350°. This loaf freezes well
