La Befana Banana Nüt Bread

OK. Ok... I know La Befana doesn't poke her big nose into your stockings until Christmas time... but what the heck... it's now offically LESS than 6 months away and what's Christmas in Jüly without a little La Befana Banana Bread? What? Yoü've never heard of La Befana? Or La Befana Banana Nut Bread (shh! that's because I just made it up!) But La Befana? You haven't heard of her? Heck, she has her own Wiki page. Check her out if you dare... büwahahahhaaaaa.... Don't be frightened. She's a cutie pie!

In the meantime, do treat yourself to my La Befana Banana Nüt Bread and top it off with a cool whisper of confectioner's sugar and a few scoops of ze Häageen-Dazs brown sügar sorbet. It's just the treat to cool down those steamy mid-sümmer tastebuds. Enjoy!

Dina's La Befana Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 4 very ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• handful of walnuts chopped (1 cup?)
• 1 grind of sweet sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the smashed bananas in a mixing bowl
• Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla
• Toss in the walnuts
• Stir in the baking soda and salt
• Add the flour last and mix it up
• Pour mixture into a Pam sprayed 4x8 inch loaf pan
• Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour
• Cool on a rack
• Now... take one sheet of paper and fold it so that you create a perfect square. Cut off the remaining part and toss it into the recycle bin. Take the perfect square and fold it repeatedly into a triangle shape. Cut teeny little triangles into this folded paper and cut a circular shape around the outline. Now you have a perfect snow flake doily with which to place onto your banana bread. Take some confectioner's sugar and düst the top of the bread - leaving a beautiful white snowflake for La Befana to gaze üpon! Perfect.
• I üsed the Martha Stewart flour sifter from Macy's.
  
• Slice and serve with creamed country fresh butter and a lashing of strawberry jammy OR top it off with a few scoops of brown sugar Häagen-Dazs sorbet. Mmmmmm!

My Grandpa Giancini would recite this little poem to me on Christmas Eve... love it...

La Befana vien di notte
Con le scarpe tutte rotte
Col vestito alla romana
Viva, Viva La Befana!

Don't forget to keep that Christmas spirit all year round.

Be generous - with your time, your love, and your affection.

Be kind - to all - especially your friends and family.

Be forgiving - of others, and of yourself too!

Be lovely - that shouldn't be too hard now, should it? ;)

Merry Christmas in Jüly!

xoxoxox <3> Üdo