On Memory, Coincidence, And Missy Cross' D**n Good Banana Bread

Back in high school, one of my best friends was a guy named Larry Cross (hi, Larry!!). He had a younger sister, Missy.

I say "had" because Missy died some time ago, far too young, from valley fever - a fungal infection of the lungs.

Missy was cute, smart, funny and amusing stories seemed to follow her around. My favorite involved a pot plant she lovingly tended in the back yard of her parent's Beverly Hills Home (it was the 60's after all...) that somehow just failed to thrive. One day their elderly Japanese gardener was there, and Missy came out and took him to where the plant was growing in back of the garage, explaining that it was a tomato plant she was growing for a school project.

"Roll it and smoke it, Missy, it's past its prime," she recounted him telling her...

Missy found or developed a great recipe for banana bread that she shared, and my ex- in college and I used to make it quite often.

Here's the recipe.

Preheat oven to 350

1 1/2 C Flour
1 1/4 C Sugar
1/4 LB Butter
4 T Sour Cream
1 t Vanilla
1 t Baking Soda
1/8 t Salt
2 Eggs
2-3 Overripe Pureed Bananas

Grease and flour bread pan

1. Cream together butter & sugar. Add eggs and soda dissolved in sour cream.
2. Sift together flour and salt
3. Alternate adding the flour mix & the banana puree to the egg mixture
4. Stir in vanilla

Bake ~ 1 1/2 hours

It also makes 15-18 muffins.

I like to add a sprinkle of chocolate chips (then again, TG points out that I like to add a sprinkle of chocolate chips to everything). You can use yogurt for the sour cream, or a 50/50 mix of whole wheat and white flour.

So about a month ago, I was pinged on Facebook by a friend of Missy's, who is now a writer in New York City.

And then the other day, I was looking at some blackening bananas in the bin and thought of making banana bread and reached out to my ex- for the recipe.

And she reminded me that it was Missy's recipe and passed on a thought for her.

And then that night TG and I went out to the movies and grabbed a burger and our waitress was a dead ringer for how I remember Missy from high school.

So I went home and made the bread, which is great. And thought I'd share the recipe in the hope that a few others out there will remember it as Missy Cross' recipe.