Happy National Dessert Month!

Who is in charge of coming up with this stuff? Regardless, it does call for celebration. Not because I'm real into desserts - I'm not - but I'm very recently getting into baking [I'm actually making pumpkin bread as we speak] and I couldn't be more excited about it. I'm finding that I really do need follow directions when baking, which has been a challenge, but a good learning experience.

I just added the greatest baking staple to my kitchen - Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook [thanks Jane!]. It's just the best. It's filled with everything you need to know about baking, including hundreds of recipes for everything that goes in the oven - breads, cakes, pies, cookies, crackers, and lots of very interesting things that I may or may not be able to pronounce that I'm hoping I'll have the guts to try someday.

I highly recommend picking up a copy - I really think you'll toss your other baking cookbooks and replace them with this one. This was my official verdict after I made the banana bread...TO DIE FOR. I brought it to work the morning of the Iowa v Ball State game and by the end of the morning, I found that my coworkers had ceased neatly slicing the bread because it looked like it had been attacked. I took this as a compliment. Downside: no lemon meringue pie recipe. But we'll forgive Martha, she's been through a lot. Other than that, it's perfect.

Let's go ahead and post that Banana Bread recipe. It's too good to miss out on.

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup ripe mashed bananas (about 3 medium)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut [I used sweetened on accident. Def. don't regret it]
1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and finely chopped [optional. I didn't use nuts]
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. Coat two 9x5'' loaf pans with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

Beat eggs, sugar, and oil on medium low speed until combined. Beat in the flour mixture. Add vanilla, banana, coconut, nuts, and buttermilk, and beat just to combine.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans; smooth with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until a cake tester comes out clean, 60-65 minutes. Transfer to wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool completely.

I regret not snapping a picture of it last week..you'll just have to make it to see how delicious it looks!