If you are used to the savory style white cornbread you eat along side soup beans, this recipe will open your taste buds to a whole different dimension. I'm not necessarily saying "better" here but completely different. First off, Sunshine Cornbread is sweet and this puts it in another category as far as breads go.  Second, it's cake like and made from yellow cornmeal so the appearance sets it apart.

From my early years and also for our children growing up, this recipe is cornbread. My husband, on the other hand, grew up in Appalachia with the savory white cornbread served with soup beans. So I am guessing this recipe was birthed out of my northern Mennonite roots. Where ever it came from, Sweet Sunshine Cornbread is best with a dab of butter and topped with local honey. We do eat it with soup or chili but I also like it for a quick, light breakfast. In fact, leftovers, if there are any, become breakfast. So it's duel purpose!  

The Recipe:
Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Cream together:
1 cup White Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Butter or Margarine

Beat in:
4 Eggs

Add dry ingredients alternately with milk:
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
2 cup Yellow Cornmeal
2 1/2 cups Flour
2 cups Milk

Pour into greased 9x13 inch pan. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
(This recipe can also be made by reducing all the ingredients by half and baking in a 9 inch square pan. Decrease cooking time to 35 minutes.)

​It happens to all of us...those over ripe bananas!  
Sometimes I'm tempted to pitch them.

But on a good day (or maybe when I had just a little too much coffee), I turn something beyond hope into yummy goodness...Oatmeal Banana Bread!

This has been my "go to" banana bread recipe for years because the unique addition of oatmeal yields a moister variation of the traditional quick bread. And even though it doesn't sit on the counter for long, the moist texture stays until the last crumb is devoured.

So whether you through over-ripe bananas in the freezer like my mom does. Or whether you just want to use up the over purchase from last weeks grocery store run...yep, that's me!  Yummy Oatmeal Banana Bread is the way to go.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

​Cream thoroughly:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar

Add, beating until fluffy:
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Add dry ingredients, alternating with bananas and milk:
​1 cup flour
1 cup quick oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 medium sized over-ripe bananas (or 1 & 1/2 cup mashed)
1/4 cup milk

Fold in:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

​Pour into two greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. For extra moist bread, cover for 5 minutes as it cools after removing from oven. (I prefer two smaller loaves to one larger one. I know it is the same amount of batter but two loaves seem to last a bit longer around our house. If you prefer, you can put all the batter into one 9 x 5 inch greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.)

Slice with a serrated knife and cover with a generous layer of butter or margarine.  Enjoy with a warm cup of coffee or a cool glass of milk!