Better Homes And Gardens Cookbook Circa 1963

Happy Thursday!

I had so much fun making a 1963 banana bread yesterday! I purchased a vintage Better Homes & Gardens cookbook at the Gibson Mill last summer and finally decided to make one of the recipes. It's crazy to think that this book was published when my mom was a baby. Some of these recipes are similar to the ones my grandma made us when we were kids. Veggies in jello? It's in the cookbook! I grew up eating that.

Some of the recipes are a little questionable, but I have many marked from the cookbook that I can't wait to try out. I ordered a collection of them on eBay yesterday to make this a fun series on my TikTok! And yes, this recipe video is on my Tiktok, too. I haven't quit the app yet. It's a fun spot to document my dinners and recipes in real-time, so I love that! Many of my dinners from the recap posts will be on TikTok so that you can try them out, too! better homes and gardens 1963 cookbook, barbecues and picnics, porch suppers, and picnics, recipe, banana bread, Hawaiian, Kona, vintage, recipe I decided to start with an easy recipe for my first attempt at the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

The banana bread couldn't have been any more simple, and it was in their island-style section. Whenever you have breakfast in Hawaii, they almost always serve banana bread with your fruit. It's so delicious, and I was excited to try a new recipe out. The ingredients were minimal, and it's the perfect recipe for using up bananas before they go bad.

Now that we have the porch looking cozy and cute (it's almost finished), I love sitting outside with coffee or tea in the evenings. I can't wait to serve up some coffee and this banana bread all spring and summer while sitting on the front porch. It's the little things in life that I look forward to. better homes and gardens 1963 cookbook, barbecues and picnics, porch suppers, and picnics, recipe, banana bread, Hawaiian, Kona, vintage, recipe

better homes and gardens 1963 cookbook, barbecues and picnics, porch suppers, and picnics, recipe, banana bread, Hawaiian, Kona, vintage, recipe

1963 Better Homes & Gardens Banana Bread

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 48 minutes

Resting Time 20 minutes

1/3 Cup Shortening I used butter
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3 Medium Extra Ripe Bananas
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
Cream butter and sugar together in an electric mixer.
Mix in the eggs.
Sift the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.
Mash bananas with a fork.
Add the dry ingredients to the electric mixer alternately with the banana. Blend well.
Fold in the walnuts.
Pour mixture into a well-greased (or lined with parchment paper) loaf pan.
Bake for 45-55 minutes.

You'll know when it's done when the toothpick comes out clean.
Allow the loaf to cool for about fifteen minutes before slicing!

better homes and gardens 1963 cookbook, barbecues and picnics, porch suppers, and picnics, recipe, banana bread, Hawaiian, Kona, vintage, recipe The banana bread came out so delicious! I'm used to adding in brown sugar, more butter, cinnamon, and vanilla, but this was equally good without all of those ingredients. I ended up topping the bread with a bit of cinnamon sugar to sweeten it up a bit more. I think it could have used more sugar, or maybe the bananas could have been a bit riper for adding extra sweetness. If you don't like overly sweet banana bread, you will for sure like this recipe. It was light and fluffy! I swapped the shortening for butter.
better homes and gardens 1963 cookbook, barbecues and picnics, porch suppers, and picnics, recipe, banana bread, Hawaiian, Kona, vintage, recipe I hope you enjoyed this little vintage recipe from the 1963 cookbook! I'm excited to try more. Now that it's 70-degrees outside, I'm going to head out on my walk and then plant a few more bulbs. 😊