What do you do with overripe bananas? I make banana bread, banana pancakes or banana cookies. I have good recipes for all three. Let's talk about bananas.

I don't remember eating or even seeing a banana growing up on the farm. Unless you have lived through the Great Depression like I did, you probably don't understand. The little things you take for granted now were unheard of by this barefoot little girl running through the swamp next to our house. It wasn't until we moved to town that I tasted delicacies like an ice cream cone or a bright yellow banana. This was before the age of television. Hey, we didn't even had one of those new inventions, the radio.

In those days bananas were displayed in the larger grocery stores on the entire stalk, not just individual “hands.” You pointed to the ones you wanted and the grocer cut them off. Now you find such pictures of bananas in National Geographic magazine or in a photo of friends from Florida. My, times have changed. My kids eyes glaze over when I reminisce of such things. They have no comprehension of what I'm talking about. I sometimes think they don't even believe me. “It couldn't have been that bad!” their expressions tell me. I pray they never see such times.

I remember the grocer in our neighborhood scaring us by telling of the huge poisonous spiders still lurking among the bananas. We believed him. He probably spun such yarns to keep our hands away from the bananas. It worked. Do you remember such tales from your childhood?

Some recipes are easy to stir up. If you have a young daughter eager to learn how to cook, this recipe would guarantee success. Nothing encourages us to try new things like success. Try my Banana-Oatmeal Cookies and see what you think.

BANANA-OATMEAL COOKIES

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 eggs
2 cups oatmeal
½ cup chopped nuts

Sift together flour, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside. In mixing bowl, beat together sugar and shortening until blended. Add eggs. Beat until fluffy. Stir in bananas. Add flour all at once. Stir until combined. Add oatmeal and nuts. Again stir until combined. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Drop from teaspoons onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 F. for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.