The next time you head out into the world and face the horror of socially distanced grocery shopping, add bananas to your list! They need a few days to ripen into sweetness so its better to buy a few days before you intend on powering up your oven. This recipe is insanely easy and #bananachic. The idea is to split the banana open, expose the spine and place delicately on top of your batter. This adds a nice touch to each slice and puts your surgery skills to the test.

Ingredients:
 4 ripe bananas (1 for decor) 
1/3 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt 
1 + 1/2 cups flour 

Method
Preheat oven to 350 F. Smash 3 of the bananas with a fork in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a big spoon. Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla. Sprinkle in the baking soda and pinch of salt. Mix. Add flour little by little mixing between the additions. Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan. Tap the bottom of the pan on the counter top to even out the batter. Cut the decor* banana with a knife in a sagittal fashion and lightly place on top of batter with center spine showing (see photo for design option). Bake one hour.** Cool on wire rack. Enjoy! 

Notes:
*The decor banana is just for fun and adds a little sweetness with each slice but can be left out. 
**Chopped walnuts can be sprinkled on top before baking if you want a crunch!