Another “Week” is upon us; TV Turnoff Week. After mentioning this, reciting some statistics about TV-viewing and obesity rates is de rigueur, so I did a little research to support my own untested hypothesis on the matter. According to the US Department of Labor, US citizens over age 18 spend a full two-thirds more time watching TV than they do in preparing food and cleaning up after meals. Compare that with life just a few short generations ago, where most of a family’s time and labor went into what they put into their mouths.
We’ve all heard the facts relating to TV viewing and the risks of obesity. We know that being sedentary during TV time is just part of the problem; it’s also a tendency toward prepackaged foods and snacks, the advertising for which is television’s bread and butter. Furthermore, snacking while watching TV easily leads to overeating. Regardless of these symptoms, an underlying cause is easy to see: people are more disconnected from their food sources than ever before. Making a meal entirely from scratch is a great way to reconnect. Celebrate TV Turnoff Week by selecting some family favorites—those recipes you can’t be without—and getting everyone involved in the kitchen. From picking the produce to doing the dishes, you’ll be active, sated and entertained by your own efforts.
While you’ve got those recipes out, talk about the way they came to be in your family’s repertoire. Were they favorite hand-me-downs with sure ties to a particular person, or did you stumble across them one day? How have you changed the recipes to suit your family’s taste? I like to collect those recipes, along with a footnote about their origin, in a binder. Making a cookbook this way is a wonderful portrait of your family. Homemade cookbooks also make wonderful gifts.
Here’s a family recipe that I’ve shared time and again, originally published by my aunt in the Mount Hope Presbyterian cookbook. It’s a standard breakfast or tea-time treat, easy to make and better than any prepackaged sweet.
Aunt Gretta’s Banana Bread
1¼ c. flour
1 c. sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
½ c. softened butter
1 c. mashed bananas (2 or 3 overripe bananas)
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional, or more to taste)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together all dry ingredients. Cream in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add mashed banana and eggs, stirring just until batter is moistened. Do not over mix. Fold in nuts.
Spread batter into a loaf pan and bake 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack about 15 minutes before unmolding.
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Editor’s Note: Angela Denstad Stigeler writes a food column each week for the Caledonia Argus. She, her husband and their two young children live in Caledonia.
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