Banana Bread w/Dried Cherries, Pecans, and Marmalade

Makes one loaf; adapted from the Joy of Cooking recipe for quick banana bread

Have all ingredients at about 70 deg F. Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

Sift together:

               1 ¾ cups flour (sifted all purpose, or blended with whole wheat, to taste)

               2 ¼ t baking powder

               ½ t salt

               2 T pumpkin spice blend, or 1 T cinnamon, 1 t ginger, ½ t nutmeg, 1 t all-spice, ½ t cloves

Blend until creamy:

               1/3 cup shortening or butter

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup orange marmalade

Beat in:

               3 beaten eggs

               1 to 1 ¼ cup ripe banana pulp

Add the sifted dry ingredients in 3 additions to the sugar mixture. Beat until smooth after each addition. Fold in:

               1/2 cup chopped dried cherries

               1/2 cup pecans

Do not overbeat between each addition. Fold in:

               12 oz bag chocolate chips, plus chopped up chocolate bar in larger pieces

Pour batter into a loaf pans lined with parchment paper. On top of each loaf, sprinkle to cover in a single layer:

1/3 cup brown sugar

¼ stick (1/8^th cup) butter, cut into pieces

Bake for about an hour, until a butter knife inserted in the center pulls out clean. Cool in pan a few minutes, then turn out onto rack to finish cooling before slicing.