Going bananas over an inn and a recipe

Since today's recipe was inspired by a
125+ year old inn, I thought I'd show it
to you in black and white

We had the chance, this weekend, to stay at the Parrish Grove Inn (http://www.parrishgroveinn.com) - a lovely Bed and Breakfast in Cocoa Village FL - thanks to a fortuitous discount situation.

The house in which the inn is located is more than a century old and a decade ago, it was moved - by barge - from the neighboring town of Rockledge to the Cocoa Village area. It is filled with antiques and the charm of a bygone era.

Whenever we are traveling, I scour the internet for coupons, discounts and other ways to save a bit. Sometimes you can stay at the most luxe place in town for less than the discount motel if you shop around and take advantage of the opportunities that are out there.

It doesn't take too much time to shop around and look for the deals and if you're on a budget like we are, it's well worth the time.

Gail, the lovely proprietress at the inn, provided us with fresh fruit, tasty cheeses and a fine assortment of wine  throughout our stay. While it was advertised that these treats were reserved for a daily happy hour, she kept the fruit on the counter for our enjoyment any time of the day or night.

So, while we were there, I seemed to be the only guest who was interested in eating the bananas and by the end of the weekend, the kitchen was filled with the smell of the fruits as they began to get speckled and fill with sugary goodness. All I could think of as we stepped out the door for the last time was getting home and making banana muffins.

We weren't in the door at home an hour and I was taking fragrant muffins from the oven to serve with a late lunch.

They are easy, inexpensive and absolutely delish.

Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping

1 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup of sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup of melted butter

1/3 cup of packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons of flour
1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of butter

• Preheat oven to 375º and lightly grease 5 large muffin cups, or line them with muffin papers.
• In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, the baking soda, the baking powder and the salt.
• In another bowl, beat together the bananas, the sugar, the egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups.
• In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, the flour and the cinnamon. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle this mixture on top of the muffins.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a knife, inserted into center of a muffin, comes out clean.

Vegetarian