Best Banana Bread

I LOVE this recipe. Funny story: This is another one from my mom and I always loved it growing up. So, I grow up and get married and decide to make this for my husband. Well, it calls for buttermilk, which we don't just have on hand, so I dutifully make a trip to the store to get some. I follow the recipe and stick it in the oven. It smells so good as it cooks, but when I go to pull it out the center is all sunken in and the edges are rock hard. I was seriously disappointed. Undeterred, I tried several times more, each time hoping for that warm, delicious reward. Each time with the same results! I gave up on it for a while and blamed it on my oven. Then we moved. New oven, new chance to succeed! ...Or not. Finally, I call my mom and ask her what in the world I'm doing wrong. That's when I realize: 1 cup of buttermilk, PREPARED! Not 1 cup of powdered buttermilk. Iiii'm an idiot. But she doesn't even use buttermilk. She uses regular milk with some lemon juice in it. That was NOT in the recipe. Now, I am happy to say, I can make it with the best of them! Finally! FYI- the best banana's to use for this are WAY past their prime. I'm talking BLACK peels. Like, when you think a banana is just past that peak of ripeness and starting to taste funny- wait a couple more days to a week. The more past ripe they are, the stronger their flavor. Unless they start to ooze. Then throw them away.

1 C bananas{I use 2 large bananas or 3 small to medium bananas}
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C shortening
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 C flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp soda
1 C nuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 C buttermilk {Prepared!! Or about 2 tbsp lemon juice then add milk to make a cup and let sit for a minute and the milk will curdle.}

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and mash bananas. Add sugar, brown sugar, shortening, vanilla, bananas, and eggs. Cream together. Sift dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add alternatively with the buttermilk. Pour into 2 large, or 4 small greased loaf pans. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in center of a loaf comes out clean.