Appealing Banana Cupcakes

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip...yes, that's right I'm cookin' from Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook! Followers of my other blog, Cooking with Alice, had to know it wouldn't be long before I started a three hour (culinary) tour. Even though there are no fewer than 17 coconut cream pie recipes, I decided to go bananas, as there seemed to be an abundance of both on the island. These are billed as cupcakes, but they seem more muffiny to me, or perhaps more accurately,  like banana bread in a cup, especially since they have no frosting. They are good though, and the recipe was complete and easy, the proportions and timing were spot on - things not often said about Alice's Brady Bunch Cookbook. Not bad for a farm girl from Kansas.

"Voodoo Something to Me," just the third episode into the series (surprisingly, 95 more followed along with three TV movies, including the one where the Harlem Globetrotters visit the island - Go Trotters!). Don't confuse this episode with the one just called "Voodoo" where a witch doctor makes voodoo dolls of all of the castaways and then wreaks havoc (my personal fav). No, in this one the supply hut is being raided and in an effort to determine the culprit, the Skipper believes voodoo magic might be involved. The Professor, being a man of "science" dismisses the notion and insists there must be another explanation. Meanwhile, Gilligan falls into a mud hole and takes off his clothes to bathe in the lagoon when a chimp (the real thief) takes his clothes and puts them on, as undomesticated jungle chimps tend to do. The other SS Minnow passengers assume that Gilligan has been turned into a chimp (you know, cause of the voodoo). Finally, Gilligan emerges from the jungle wearing a well-placed leaf and tries to explain, but the chimp has the ship's flare gun and is pointing it at everyone. Gilligan cleverly saves the day, trading the chimp a banana for the gun. Phew! That was close, I think I'll make like a banana and split.

The Recipe:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar (I used less and they were still sweet, just like Mary Ann)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup soft butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 4)
2 eggs
 1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the butter, banana, eggs and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until the ingredients are blended and the mixture is smooth. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Makes 24 cupcakes (muffins/cups o' banana bread)