Strawberry Bread

This is a recipe I have been making for years - found it years ago ( late 1970's or early 1908's) in The Total Woman Cookbook.  Anybody out there remember "The Total Woman" ?  It was the title of a book by Marabel Morgan and was a much debated book about how to make your husband happy.  A few years later the cookbook was published and I am still using a few of those recipes to this day.  This one is a keeper - 

Strawberry Bread - Makes 2 (?) loaves.  Terrific with salad for lunch or as a dessert!

• 2 (10 ounce) packages of frozen strawberries, thawed.  ( I can never find 10 ounce any more...I use      what I can find, sometimes mixing in fresh strawberries if I have them to make up the 20 ounces.)
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup oil 
• 3 cups flour ( I use white, sometimes whole wheat, or add some oat bran)
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped nuts ( usually walnuts, but you can use others...)

Preheat oven to 350 degree.  Grease and flour ( or use baking spray) two 9x5 loaf pans.  In a separate bowl combine strawberries, eggs, and oil.

In a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nuts.  

Add the dry ingredients to the strawberry mixture and mix until blended. Pour batter into loaf pans and bake 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Before popping in the oven I usually sprinkle some "raw" sugar on top...I don't know the official name of this sugar as you can see I made my own recycled container for it...but you could use regular sugar.  This gives the top of the loaves a nice touch.  Also...see the two little pans ?  Sometimes this recipe makes two big loaves...sometimes, depending on the strawberries and how much liquid they are in it seems to make more batter.  I usually just make two little loaves that are perfect for "tea for two time!"

Let the loaves cool on a rack....

And when cool you can wrap in foil ( NOT plastic wrap...and if you read The Total Woman you know what I mean...) and the loaves can be popped in the freezer until you need them.  Since I was taking a loaf as a gift to a luncheon I wrapped mine - 

I like to buy colorful dishtowels to have on hand for giving loaves as gifts.  Just place the loaf on the towel kind of diagonally...

wrap over two sides, then tie the remaining ends in a knot !  Looks great !

Here is my lovely friend with the bread all sliced up and ready to go on her fabulous lunch buffet!

What a great afternoon with librarian friends enjoying delicious food and catching up with each other's lives! Wonderful to chat with retired friends and those enjoying summer before the start of another school year.  Librarians ROCK !