A few of you commented on the ramekins I used in our last post.  Where did they come from, you ask?  They actually came from our house.  Kevin and I moved to Seattle from Southern California almost two years ago.  In the autumn of 2008, we started looking for a house, but–being the picky people we are–we couldn’t find one that was perfect.  During this time, we drove past an estate sale and wandered in.  The house was a wreck: it hadn’t been updated in 30 years, everything was threadbare and dirty, and I remember saying to Kevin “well, at least we’re not looking at this house.  (Famous last words, trust me.)  I found a box of Anchor Hocking casserole dishes and ramekins at this estate sale in the Meadow Green pattern, which was produced between 1967-1977.

To make a long story short, we bought the house a few months later and it became our threadbare and dirty house!  Originally, Kevin and I were searching for a ‘time capsule’ house that had vintage style and didn’t need much work.  Sadly, they were out of our price-range, so we had to make some major renovations to the house in order to turn it into a place we’d be proud to call home.  But that’s the subject of another post–back to the ramekins!

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So, after hauling away my casserole dishes and ramekins, a few months later, they came back to their house, which was now our house!  I use the dishes, especially the ramekins, often and I think they like that they’re being put to good use!  In fact, I used them in today’s recipe, which comes from a 1940’s (or maybe 1950s?) cookbook from the Mayflower Church Guild in Minneapolis.  I tried to find the church online, but it seems that it’s now the Museum of Russian Art.  I guess times and churches change, don’t they?

Dorothy Olson’s Banana Nut Muffins

Transcribed from the Cook Book of the Mayflower Church Guild, 2nd edition

1/3 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 eggs beaten

1 1/3 c. flour

3 tbsp. buttermilk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3/8 tsp. baking powder

1/3 c. chopped walnuts

2/3 c. mashed banana

Mix in order given and bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees).

I baked ours for 30 minutes and they turned out perfectly!