All About Food | June 1st, 2016
My great-grandma Marion was kind of a badass.
She lived all her life in Traill County, N.D., the daughter of H.H. McNair, a Portland, N.D., mayor, and his stoic wife Gabriella, who lost her first husband and two children to tuberculosis. Marion was the youngest of her siblings, and her parents were significantly older than average (he was 50, she was 45).
Nevertheless, Marion had a bright childhood. Fishing on the Goose River. Taking up photography as a hobby with her brownie camera. She hunted as a young woman and married a general practitioner who delivered over 2,000 babies in his 50-year career without ever losing a mother. Marion played chess, bird watched and taught first grade for two years.
She graduated from Mayville Normal School in 1922. She, like her daughter, was a baker, and while at normal school picked up a recipe her descendants still use to this day.
Credited to “Mary S.” (likely a classmate), Great-Grandma Marion’s recipe for banana bread is a winner. Just don’t forget the salt like my dad did.
In my years of using this recipe, I find it best to double the recipe since four loaves are better than two. Also, four loaves are better for crowds of more than one person.
Some notes for this bread: Brownish black bananas are best. The older, the better. But not too old.
Also, another mistake of my dad’s you don’t want to replicate: Do not dump all the ingredients in at once. This isn’t that kind of recipe.
Finally, be sure to spray your pans. Marion’s recipe leaves that out. #mess
Here is Great-Grandma Marion’s “Banana Bread” in her own instructions.
Banana Bread (doubled)
2c sugar1 cup margarine4 eggs6 mashed bananas 6 tbls sour milk 2 tsp. soda4 cups flour
Cream sugar and shortening together. Add eggs, mashed bananas. Mix soda and flour together. Add sour milk and flour alternately. Bake in slow oven (I use 350 degree) until done. 50 min.? Makes 4 loaves 7 3/8 by 3 ¼ for a double recipe. Usually make double recipe.
[Writer’s note: Marion Little died in 2004 in Mayville, N.D., at the age of 99.]
August 19th 2025
July 15th 2025
June 17th 2025
April 16th 2025
March 26th 2025
_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
_(1)_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comDairy Queen restaurants across the country will raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals during Miracle Treat Day on Thursday, July 31. At least one dollar from every Blizzard…
By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comFM Pride Week returns to the Fargo-Moorhead metro August 3-10. A snapshot of events are listed below. Discover event descriptions and locations as well as volunteer opportunities online at…
September 12-13Brewhalla, 1666 1st Ave N, Fargo Hold onto your hats and step right up to the main event! DrekkerFest 11 kicks off with Timebomb Pro Wrestling on Friday night from 8-10 p.m. Enjoy an evening of suplexes, steel kegs,…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com I’m going to go ahead and say it. I have trust issues with a lot of things and artificial intelligence (AI) is one of them. Yes, it’s a tool that can sit shotgun and make your everyday tasks…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comIf a child is drowning in a ditch, will you get your shoes muddy? “Big Moma” Leah Drumwright was a Black slave in the 19th century who had one of her numerous babies and was nursing an infant.…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com There seems to be a renaissance in Italian restaurants in the Fargo-Moorhead metro area. It’s a welcome change from just sporting an Olive Garden as a lone option. No offense to Marilyn Hagerty’s…
By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.com Bluegrass is a genre of music that is often associated with the American South. Many people would express incredulity at being told there is a thriving bluegrass and folk music community…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Now available on HBO after a theatrical debut earlier this year at Tribeca in the Spotlight Documentary section, “Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print” considers the groundbreaking impact of the…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com 2025 marks three years of the Annual Vergas Area Backroads Art Crawl. The art crawl is sponsored by the Vergas Arts Club. The Arts Club also happens to be part of the Vegas Community Club and both…
Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comPenn & Teller are returning to their roots. The legendary magic and comedy duo will appear on the Crown Stage at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee, Minnesota, where they first…
By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…
By Dr. Marc Sapir, MD, MPHjessica@pellienpublicrelations.com Across America, families are quietly struggling with a rising challenge: how to care for aging parents, siblings, grandparents, neighbors and friends. Most seniors want…
By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…
By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…