Aunt Lina's Banana Bread

I'm not sure who Aunt Lina actually is. If you come from a big Italian family, anyone of your generation is your cousin and anyone of your parents' generation is your aunt or uncle, regardless of their actual relation to you (or lack thereof!) So finding a recipe in my mother's scrawled handwriting titled "Aunt Lina's Banana Bread" only tells me that someone my grandmother's age gave this to her. No recipe I've ever gotten from a grandmother has ever been bad! And I had some superripe bananas to use up!

Aunt Lina's Banana Bread
5 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 and 1/2 cups)
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of loaf pan.
2. Beat butter with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugars and beat well. Add egg, egg whites, and vanilla, beat until well blended. Add banana and beat on high for 30 seconds.
3. Combine dry ingredients (except nuts) in a bowl. Add half the flour mixture to better mixture and beat. Add milk and beat. Add rest of flour mixture and beat well. Add walnuts if desired and mix well.
4. Pour batter evenly into prepared pan. Tap twice on counter to make sure it is even. Bake until brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
5. Cool in pan on wire rack for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack. Wrap well and let sit overnight for best flavor.

The Verdict
It was delicious, it was hearty, it was... gone in two days. Success!