I have to tell you I made this bread twice and both times it was wonderful. First time, I had time to shell walnuts (the nuts in packages just don't seem to compare to fresh out of the shell...). The second time, no time to shell nuts - and it was equally gorgeous without them. I found orange marmalade with the skin cut into tiny bits instead of in shreds (first time I've ever shopped for marmalade) and it was, to me, what made this banana bread the BEST I've ever eaten: those little bright bursts of orange gave it interest without overwhelming it. Of course the texture and moistness also beats out any banana bread I've ever made. I can say I wasn't much of a fan of banana bread before: it was one of those things I made when I blew it and let the bananas go too long and felt guilty so I did someting with the bananas to keep them from going totally to waste. But this recipe is one I made just because it's good. In fact, the second time I made it was for other people (tested the recipe to eat at home the first time) and I planned ahead, buying bananas a week before I made it, to let them go black. (I never thought I'd deliberately let bananas go black.) My first attempt I used a teflon-coated loaf pan that (in my quirky oven) made the outside too dark, close to burnt. So I bought two very shiny loaf pans just for this recipe, doubled it and made a whole lot of hard-working people happy. This is now 'my' banana bread recipe! I know I'll be making it again and again. Thanks!

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