Something that is kind of unexpectedly fun is to think you’ve got yourself a staple recipe that you’ve been making for several years that you never thought you’d need to revisit. Something like, say, your favorite lasagna recipe or chocolate chip recipe. This is how I felt about my favorite banana bread recipe. I had experimented and tried many, MANY banana bread recipes a few years back and confidently felt like I had found “the one”.

That is until I watched my friend’s three kids for a couple days and being the rockstar mom that she is, she brought a bag full of chocolate chip banana muffins for us all to snack on.

I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by a ziptop baggie full of muffins, but I most definitely was! It’s kind of funny, but if you’ve grown to really love a recipe, you could very well find yourself in the depths of the stages of grief for a beloved recipe you thought was “the one”! You could find yourself suddenly in…

Phase 1: Denial. You could get in your head and wonder--”Were those really that good? Am I sure those muffins were better than the ones I make??” Thankfully, I don’t stay here for long or dwell here too long because I get pretty excited if I find a recipe I like more than the one I’ve been using. But if it is a dear family recipe or one you’ve concocted yourself that you are pretty dang proud of (I’m looking at you, potato salad!), you could find yourself unhappily dwelling here for a while. Or you could move on to….

Phase 2: Anger and Bargaining. You may find yourself getting a bit defensive that your recipe didn’t make the mark, or even moody. Try to snap yourself out of this silliness--you and your family will thank you if you move on to …..

Phase 3: Acceptance. It’s time to ask for that recipe, and see if it really is as good as you thought it was! It’s time to…..

Phase 4: Test it Out Yourself. Here’s the ultimate test. My friend Kelly made this recipe and they were 10 out of 10 stars! Let’s see if Mary can do the same! Gear yourself up, turn on your favorite playlist and make that recipe!

Phase 5: VICTORY! It’s time to celebrate!! You’ve got a new favorite recipe! And heaven knows you went through a lot of humbling and mental stuff to get there! This was all just a bit of silly fun, but I’ve been cooking long enough now that I have come across this a few times, so I can only imagine how it feels sometimes when you have a recipe you’ve been making for decades, like my mom, and how that would feel to find a better recipe. Even my mom, who is the world’s BEST cook, can be humbled by a new recipe every once in a while :)

Can you think of a specific recipe you made for years, only to find a newer, better one down the road? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Also, feel free to make this amazing banana bread recipe I was referring to below. My friend just adds chocolate chips and bakes them as muffins for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. You just might discover a humblingly good recipe like I did!



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