Epiphany

One of my favorite things to do is bake. I have also found more joy in cooking this last year. I like to find unique recipes, but then put my own twist on it....and see what happens. We've had some successes and we've had some flops, but that's the joy of cooking right?

The boys have their sweet ways of getting around eating the things they don't like, feigning sickness, pushing it around the plate to spread it out as if there isn't much there, and of course, claiming they are full...only to return to the kitchen within the hour in search of something to eat.

I'm ok with those nights. At first it would bother me that they wouldn't eat it. However, B and I are just grateful that they will at least try everything that I put in front of them, we can't make them like it! Right?

So onward I go creating, reinventing, and sometimes completely flubbing one recipe after another, all while my family looks on with hungry eyes and watering mouths.

One of their favorite foods-- for all 3-- is banana bread. Awesome! I love banana bread. I've tried several different recipes, I've used ripe bananas, unripe bananas, more bananas, fewer bananas, frozen bananas, flax seed in place of eggs, eggs at room temperature, white flour, bread flour, whole wheat flour...I've tried them all, and with several recipes, yet I still have not perfected a recipe. My family never seems to mind. They inhale the bread the moment it pops from the oven, squealing with delight, and begging for more. They love it! (easy to please) I'm not sold though. I don't walk away thrilled.

Until today. I had an epiphany. When I use the overripe bananas, they are always frozen. I chop them up and mix them in, and all is well. The texture just doesn't come out right. So today, the day of my marathon bread making day, I discovered one more variation that I hadn't tried before. Over ripe, frozen bananas at room temperature rather than still frozen! TA DA!! We have it folks. Finally. Now, not only is my family going to be happy with the bread, but at last I will too! And I discovered it on loaf 2 of 10. So hopefully the rest will turn out as awesome as the initial loaf!

Ok ok, enough about banana bread!