Waffles and mashin' nanners ~ Why do some things take so long to realize?

This morning I woke up excited about a new pancake/waffle mix I had discovered. While I normally like making things from scratch, the convenience of a good pancake/waffle mix makes the morning activity of breakfast much easier. I won't mention the brand of the mix because for one I don't want to be an advertisement for them and for another....it really wasn't that great of a mix as I soon discovered. The unfortunate event of the bad mix fortunately was overshadowed by my new discovery.

I'm a poster child for those people that get overly excited about the "little" things in life. I especially love when I discover randomly a new way of doing things that previously for whatever reason has never entered my mind.

I always like to add things to a plain waffle mix. One of my favorite additions is bananas and walnuts. Also, as a rule, if vanilla has a place, add it.

Now on to my big epiphany. For years when using bananas in baked goods such as bread or waffles I have used separate bowl to mash them up. The convex nature of the bowl and scraping out of all the mashed banana always seems to add a certain awkwardness to the process.

This morning I had taken out my cutting board so that I could chop my toasted walnuts (pre-toasting of the nuts brings out more of the flavor) and had an idea. I laid my banana out and used the flat surface to fork it to mush. I get a thrill out of discovering shortcuts to processes and this banana discovery made me very happy.

What a difference! I then proceeded to chop the nuts and add a splash of chia seeds to bring a little more nutrition. Now all the additions could easily be corralled with the knife and added to the mix without dirtying an extra dish or scraping and scraping to be sure I didn't leave any of the precious banana mush behind.

I know it sounds trivial to most but I was really elated with this new discovery. I followed the directions on the package of mix and wound up a distressful watery batter. Thanks to my new banana mashing discovery though I really didn't pay much mind to it and had hopes that the mix manufacturers new something I didn't.

You know that feeling when you know something just doesn't seem right but you carry on with it anyway, that was exactly what I fell for.

The waffles turned out with this beautiful outer crisp browning but the middle was a soggy disappointment. They were edible, just not the results I am used to.

Needless to say, it wasn't something a little butter and maple syrup couldn't overshadow. I also was still flying high on my banana mashing discovery and figured that it was all a sacrifice for this new knowledge gained.

It's the little things in life that keep me coming back for more.

Am I the only one out there that marvels in the little things? Would love to hear about those little trivial things that excite you.