You Don’t Always Need a Recipe

I woke up very hungry this morning and decided to make something for breakfast using whatever I could find in my fridge. My eyes landed on the package of blueberries next to the yogurt and I immediately thought, “Pancakes would be great!”

With the help of a quick search, I found a recipe for Fluffy Greek Yogurt Blueberry Pancakes and my personal assistant Brooke started gathering ingredients. Together we measured and stirred, ticking off the list as we added each item, flour, baking soda, sugar and so on.

We were about to add the dry ingredients to the wet (that’s flour mix into egg and yogurt for you non-bakers) when I realized the recipe didn’t call for vanilla. I am a firm believer that most any baked item can be improved with the addition of a little dash of vanilla. So, even thought it wasn’t listed, I tossed some in.

I have had personal assistant staff look at me in horror when I changed a recipe by omitting or adding something. Thankfully, Brooke has cooked enough with me to know I like to modify ingredient lists and often agrees these changes result in good outcomes.

This was the case today because we both give these pancakes a 5 out of 5 review! They were fluffy, as the title promised. They puffed up and each bite contained at least 2 blueberries. And yes, the vanilla added just the right amount of flavor to make this my new go-to.

So many things in life are like a new recipe. You can follow it step by step as written and get good results. Or, you can try changing a step to see if it makes a positive change.

The change could result in disaster. Nobody wants me to repeat the adventure when I accidentally used flour instead of powdered sugar while making icing. And despite what “they” say, sweet potatoes can’t always substitute for pumpkin in baking recipes. When I tried to change my personal care routine a few years ago to having evening showers instead of morning, my schedule fell apart.

But, sometimes the addition of an extra step makes for the perfect twist. Don’t believe me? Try adding just a splash of almond extract to your next batch of chocolate chip cookies. Or, try pausing a moment each day to make a short gratitude list during your morning routine. This addition will help you be present with a more positive outlook as you face another day of possibility.

I don’t have the perfect recipe or instruction set for life. What I have is an ever-growing collection to help me achieve what I want. Over time, I modify the recipes to meet my needs and tastes. Some recipes appear and become favorites, while some are memories of a different time when my tastes or needs were not as developed as they are now.

Whatever recipe you are following, you have control of the final ingredient list. If something isn’t working, or tasting right, keep working at it until you find what is missing. Or, toss that recipe out and start a new one.

Just don’t stop experimenting. You’re worth a 5 star review!