New and (un)improved

I eat store-brand Honeycomb, because ever since the name-brand kind was "new and improved" it just doesn't taste as good. "Now better tasting" doesn't taste better to me.

Did no one learn from that whole "New Coke" thing in the '80s? If people like something enough to keep on buying it, the manufacturer should leave it alone. We buy it because we like it the way it is.

Then again, maybe the manufacturers are like me. I can't leave a recipe alone for too long. I will take an old family favorite and try to figure out how I can cook it more quickly, or if I can do any of the preparation ahead of time. I'll add an ingredient and see if anyone notices.

If I add corn, they all notice. Most other ingredients go undetected.

I got a few free pouches of Betty Crocker corn muffin mix with my coupons a while ago (my husband is waiting for the day that the supermarket kicks me out for having too many coupons...) and we've tried this muffin mix already, and concluded that it's "missing something."

I figured an experiment wouldn't hurt, so I mixed the batter as directed and added a couple of tablespoons of real maple syrup. Amazingly, no one else was in the vicinity of the kitchen, so no one saw what I added.

At the table I announced that we'd be having a contest to see who could figure out the Secret Ingredient in the corn muffins. Of course, this led to the immediate answer, "CORN!" So I had to review what the Normal Ingredients for Corn Muffins would be, and tell the Studio Audience that the Secret Ingredient is something else besides those.

Ultimately, the Big Kids were seen ignoring their dinners as they rummaged through all my cabinets, naming every herb, spice or possible ingredient (parsley? cayenne? baking powder?) that they could see in the front. My older son was heard to observe that the muffins kind of tasted like pancake mix: he came the closest.

Obviously, next time I will have to stress that the Contest Rules require that no contestant leaves his or her chair in pursuit of the Secret Ingredient.

The verdict: all the muffins got eaten. It was good!

COUPON TIME

Are you hungry yet? Because I could really go for a corn muffin about now...

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