My father had a good friend whose father passed away many years ago. When my father paid a condolence visit, his friend told him the story. Apparently, the mother had died years earlier, and at their home after the funeral, the father was crying uncontrollably. Now understand, the mother was in her late 70s, and had been somewhat sick for quite some time, so it wasn’t like it was a surprise to anyone. So the friend asked his father why he was so inconsolable. It turns out that he was upset that his wife wouldn’t be able to make his special ice cream anymore. Well, my friend told my father that many years earlier, the mother used to make ice cream for the father, but just got too busy one day, so she went to the store, and bought some Dolly Madison ice cream, and scooped it into an ice cube tray, as if it was handmade. He loved it, told her that it was the best she had ever made, and to keep that recipe…and that’s what she did for the rest of her life. My father’s friend said that he never told his father what the “secret recipe“ was, just because he was more upset about not having the ice cream than his wife.
Back of the box (or jar) recipes are usually very reliable.
The food mfg wants you to keep buying the product so they go all out
to come up with delicious recipes you’ll want to make again and again.
I confess to using the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the bag of the irreplaceable chocolate chips.
Although I do add my own touches depending on what’s in my kitchen cupboard.