Family brunches and parties are the stuff of legend in my family.

First thing’s first: There are over 40 of us–my grandmother, the matriarch; her eight children and their spouses; and about 25 of us grandchildren–so when we all get together, it’s usually for a feast. We all contribute our signature dishes and share an afternoon or evening of enjoying the older favorites and testing the newer innovations.

As you might gather from all of this, food is a *very big deal* in the Demet family. It’s no wonder I grew up to be an amateur gourmand. It was instilled in me since birth.

When I visited my Aunt Dede and Uncle Michael in Spain in 2007 (They’ve lived in Catalu?a for nearly ten years.), I had a chance to sample Dede’s rendition of traditional baked goods and savory Spanish cuisine. One of the many recipes I took back with me was, oddly enough, more characteristically American than any of her other creations–banana chocolate chunk muffins.

I’ve made these muffins countless times, and they’ve never failed to satisfy my roommates and friends here in Madison.

First, gather all your ingredients: 1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup white flour, 2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon each baking soda, baking powder, and salt, 1 cup chocolate chunks, 1 cup milk, 3 eggs, 3/4 cup honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 3 mashed bananas. Mix together the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones and then fold in the mashed bananas. Pour 1/2 cup portions of batter into a greased muffin tin and bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees.