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As my mom willingly admits, there are barely more than a few cooking skills I learned from her. While meals were kept basic and bland growing up, my mom's culinary potential crept through on the few select dishes she makes often and always makes well.

One of my favorites, her chocolate chip banana bread, combines the perfect amount of sweet fruit with rich chocolate. The one thing I learned from my mother's cooking: if you can find a way to add chocolate to a dish, do it. Storing bruised and brown bananas in her freezer for weeks, my mom uses rotten bananas for just the right mushy texture.

After years of eating close to a loaf at a time, I can assure you the bread is best heated and then smothered with just a little bit of butter.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons ground flax meal
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 cup chocolate chips
3 very ripe bananas, smashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together both flours, baking soda, flax meal, two teaspoons of the ground cinnamon and salt; set aside.

Cream together butter with sugar using a mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in yogurt, bananas, vanilla and chocolate chips. Fold in flour mixture and mix. Spoon batter into loaf pan.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly, then remove from baking pan.