Friday Thoughts: A Celebration, Four Questions, and A Few Favorite Things

It’s a really busy, crazy time of year, and I’m not sure anyone has extra minutes to read a silly Friday Thoughts post, but I wanted to check in on just a few things!

First, a celebration

I’ve mentioned this in my email updates and on social media, as well, but I can’t let the moment pass by without saying it here, too: MY BLOG TURNS 18 THIS WEEK!

It’s kind of unbelievable. And I know I’m a broken record, but I am so grateful you are all here. 💗 I wouldn’t still be sharing my most-loved recipes with you if I didn’t have such amazing support. This really is the best little place on the internet (in my humble opinion 😉).

What started as a free, humble, hobby blog on blogspot.com (raise your hand if you remember the mykitchencafe.blogspot.com days 👋🏼) is now a large website that has grown in so many ways:

• The first recipe was published in December 2007 ➡️ now my site has close to 2,000 recipes.
• My mom and sister were the only ones who read my blog at first ➡️ now over a million people visit each month.
• I never dreamed I’d actually publish a cookbook and that people would buy it ➡️ now I do have a published cookbook that has sold tens of thousands of copies.
• I had three kids ages three and under when I hit publish on the first recipe ➡️ now I have five kids ages 21 to 13.
• I was living in Wisconsin when my blog started ➡️ now we live in Idaho (by way of Minnesota and Utah!).

Ready for a few *then* and *now* pictures?

(You guys, I actually remember thinking the close up angle on that lasagna was so photographically powerful 🫣🫣)

I can’t believe my kids think it’s ok to grow up and leave me. 😭 I know 18 years is a long time, but when I see the evolution of how my kids have grown up during the life of this blog…it tugs on my heart strings like crazy.

And now a moment of silence for some of the old logo variations my blog went through before I finally earned a little bit of revenue and hired a professional to do the work. 🤣

I think we should plan a big celebration for the Mel’s Kitchen Cafe 20 year birthday in 2027, what do you think? Like, can we all cram in my kitchen and chat over cookies and hot chocolate? Messy buns and joggers??

Yes, that is my kind of celebration. Thank you for being here, friends. My life is better with you in it. 💗💗

Second, a few questions

• How are you holding up?
• Is your holiday shopping done?
• Do you have travel plans for the upcoming holidays or are you staying home?
• Are you finding ways to enjoy this season outside of the craziness?

That last question is constantly my holiday life goal.

My current status: I have a lot of shopping already done and packages already sent off to family and friends that live away. But there are a few little stocking stuffer-type things to be purchased (and nothing is wrapped yet).

I asked my kids (only two at home this year 😢) which holiday traditions they wanted to continue and which they didn’t care about with the intention to get rid of anything extra that we were doing out of traditional obligation. It was really enlightening! Surprisingly they still wanted to decorate gingerbread (going the Costco gingerbread kit route this year rather than homemade gingerbread like we usually do and feel really good about that).

(Here’s a flashback from 10 years ago to show you just how seriously we take decorating homemade gingerbread creations around here 😜🤣)

We’ll, of course, also make a bazillion cheeseballs to give out to neighbors and friends (last year, I was tired and we opted for an easy, non-food gift…but lots of people expressed displeasure and texted asking when cheeseballs would be back 😜).

And this week, we are going to visit the Light the World Giving Machines and walk around the lights at a fun city-center display near us.

➡️➡️ What are some of your favorite December traditions??

Third, a few favorite recommendations

I know I already published my gift guides for the holiday season, but I wanted to share a few additional recommendations that I’m loving right now!

• With my aging neck and back issues, this tilting puzzle board has been a game-changer. My mom had a version when we visited for Thanksgiving, and I immediately ordered one! We already put together this puzzle on it, and it was perfect.
• Can you handle a couple more game recs?
  • We LOVE trivia games, and this general knowledge trivia set is so fun (there are a lot of different sets of these with different themes).
  • This game was a hit at Thanksgiving! (I’m gifting it to several families this year.) It’s a cross between Phase 10 and Rummikub with some unique rules, and we’ve been playing it nonstop.
• This flat whisk (that twists into a full whisk) is brilliantly designed to save space in a utensil drawer, but I love it because it also doesn’t scratch nonstick pans. It isn’t quite as sturdy as my wire whisks, so it’s best for thinner batters and ingredients (and it can be used flat or full).
• In my never-ending quest to get enough fiber (literally a full-time job), I was religiously eating chia seeds in my morning smoothies or in yogurt. I recently replaced my daily chia seed intake with these basil seeds (have you heard of them?). They have nearly double the fiber and rehydrate MUCH faster than chia seeds. P.S.: they don’t taste like basil. I usually mix them in a smoothie or in yogurt (when they’re rehydrated, they are much more robust than chia seeds – they have the texture of tapioca pearls in tapioca pudding).
• My sister has been extolling the virtues of bar shampoo for months, and I finally tried it. Wow, it has made such a huge difference in my aging/somewhat-thinning hair! I’ve been using this bar shampoo and conditioner, and appreciate how my hair feels so much thicker and less brittle. I’m late to the game on everything – wish I had started using it sooner!
• I know these jeans have been making the rounds on social media, but I wanted to order them to really see if they lived up to the hype, especially with the more reasonable price. Yep, can confirm. I now have them in three lengths and three colors. They are basically the only jeans I’m wearing right now – so comfortable and while stretchy, they don’t lose their shape and become sloppy throughout the day. They come in four different lengths. I am 5’4″ (shorter torso, slightly longer legs) and I have the 30″ length in Seaside blue (they hit right below my ankles) and the 32″ length in Frosted Blue and Black (just so good with chunky boots).

A quick last note

If you’re subscribed to my email list, you may have noticed over the last few months that I’ve been including a few more short, personal, life update/notes in those emails. They fall at the end of the emails so that people who are just here for the food (totally valid!) don’t get bothered by them.

I love feeling connected to you and what’s going on in your lives, and those little updates give me a chance to hear from you, too (hit reply on the emails, and your response comes right to me!).

Because I’ve been including more of those notes in my emails (and on Instagram), it kind of makes these Friday Thoughts posts feel a bit redundant (which is partly why I’ve been publishing less Friday Thoughts posts). Over the next few months, I’ll figure out a rhythm of the best way (and how much) to share. If you have any feedback, leave it below in the comments! ⬇️⬇️

I have one more new recipe going up next Monday. I think I’m more excited about it than any other recipe I’ve posted this month – it is wildly yummy!

After that, I’m going to take a little time off from publishing new recipes to really soak up some time with my family, but I’ll be back the week after Christmas with a fabulous new appetizer recipe and a look at the most popular recipes this year! (And I’ll definitely be checking in on emails and answering recipe questions in the comments during the break.)

I hope you have the merriest of holiday seasons. I have the privilege of teaching the children at church songs each Sunday. The last few weeks, as I’ve heard their sweet, beautiful voices singing about Jesus Christ’s birth and praising Him for the gifts He freely gives us, I have felt His love so purely and so intensely. I am grateful, now and always, for the unparalleled gift of His birth, life, and resurrection. May His love and lasting peace find you this holiday season. ❤️