Let’s Talk: This Is Why I Blog
So I warned you a couple weeks ago at the onset of this Let’s Talk series that I was going to talk about anything and everything. And today’s schpeel would most likely be considered one of those “anything and everything” posts. If you’re usually here for recipes and tips, this post might not be for you so feel free to check back Monday for the most amazing dessert bars on the planet.
But for the rest of you (hi, mom), this Let’s Talk post is up close and personal. And truly, I wish I had you guys right here in my kitchen sitting on the island stools and chatting. Keeping me grounded and laughing.
Lately, I’ve really been thinking about why I blog. The reasons why probably don’t matter a whole lot to anyone else but me. However they actually impact the look and feel and face of my blog quite a bit. So can we say they really affect all of us? Yes, let’s say that.
Eight years ago when I started this blog, I truly had no intentions of still blogging in 2015 – it wasn’t even a thought in my mind. I didn’t know that my blog would start to get comments from random readers across the interwebs or that I would move from mykitchencafe.blogspot.com to www.melskitchencafe.com or that I would go from 10 pageviews a month (again, hi mom) to over 2 million pageviews a month or that I would look back and realize how truly terrible my photography was when at the time, I thought I was a budding food stylist (ha!).
I mean, none of that was even on my radar. I really just wanted to make food and share the winners on a real, live food blog instead of boring all my family members by posting them on our family blog (which, by the way, am I the only remaining person on the planet that still has a family blog? just curious).
And on a personal level, blogging has seen me through quite a bit: four major moves (from Utah to Wisconsin to Minnesota to Idaho), two new babies, a bout with cancer and subsequent radiation, two major health-related surgeries thrown in there and lots of other personal ups and downs.
Through it all, this little food blog has grown and morphed and changed beyond my wildest expectations over the last almost decade. When I first started, there were only a handful of food blogs widely known and even then, if you said the word “blog” most people thought you were swearing at them. Now, there are thousands and thousands of food blogs and new ones starting every day.
Entering the food blog world when I did was sweet timing and I’m grateful for it every day; I think it plays a big part into why my blog has grown (new social media avenues don’t hurt either). But as my blog has grown, it’s taken on some new challenges and I’ve had to really stop and ask myself why I blog.
What started out as 100% a hobby (I posted whenever I wanted to with literally no thought to anything except for which really bad picture to choose to post with the recipe) has evolved into something that takes a lot of time. Lots and lots and lots of time.
I average about 40-50 hours of work on my blog each week and while this is a choice (no one is forcing me to do it), it definitely sometimes feels overwhelming. As most of you know, I have a large-ish, busy family (+ a cat, a dog, two cows, and 11 chickens if that matters at all).
Hi, guys.
These faces are and always will be my first priority. I try my very hardest to avoid the time-sucking computer/social media work while my kids are awake since I don’t work outside the home and several of them aren’t in school full-time yet (and of course during summer, all their blessed souls are home) which means if at all possible, blogging tasks are relegated to afternoon naptimes (when I can structure my older boys’ time for quiet activities while littles nap) and kiddo bedtimes (hence the reason I stay up way.too.late). Although they do get a lot of hands-on chances to help cook in the kitchen (we’ve talked about that before remember) since all the cooking and baking is done during reasonable daylight hours.
Blogging is more than just food, though – it’s website functions that break, keeping up with social media (blah, totally a subject for another time), paying hosting fees and putting a lot of money into development and design and fixes, hiring an assistant (my cute sis – she’s awesome!) to help keep up on the hundreds of comments and emails I need to respond to each day and manage the aforementioned social media tools as well as many other projects. It’s the highs of really positive comments and the lows of mean-spirited ones.
And sometimes, you guys, I want to stop. I want to stop blogging and just read novels 40-50 hours a week instead. Or maybe exercise more. Or sew? I think I used to know how to do that. Or wait…sleep. I’d like to sleep.
But every time I have a little crisis (my husband seriously deserves a therapist’s salary for talking me off the ledge each time), I go back to why I started blogging in the first place.
To share my tried-and-true favorite recipes with the world.
I know that sounds cheesy and a little trite but it’s so, so true. And every single time it’s what causes me to recenter and realize that even though there are a bajillion other things that go into this blog now that it’s grown, that – THAT is the reason I’m still blogging.
Other food blogs will come and go. Many of them will surpass me in numbers and social media followers and revenue and cookbook deals and sponsorship opportunities and all the other things that come along with blogging. And I’m not going to lie, the overachieving, perfectionist side of me struggles with that sometimes. But every time I decide to go down that route (finally say yes to a publisher, start working with more companies to promote their stuff, burying my face in social media and never resurfacing just to get another “like”), it doesn’t take long (I’m talking mere hours) before I’m completely miserable. It’s not me. It’s not how I blog. To business-savvy, eagle-sharp minds, it’s stupid and naive – I’ve had more than one fellow blogger and family member and acquaintance tell me I’m shooting myself in the foot by blogging the way I do – for not capitalizing on more opportunities and that I’ll never get ahead.
Is it bad to admit that I’m ok with that? All I ever wanted, actually more than I ever wanted, in blogging I have right now. Call it unmotivated or unambitious or what you will. I call it staying true to my roots.
I have loyal readers who are so dear to me, it’s unexplainable. Your comments and stories and wittiness and recipes (ah, I love the recipes you send me) make all the endless work of blogging worth it and totally counteract the minor instances of negativity that come through.
And there’s the food. I love food. I love good food. I don’t post a recipe unless it rocks. No filler recipes. No content just because. I only post because if I didn’t, I’d explode from having to keep that ridiculously awesome recipe to myself instead of sharing it.
At the end of the day, just like eight years ago, it’s still about the food. But amazingly and kind of crazily, it’s also about the people who come here – you’ve made this a community. Maybe just to me, I don’t know, but as awkward and socially problematic as it sounds, you are a very bright spot in my day and have become some of my dearest friends (even though I haven’t met many of you) and I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you.
This is not all to say that in the future I won’t decide to take opportunities that come my way or that little bits and pieces of my blog won’t change. There are some exciting things in the works as I speak, in fact, but those aren’t the aspects that drive and motivate me to keep blogging.
Phew.
No, really, phew!
Thanks for letting me get this off my chest. You certainly deserve some type of reward if you really truly made it to the end of this post. I try to keep super personal, weirdo emotional, blogging-specific things like this out of daily posts because for the most part, I know you come here for great food. And I’m totally ok with that. I love it and don’t intend to vomit up all my feelings all of the time.
But I guess today I just wanted to make it known, even though I hope you know it just from being here day after day, that I value sincerity and realness and that’s what I hope to convey through blogging. I don’t have ulterior motives. Sometimes I don’t even know what tomorrow holds for blogging let alone the next five years.
I just blog.
And I’m so happy you are still around.
You are my very favorite food blogger. Thanks for all of your work and for teaching me so much! I love that you’re all about the food.
Mel, I regularly look at maybe 15 recipes blogs almost every day. Yours is one of my two favorites–I like the look, I like the way you write, and I like your recipes. I routinely copy recipes from your blog and my other favorite and very, very few from the others. One thing I like about your blog is that it is so uncluttered! With the others, the blog and recipes get lost among the blaring and glaring advertisements. Thank you!!
You are the stinking cutest, funniest, most adorable blogger on the planet. I’ve followed your blog for years and laugh with my husband (fellow unpaid therapist) about how hilarious it is that you can convince me to make recipes with ingredients that I don’t even like because when I do I’m never disappointed. Your recipes, tips, advice, wit, humor and personality keep me coming back for more and my growing family and I so appreciate all that you do. Bless your heart sweet Mel. Thank you so very much!
Mel….I love your blog and always have. I use so many recipes and look forward to looking at your site! I don’t know what I would do without your entertaining view on food and the recipes of course! I actually do a family blog!! It is private though. No one else sees it at all. I end up printing it into a family journal. I don’t scrapbook!! I also don’t do any social media. I probably sound like a pioneer in this day!! It just isn’t me!! Just want to let you know that you are good to run this blog however it makes you happy!! I am certain there are many readers who would agree! Thanks Mel!!
That is why I LOVE your blog. I know I’m not going to get a filler recipe. I’m only going to get something that is really enjoyed by your family, which is like my family full of young picky eaters and a sometimes picky husband. You do what I wish I could do, try new foods, prefect them and then organize them. But since you are doing it so well, I’ll just keep enjoying your blog and hopefully someday cookbook!
Love you Mel! Love you for “your sincerity and realness” and for your absolutely amazing food! You are as kind in real life as you seem on your blog too. thanks for all you do! And that day I saw you in Costco, my husband was shocked I said hello to you, I’m usually pretty quiet. I told him he should have been the one to say hello and give you a hug though. He owes you big time! He has gained a lot of weight since I my sweet sister-in-law introduced me to your blog around 5 yrs ago!
Mel this was an awesome post! If you lived next door Id bring you something delicious! Thanks for being real! I love real! I have a feeling if we lived closer, we’d be buds. And ps.. Your homemade bread recipe is the only on right can make that turns out eatable! Thanks for a sweet post!!! Have a lovely day!
I love your blog! I love your cooking! Your blog is my old faithful friend. Even if you post a recipe that I know my family would not care for, I still read about it because it is a part of you and I think you are pretty cool! I love your humor. One thing you have done periodically is to bring back forgotten recipes. I like seeing again things I have forgotten about. Thanks Mel for this blog, for not quitting, and I look forward to the next great recipe.
Great post! I’ve only discovered your blog pretty recently but I can feel the sincerity straight off and I’ve tried a few recipes and enjoyed them immensely. So thank you for doing what you do. It’s great that you are staying true to your roots and being you. I tell you – it surely does come across loud and clear. Thank you for sharing your awesome recipes. It’s amazing you’ve kept on blogging with all your family responsibilities and things that have happened in your life. I just wish you joy and lots of great meals around the table with your loved ones.
I cook at least one of your recipes per week and when my daughter moved out and wanted recipes, I directed her to your blog. My whole family knows who “Mel” is. Your posts are not filled with affiliate links and they make me laugh and cry (and want to run). I hope that we bring happiness and motivation to your life because that is what you do for us.
Thank you Mel for keeping MKC you. We have never met but I feel we would be the best of friends. Thank you for the long hours you put in all the while raising a family; you are a great teacher. I have been with you a few years now and have never been disappointed in any of your recipes. If I am looking for something specific I go to you and I know I will find what I am looking for. Keep up the great work, I simply love you like a sister.
Love this, love you (I don’t even really know you) & I adore this blog. Keep up the good work!
I soooo appreciate your blog! My coworker and I talk about it several times a week (referring to you like we know you), sharing our favorite recipes. 80% of my weekly menus are based off of your recipes, and I get compliments on my food all the time. Your blog makes me look good. 🙂
I love this post and this is why I love your blog! I have been a faithful reader and Mel’s recipe maker for 7 years! Your blog is the only one I am subscribed to, it’s the one I check first. I love that you don’t advertise, I love that you are real, I love that your recipes ROCK and I know they will when I try them! I love that you have encouraged me to cook with my own kids and branch out with my cooking. Your posts about cooking are so informative and have helped me immensely over the years. I am so grateful for all the hard work you put into this blog. Thank You!
I think this is one of my favourite posts ever. The food around here is always amazing, but thanks for sharing your heart!
We’ll I’m happy you do virtual friend and so is my film bc you save dinner a few times a week. I’ve had a writing blog for a long time and not even sure how many views it gets but it really is about the writing, not the likes:) and yes I still have a family blog that will someday be turned into a book. Lol keep at it! And when/if you ever want
To have a cookbook deal, Julianne and I will be at your Midwest meet and greet:) (I’ll force her to leave her awesome new house)
This is why you are my #1, most favoritest blogger ever! You are genuine and real and I love the recipes you post and the kind and humorous personality that bubbles through all of your writing! I’ve tried so many of your recipes that sometimes I feel like a broken record as I brag about you and recommend you to so many friends and family. As a mom of 5 myself, I can’t believe the amount of time you put into this blog and still manage to be the amazing mother that you are. You amaze me! Keep up the good work and know how much you are appreciated by me and my little family as we enjoy all of your fabulous recipes!
Love you, Mel! Like you said, blogs come and go. I used to have a mile-long list of blogs to check, but now I have two, and yours is top of that short list! Anytime I want to make something new, I always check with you first. If you have a recipe for it, I know it will be great!
And I love the personal posts! They feed my little fantasy that I actually know you and we are friends in real life! 🙂
I am OBSESSED with this blog and I honestly don’t bother looking at others for food. And anytime I make an awesome recipe anyone who knows me will ask “Is that a Mel’s recipe?” Why yes. Yes it is.
And this, my friend, is why we love you so. Although I say go for all the opportunities, lol!! I’m with ya though, I have never wanted my blog to become a “job”, I just do it so I can remember all the crazy!
I love how real you are here. Some blogs feel like they are trying to hard or it’s all promoting this product and the othe gadget, or their books. I’m all about the food!
I’ve thought about food blogging but it almost feels like I’m too late to the party?
HI! I discovered your blog about two years ago and I check it daily every since. I’ve always had a passion for baking and cooking but your blog helped me take it to a whole other level! I’ve learned to bake bread, rolls, cinnamon rolls, creme brulee, ice cream and how and why they all work (and when they don’t why they didn’t work). It’s given me a tremendous amount of confidence and sense of adventure. Thank you for continuing to share your recipes but most of all your WISDOM with all of us! PS – I’ve passed on the link to your spaghetti pie to countless friends, family and co-workers! You’re awesome and we are all very grateful to you!
Ready for the longest comment ever? Thank you so, so much for all the hard work you put into your blog! I’ve read it religiously for over 3 years now and don’t express my thanks nearly enough. I mean it when I say you have changed the way I feel about cooking. I have always loved to bake (and actually found your blog via your oatmeal coconut chewies, which are still my favorite cookie!), but I didn’t used to like to cook, and wasn’t very good at it. You’ve helped me branch out from ward cookbook casseroles, and my family thanks you! 😉 And of course you’ve also added tons of amazing new baking recipes to my recipe box. I am amazed when I leave a comment or email a question that you actually get back to me at all, and quickly too! I check your blog every morning, and cook from it several times a week. I would probably be embarrassed to know how many page views per month come from me! I’ve introduced my sister and best friend to your blog, and they use your recipes all the time, too. We always say things like, “Oh I’m sure Mel has a good recipe for that.” 🙂 I find you so relatable since we’re in a similar stage of life with young busy families, and you’re funny, too. I joke with my husband about “My friend Mel,” but I do kind of think we’d be friends in real life. I am a fellow perfectionist and overachiever, and running is my favorite hobby. Anyway, I wasn’t joking about the longest comment ever! Thanks again for all your hard work and delicious food, all the way from Alberta, Canada!
I held my breath through the entire post…thinking…”Please don’t say you’re done with blogging!” Whew, I’m so relieved and grateful for ALL of your efforts! I LOVE every recipe…haven’t found one that we didn’t love…and tell everyone I know about your blog! Thank you for the hours spent helping others be better in the kitchen!
I was thinking the same thing…phew! I also love your blog. Every recipe I’ve tried from you has been a hit with my friends and family! Thanks for being real and sharing your love for food and family!
Your blog is the absolute best! I’ve discontinued following lots of other food blogs but I will always read yours faithfully. I love your recipes and your down-to-earth and friendly way of writing…but I do wish (for your sake) that you could get more out of those 40-50 hours a week other than the undying admiration of far-flung strangers! Here’s hoping that someday you will find a way to monetize it that feels right to you and that helps you stay true to what you want from your blog.
Thank you so much for keeping up your blog! I have been a regular reader for about 6 years. Your recipes helped motivate me to be more experimental in my cooking and further my skills in the kitchen. I know blogging takes a lot of time and effort, but thanks so much for doing it!
Oh, Mel- what a sweet, honest and heartfelt post! Your blog is my absolute favorite food blog, and I have been a follower for most of your eight blogging years. I have always admired that you take the time to share your amazing recipes with the world, especially with your busy life! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the time and effort you put into this beautiful blog. Selfishly, I hope you continue to blog for many years to come, and if you decide to write a cookbook I would be thrilled to add it to my collection!
Hands down my favorite cooking blog. You have helped my family eat more healthy, “real” food, and have been very instrumental in giving me a lot of confidence in the kitchen. You are so great, and one day I would like to hear more about your bout with cancer. I have my own little cancer experience and finding out that you had one too just makes me realize that we are totally kindred spirits :). Thanks for everything, Mel!
I’ve never commented on any blog before, but I wanted to finally thank you for posting fantastic, never-fail recipes – and doing it with a fun sense of humor. Nearly every time I tell a family member about a great new recipe I’ve tried, they know it came from your blog without even asking. (Your grilled steak and veggie kabobs are an extended family favorite!) Thanks again for sharing your hard work with us – please keep on doing what makes you happy!
I love your blog. It is by far my favorite food blog, mostly because the recipes turn out so well when I make them almost every single time. I have not found that to be true with very many other food blogs. I also love reading your posts. There is not another food blog that I’ve visited with such great writing. You are very funny. Not only that, but I really like posts like this one, too. I enjoy hearing personal things from your heart. Is that weird? I hope not. I guess what I’m saying is that I come here for the full package…great recipes, great writing, and a glimpse into the family that we all feel like we know and love. Thank you for enduring the miserable parts of blogging and putting in so much of your time and effort to keep on sharing your tried and true recipes with all of us. We love you, your family, and your recipes.
I occasionally check other blogs but yours is the only one that I LOVE and the only one with consistently great recipes. Do you think you will ever share your story about cancer?
I really appreciate all your fabulous recipes! But, more than that I appreciate your down-to-earth, witty writing and your updates on your lovely family. I’ve read your blog for years and turn to you daily for the best recipes to use to feed my own family. And (should I admit this) I have actually had dreams that you moved next door and we were best friends. That would be awesome!
I love your blog! Thank you for blogging and your awesome recipes. So many of your recipes are now family favorites in our house.
I love this! I follow/have followed a handful of other food blogs, but yours is by far my favorite. I use more recipes from you than anywhere else. I love the genuine feel of your blog. I find myself rolling my eyes/feeling irritated with some of the other blogs just because they feel so fake and trite. Yours is real and personal and wonderful! Keep up the good work and know that you are appreciated for being exactly how you are.
I’ve never commented before either, but I just wanted to say that your authenticity is one of the reasons I LOVE your blog! I’ve been paring down the number of blogs I read as they seem to be more and more just one long advertisement, but I have never gotten that sense from yours. I absolutely love every recipe of yours I’ve tried! Thanks for blogging!
I, for one, am so happy that you blog! I love that you are always kind and never snarky to your readers. I love the tips and tricks you provide. I love that you use reasonable ingredients, and that your recipes are family friendly and relatively healthy. I use your blog as my go-to resource when I’m looking for a recipe (I know I can always trust a recipe if it comes from MKC or ATK!). So many of your recipes are staples in our house, I can’t imagine my life without them! I appreciate all of the work you put into the blog. Thank you 🙂
Thank you!
While I would totally buy a cookbook from you, you need to do what’s best for you. You need to find your bliss and what makes you, and your family, happy. There’s a time and a place for everything and if you’re enjoying the now, then you’re doing better than most of the people in this world so kudos to you. And I still have a family blog 🙂
LOL – I came here today to find a bread recipe that I’m just sure you have because well, where else will I find it??
I can’t tell you how many of your recipes are printed off, sitting in a pretty binder, and used frequently. AND I’ve shared quite a few with my 22-year-old son who lives far, far away from me. He’s a great cook and enjoys all the recipes I share with him.
I can’t imagine the amount of time you put into baking, cooking, taking pictures, and posting. I love to cook and bake, but clearly not enough to put in those kind of hours. I admire you for all you do.
You’re incredibly friendly and funny, not to mention beautiful inside and out.
Thank you for all you do 🙂
Carolyn
p.s. now I can go look for that recipe…
You have so much heart (and of course, AWESOME recipes!) This is why your blog is my favorite cooking blog. God bless you and your family!
Like the other commenters, I have to say that your website is one of the first places I check every day. I’ve made so many of your recipes and they all turn out fabulous – never a complaint! It boggles my mind that you can do this with five kids but please keep doing what you’re doing – my kitchen table would miss you if you were gone!
I’ve never commented before, but THANK YOU! Love, love, love your blog
Mel,
I check your blog every single day and use so many of your recipes. I’ve never had one fail or turn out weird. I do suck at leaving comments though so I’ll try to do better with that. The amount of work you put in to your blog is quite evident and if I’m going to participate in the bounty I need to do a better job expressing my appreciation! Thank you for holding firm to your beliefs and principles and not veering towards the bright shiny objects that are project promotion or over the top social media stuff. Your blog reflects you and that is what makes it such a gem. Thank you again.
Donna
San Antonio, TX
Normally I’m just here for the food, but this was completely worth some extra reading. 😉 Thanks for all of your hard work!
I’m so happy you’re still around! I love your blog and recipes, and I feel like I know you! Thank you so much for all of your hard work and fabulous recipes! I still don’t know how you do it, but I’m glad you do. You’re my go-to gal, and I’m never disappointed!
Thank you for being one of the last few blogs that isn’t just a cleverly disguised ad. The genuine nature of your blog is one of the reasons I come back to it every day and check it each time I am creating the week’s menu plan. Thank you for all the hard work you put into this little place on the internet. I am not joking that to see it go would be nothing short of tragic.
Well said…ditto from me!
Amen!! I love the fact that you are so genuine, Mel. And I appreciated this peek into your blogging life. You’re amazing (as are your recipes)!
I have never left a comment before on your blog but want to ‘share some love’. I am an avoid reader of your blog. I read a lot of cooking blogs and I am convinced your recipes are the best for my growing busy family. Your realistic approach to life and cooking is super helpful. Thank you for all you do!
Love this “non recipe” post! I’ve started and quit so many blogs it’s not funny. And my current one I never post anything good on. My family blog by the way hasn’t been updated in almost 2 years(since my son was born which would be a good reason to have the family blog, lol). Thanks for posting all those awesome recipes! This is always my go to site when I need to make a special treat, or need a supper idea. I’m glad you never quit(don’t ever fire your therapist!) and hope you never do!!
I also don’t look like that picture anymore. I really need to figure out how to update that, haha!!
Great blog post. I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and I really enjoy all of your posts and recipes. Thanks for everything and I’m looking forward to reading your blog posts in the future!
Love this post, and love your blog. I appreciate all the countless hours you dedicate to this great blog it is much appreciated! We all love Mel in our house!