My Blog Turns 15!
Fifteen years ago, when I was young and full of hope, I started a recipe blog.
It was called mykitchencafe.blogspot.com
If you recognize the blogspot address or either one of these original logos below, it means you’ve been around a long time…and…you probably deserve an award.
A few years after I started My Kitchen Cafe, I swapped out the blogspot address for a real, live dot com and it has been Mel’s Kitchen Cafe ever since (with no shortage of logo changes until I finally hired a professional, ha).
It would be impossible to describe all the changes that have occurred over the last 15 years. Both personally and in the internet/blogging landscape.
When I first started my blog, life looked a bit like this:
Whereas now, “life” has increased in the number of humans…and in wrinkles. 😉
Some days, it’s hard to wrap my brain around the fact that I’ve been sharing recipes in this space for 15 years. THAT’S A LONG TIME!
My kids don’t really remember life before “mom had a blog.” Sometimes, neither do I!
Funny story: when my kids were little, little, I’d spend our days doing kid/mom things and making a concerted effort not to be on the computer. However, the minute my kids went to bed, I would rush to my computer and do all the blogging “stuff” on my to-do list. Inevitably, as kids do, mine would wander out of bed and into the office to find me and ask for a drink or want to tell me a random story to delay bedtime or just sit on my lap for a minute (you know, because I HADN’T JUST SPENT THE WHOLE ENTIRE DAY WITH THEM). 😉 During this time, a teacher at church told me that one of my kids had announced to his class: “my mom likes to play games on her computer every night after we go to bed.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or feel mortified (both!). Turns out, all that time, my kids thought I was hiding in the office to play games when they went to bed! We had a quick family discussion about how mom goes into her office at bedtime to work on her food blog…not to play solitaire until the wee hours of the morning. 😂 But honestly, I think they still told their friends and teachers and friends’ parents for years that I was a late-night internet gamer.
Photo Growth
My kids’ shoe sizes and the number of animals we have acquired over the years aren’t the only things that have changed either. HAVE YOU TAKEN A DIVE INTO THE ARCHIVES TO SEE SOME OF MY OLD PHOTOS?
I mean, my goodness. Talk about before and after growth. 🤣
Things Change but My Motives Haven’t
I could write an entire blog post about how, outside of family life, things in the blogging world have changed so drastically over the last 15 years.
Over the years, the online world of food blogging has become less simple and more strategic.
Less relatable and more robotic.
Less carefree and more calculated.
It’s not all bad. It’s just different.
I started my blog as a way to share recipes with my mom and sisters who didn’t live near me. I never had any intentions of becoming a “full-time” blogger.
In fact, I was completely freaked out when a few months after I started putting recipes up on my blog I received a comment from a stranger saying they had made a recipe and liked it. I thought for sure that person was an internet stalker coming after my children.
Turns out, that first blog reader was a perfectly nice, normal human being who still follows my blog after all these years (hi, Kim!). Millions of readers have followed!
Years ago, I did a blog post called “This is Why I Blog”, and I could honestly repost that word for word because I still adhere to the same philosophies I always have about blogging. If you haven’t read that post, please do. It might give you some insight into why I am the way I am and why I blog the way I blog.
While blogging has changed infinitely over the years, my motives have not. Just like when I started putting recipes up on the internet late in 2007, my reasons I still do so are the same: to share my favorite, tried-and-true recipes with the world.
My blog started out as a hobby.
Now it is equal parts hobby and full-time job!
I never would have thought 15 years ago that my readership of about five people would grow into millions! What a tremendous, awesome opportunity and blessing it has been for me.
Some Fun Stats
For those who like geeky number-type stats, I thought it would be fun to share a few details/facts/numbers that help give a big picture look at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe!
At the Beginning (from about 2007-2010):
- Revenue/Income: $0
- Blog Visits: 50-1,000 per month
- Additional Employees: 0
- My Time: 10-20 hours/week
The Middle Years (2014-ish):
- Revenue/Income: part-time
- Blog Visits: 750,000-1,000,000/month
- Additional Employees: 1 part-time virtual assistant (5-10 hours/week)
- My Time: 30-40 hours/week
Current Years (2022):
- Revenue/Income: full-time
- Blog Visits: 3,000,000-4,000,000/month
- Additional Employees: 1 part-time virtual assistant (10-20 hours/week) plus a few contracted employees to help with videos/projects
- My Time: 20-45 hours/week
A Note About Income and Revenue
Things can get kind of weird when people talk about money (and heaven knows, I don’t want things to get weird between us!), but lots of people have been curious over the years if my blog makes money.
It does! But it didn’t always.
For the first several years, I made approximately zero dollars.
Around 2010, I started putting display ads on my website (first just on my own with Google Adsense and then with a long since outdated company, Foodbuzz through Federated Media). I remember literally falling over with excitement when I got a check one particular month for $125. I couldn’t believe I was getting paid that much to talk about recipes I loved!
I later changed ad networks to AdThrive and then switched to Mediavine in 2016 and have been with them ever since.
A VERY simplistic description of how ad networks, like Mediavine, operate is that they work directly with ad exchanges and companies to service and display all the ads you see on my website (and they work on the ad technology and gaining new ad customers so I don’t have to!).
I am paid based on a revenue split – meaning, I don’t pay Mediavine directly for their work servicing ads, rather, Mediavine and I split the revenue that comes from the ads on my site.
I can choose which ads I want displayed. Although that system isn’t always perfect, which is why you may occasionally see a questionable ad, like an alcohol ad, even though I have alcohol ads disabled in my ad settings. Please feel free to always report those ads, by the way! You can do that by clicking on the Mediavine logo in the lower right hand side of the ad and selecting “report ad” (see screenshot below).
Over the years as I’ve worked hard and traffic has increased and my ad structure has changed, my blog has grown to provide a full-time income for me and my family.
My income comes from: the ads you see on the blog, Amazon affiliate links (and L’Chef affiliate links when Bosch mixers are on sale), and Prepear menu planning subscriptions. I know ads can be annoying – and because of that, I only run about half of the ads available to me through my ad network – but those ads serve a purpose to help pay the costs of running and hosting a website, pay my employee and contractors, and compensate me for my work on the blog.
My Virtual Assistant(s)
I’m blessed in that my sister, Emily, is my virtual assistant! She started working with me in 2013 and she is a lifesaver. She schedules posts to Facebook, answers emails, works on Prepear menus, does tons of behind the scenes work updating recipes and categories on the blog, and more.
Her help allows me to focus more on recipe testing, taking all the photos, writing the posts, answering comments, interacting on Instagram, occasionally taking a nap, and maintaining the authentic voice here on the blog.
And since I’m deep in the middle of this acceptance speech (?? kind of starting to sound like one! haha), I would be remiss if I didn’t give a huge shoutout to my faithful partner and best friend. He’s the unpaid assistant around here.
Brian has been my biggest champion since the beginning. And as the resident taste tester (all those pictures on my blog with one bite taken out?? Yeah, thank Brian for that effort), he offers the support, compassion, brain gasoline, and endlessly patient listening ears that keep me and this blog putting one foot in front of the other.
The Numbers Game + Blog Visitors
2020 was a huge year for internet traffic. Because of the pandemic shutdowns and increase of at-home cooking, my visits per month were at a record high that year – nearly 10 million per month! But things have gradually slowed down and my traffic is actually less than it was a few years ago.
The thing is, I rarely check my stats. I can’t really tell you month-to-month how many visitors I’m getting or if it is waxing or waning.
The numbers game can be debilitating (both in traffic and with social media), and I’ve just chosen not to play it so that I stay better focused on my overall intentions. I monitor and check things out now and then, but I don’t dwell on it.
However, I did do a fun little check for this post to see where my visitors are checking in from!
United States: 81.38%, Canada: 8.35%, United Kingdom: 2.53%, Australia: 1.35%, South Africa: .56%, New Zealand: .36%, Philippines: .35%, India: .33%, Germany: .29%
The Right Way to Blog…Or Not
Many bloggers in this food space are intensely savvy. They do keyword research and create their recipe posts strictly around what Google wants (with the goal to get high up in search results). They network with companies (and each other) and grow virtual empires. They publish books and videos and create products.
It’s amazing to watch and see. I love it!
My strategy, which should come as no surprise, is more of the homebody, naturalistic, girl-next-door approach. Meaning: I don’t network all that much, I don’t do keyword research, I don’t do sponsored posts.
I make a recipe. I squeal in delight. I force my family to taste it and review it. I make it again. And likely, again. And then I post it for you, because if I don’t, I want be able to sleep at night.
That’s not to say I don’t work hard at this gig. I do! Blogging is a ton of work (certainly more than just taking a pretty picture of food and slapping it up online!).
I set priorities for certain projects (like email growth, etc), and I’ve always put high emphasis on staying up to date with SEO principles and technology updates, but at the end of the day, I’m still an old school blogger who just wants a space to share my favorite recipes with the world.
Which means sometimes I turn a blind eye to “best practices” and do my own thing. I don’t do this to be ignorant – it’s really just a survival skill to preserve my mental health and ensure I continue to keep blogging.
For me, this space, is about so much more than numbers and stats and money and notoriety. It’s truly about human connection and sharing good things with you.
A Day in the Life
My schedule has shifted and changed over the years. Now that all of my kids are in school full-time (and one has graduated high school), I try to get all my blogging work (particularly) computer work done during the day instead of staying up super late to tackle my to-do list.
I don’t set specific “work hours” but it naturally ends up that about two days a week are spent on the computer side of blogging. Writing and publishing blog posts, answering comments and emails, coordinating projects with my sister-VA, and working on other techy-stuff.
Once I get my kids off to school, I feed farm animals, do scripture study, write in my journal, exercise, and (sometimes) shower, before diving in to blog work from about 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with laundry and other household/farm chores scattered in there.
Additionally, I end up spending another day or two a week bustling around the kitchen to test and photograph recipes (I use natural light, so right now during the winter, I have to get that done before 4 p.m.).
I usually make about 5-6 new recipes a week. Sometimes just for fun. Sometimes to test them (again) and/or take photos. I know, I need to get a life and/or diverse hobbies, but I can’t help it! I love food and making new recipes.
My kids always have Fridays off school, so I try to fit the blogging work in Monday through Thursday; however, inevitably there’s an evening or two that it spills over and I work in my office from 8 – 11-ish p.m.
I don’t shy away from saying I work from home or that I have a full-time job. But I do consider it a serious blessing that my job is this blog and that even though it requires hours and effort, I’m able to set my own hours and schedule.
And doing so allows me the flexibility to volunteer in my daughter’s class, do church and community service (right now I’m helping at a refugee organization, and it is life-alteringly rewarding), run errands when I need to, take a break from everything and help one of my kids or work on a house project, or just aimlessly waste time on the internet searching for watermelon carving knives.
To Sum it All Up
While my focus is mostly on really good recipes, over the years, I’ve also shared gift guides and Friday Thoughts (used to be Snapshot Saturdays!) and glimpses of real life.
At the end of the day, I’m a very average, real human who has a lot of highs and a lot of lows. And I don’t do a great job of pretending like those things don’t exist. Normalize real life. That’s my motto. 🙂
I have no idea how long I’ll continue to blog. If asked, some days my answer would be “forever” and other days the answer is more like “um, ask me tomorrow – I may have pulled the plug on the blog by then.”
The truth is, even with my laid back style, it’s hard work. Something is always going on (or breaking!) behind the scenes and there is a lot of management that blogging requires besides the delicious pictures of food and brand, new recipes.
I get tired and burned out.
But the reason I always, always end up sitting at my computer at midnight NOT playing solitaire 😉 is because of you guys.
Seriously.
It’s Because of You
If it weren’t for the real human connections I’ve made with you over the years, for the comments you leave and the stories and experiences you share, for the notes that tell me how a recipe has impacted your family or changed someone’s life for the better, for the hilarious anecdotes and the heartbreaking life experiences…if it weren’t for that, I’d be long gone.
I tell my family all the time that it’s ok I never leave my house because I have millions of friends online.
And, ok, I know that sounds completely weird, and if my kids said that back to me, I’d definitely get them professional help.
But.
It’s also true. Thank you for sticking around. For being my virtual friends. For making this a space that I want to come back to day after day.
Love your guts. 😘
Also, a special shoutout thank you to all of you who leave comments/ratings/reviews on recipes after you’ve made them. This makes such a huge difference! For me, and for those who scroll through comments to get ideas/variations/suggestions when they are planning to make the recipe. Thank you for taking the time to leave comments and reviews and ratings!!
What’s to Come
Well, first of all, count on the best of the best new recipes to continue popping up here! I have some exciting new recipes coming your way. My goal is to get you 4-5 well-tested, fantastic recipes each month in 2023.
Additionally, I’m planning:
- lots of updates to many of the recipes that have been on here for over a decade (not changing the recipe, per se, just updating photos and recipe notes, etc).
- some additional content projects that will likely involve hiring another assistant to help with marketing and development
- site updates and changes to make the website sleek, savvy, and even more SEO-friendly
- continuing with Friday Thoughts posts now and then
- and a few other things swirling around in my brain
I get asked all the time if I’m planning to do a cookbook. I have a cookbook started on my computer – some content, lots of ideas, etc. But every time I get close to signing a publishing contract or going the self-publishing (or hybrid) route, I can’t ultimately commit. It feels stressful and wrong. I think my biggest hangup is that my first priority is to continue to publish a wide range of amazing content on my blog, and I don’t think I can manage a cookbook and the blog. Additionally, I’m not sure I really have anything to offer the cookbook world that hasn’t already been done. So. We’ll see! Never say never!
Anything you are dying to see on Mel’s Kitchen Cafe? Let me know below in the comments! I love getting suggestions from you!
The End, Finally
And herein lies another extensive novel-like post about nothing all that important, which will surely garner some hate mail from those that “just want the freaking recipe already so stop blabbering,” but hey, 15 years in, it’s hard to change these long-winded stripes.
OK, BYYEEEE. 😘 Here’s to the next 15 years!
If you have any other questions about blogging or Mel’s Kitchen Cafe or just want to tell me about YOURSELF (yes! that’s a good plan!), leave me a comment below!
In case you didn’t clearly hear me earlier in the post: I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU!
The Comments
Thank you for all of your heartfelt comments. They’ve made me laugh and cry. I’m just so grateful for each of you. For the good humans you are. The efforts you make in your own lives. The affirmations you’ve allowed me to feel that this blog is “more than just a blog.” I’m just very grateful to be here with all of you.
Thank you for all of your suggestions, as well! I keep a running list of things you would like to see on the blog, and I’ve taken note of all of them!
To answer a few questions coming through in the comments:
- Where do you get ideas for new recipes? I have so many recipe ideas swirling around in my head, it’s a miracle I ever get to sleep! I’m so anxious to share all of them with you! I find inspiration from recipes you share with me (I LOVE GETTING NEW RECIPES FROM YOU SO MUCH – thanks for sending them to me!). I also get inspiration from a few recipe magazines and social media. But a lot of my recipe inspiration just comes from me thinking about food nonstop and figuring out recipe mashups I want to make.
- How many times do you make a new recipe before posting it? At least twice, but for baking recipes, usually an average of 3-4 times (with some recipes taking a few more testing sessions).
- How many of your recipes are original or modified from other sources? There are a lot of both! Although I would submit that there’s probably no such thing as a truly original recipe anymore since there are so many recipes “out there” already. I always cite a recipe source if I’ve used a recipe as inspiration or modified it. But there are some recipes I’ve come up with on my own from all those ideas swirling around my head (and many other recipes from my childhood)!
- How adventurous are your kids when it comes to eating? My kids eat everything I make. They don’t always love, love certain ingredients (I have a tomato hater and a mushroom hater and a bean hater; they power through it), but they’ll eat it. I have two kids that love to try new things and will eat anything. They’re the ones at restaurants that order something unusual and fun and will dig into sushi with me and Brian. The other three go straight for the mac and cheese and chicken nuggets. 🙂
I’ve been reading your blog for years and make recipes from your site at least a few times every week (maybe more). I was tickled to find some of your recipes in my sister’s recipe binder too.
Many times you’ve saved me from the dreaded question “What’s for supper tonight?” (I literally just got this text from my son as I’m typing this comment.)
Thank you for all you do. I appreciate your recipes and that you seem very authentic and down to earth.
I started reading your blog around 2009 (?) When my kids were tiny and I had no idea how to cook. You taught me how to cook and my family is ever so grateful! It’s also been fun to follow along with your life because we have a lot in common and I feel like I know you like any other friend I have in real life. I love your approach to blogging and how down to earth you are. It’s refreshing and part of what makes you so loved. Thanks for everything!
Congratulations, Mel!! I have been cooking for a long time and your blog is a favorite. Your recipes are tried, true, reliable, delicious and interesting without being overly fussy. I love your authentic voice. Your red sauce chicken enchiladas are an all time family favorite. If you were to ever end the blog, there are no words for how very much you would be missed.
Your site is the first one I go to, for sure on Sunday for thoughts and ideas for a weekly meal plan. I appreciate your hard work and haven’t cooked one thing from you that our family hasn’t loved!
Thank you for 15 years of hard but tasty work!
I have been here almost since the beginning and have enjoyed every minute. We eat differently now because of you my friend.
Love your guts, Mel! Thanks for all your hard work to create this special place. I can’t wait to read the Parable of the Cheeseball again this holiday season.
Those old blog logos bring back such nostalgia! So glad you’ve been a part of my family for as long as you have too. I rarely go anywhere else when I meal plan because I know that you’ve already found the best version and tested it out. I love that you’ve had so much success but you still come across as my neighbor next door (just two hours away.) You are so relatable (except for your love of dark chocolate) and down to earth and a genuinely kind and empathetic person. I hope we get another 15 years of your blog! PS..I love that I can get a printer friendly version up on my computer so I don’t have to keep scrolling up and down. Thank you for making my life easier!
The only change I would like to see is having your recipes divided by food category like Mexican, Asian or Italian etc. to help with meal planning.
LOVE your blog and that you post such great informational thoughts! It was interesting to read about income and these past 15 years of blogging and how that has changed for you. What a blessing you have been given.
I’m grateful for your blog and all the incredibly yummy recipes over the years. Whenever I need a good recipe, I have always found I can count on you! Even though I love cookbooks, I am glad you are open to keeping the content free on your blog. Quality content for all. Thank you for that!!!
And I LOVE your Christmas game guide, each year I look for it and know I will find a few good items to get for my family members. We have NOT been disappointed yet! Thanks for all the effort and thought you put into it!
Love YOUR guts! And your blog. And if you ever did a cookbook—I recommend the theme be based on your “the best” section of your website. That’s where I go first for new recipes when I want something specific.
And a lot of people love reading cookbooks; the market isn’t too saturated imho. Definitely only do what feels good to you though. If you never do a cookbook (or even another blog post for that matter), you will still be successful, wonderful woman. Thanks for sharing yourself with all of us!
Don’t take this wrong Mel but you are literally like Old Faithful! Emphasis on the faithful not on the old! You consistently show up time and time again with amazing recipes. Ten years ago I would search countless blogs for recipes and dinner ideas. Honestly, I don’t even check other food blogs now, who has that kind of time when yours is the best? THANK YOU for doing what you do!
I have been one of your biggest fans since the My Kitchen Cafe and look forward to another 15 years! You are my “go to” blog and I would estimate about 80% of my cooking is done off of your recipes. You have truly made an impact on my life and the food I serve my family. Thank you Mel!
Looooong time follower and fan here! Congrats on 15 years! Thanks for making me feel like a kitchen rockstar for all these years!!!
Mel-You are absolutely one of the best humans I know. And yes, I feel like I personally know you through the most amazing blog that you produce. Thank you and cheers to 15!
Wow, thank you for sharing the last 15 years. I have only been a follower for 12 years, and have made countless recipes. I love your real posts, life is hard at times, and I appreciate your authenticity.
Thank you for continuing this journey with us and all the wonderful recipes. Your hard work is definitely appreciated by me (and my stomach).
Thank you so much for all of your delicious recipes. I love content about your family and animals.
Thank you Mel for so many tried and true recipes. I have followed you for many many years. I know that you have tested the recipes read and reread and reread the ingredients list and the directions which means I can make your recipe for guests w never a worry! You did all the worrying. Thank you for sharing just enough of your life that we all feel like we know you personally.
We cook all the time because, hey we have to eat right lol. We cater for friends and family events and use lots of Mel’s recipes.
Thank you over and over for all the many hours spent in your kitchen and at the computer. Have a fantastic Christmas season with your family and a wonderful
Christmas phone call.
Melanie
Mel; Almost everything I make for my family is from your blog! You provide family friendly, not too expensive (in either time or money) options. In other words, you have made my life so. much. easier.
Congratulations on 15 yrs of making a difference in a whole lot of people’s lives. Xoxo
Mel you really have been part of our family for years! We all feel kind of cheated that we don’t know you in real life—ever make it to Yakima, reach out and I’ll take you to the best blueberry patches and peach and cherry orchards —my kids refer to you like some beloved Aunt that’s off on a trip, more than once people have assumed we are related because you come up in conversation all the time. You really have been a blessing and a joy in my life! Thank you ❤️ We often look at the bounty of wonderful things on our table and say—Sesame Street Style—“This meal tonight has been brought you today by Mel”
Thank you Mel for all of your time and recipes. I’ve been with you since pretty much the beginning and look to your blog first for any recipe I’m wanting before venturing to other sources. I love how real you are and I love your food. ( I will say, I always decrease the amount of sugar in your desserts. 🙂 It must be the German in me that prefers less sweet desserts.) But, I just love you!! Thanks again
Mel, I have been following you for at least 10 plus years and my husband knows that “Mel” is my best friend online! SO many times hell here me say, “this recipe is from Mel”. I usually visit your site daily and I can say I make at least 1-2 recipes from your site a week. Yesterday I just made your peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. At Thanksgiving, I made your Apple Cranberry Pie. Delicious! I like that your recipes are what real people eat with real ingredients. My kids who are now 20 and 18 grew up eating your meals! I feel like you are a trusted friend and I enjoy reading your blog. I am a vegetarian and still find many, many recipes I can eat. I love the variety of cookies, quick breads, desserts, main and side dishes! May you be blessed in today and in the future! Your friend from Michigan!
I happened upon your blog 13 or so years ago. My husband and I had young babies and little money. One of my best friends and I were in the same boat. We would each choose a recipe each week and make enough for both families. By doing this we expanded our menus, without over stressing our budgets.
Now years later I still visit your blog weekly, when I am stumped for something new to make for dinner, or when looking for much loved recipes. All my children now look at your site when it is their turn to cook.
Thank you so much for all you do!
Congrats Mel! 15 years is a looong time! And thank you: You’ve been making me look like a rock star in the kitchen for a good long time now! I love your style of blogging, so please don’t change! Would you consider putting your e-cookbook back up for sale? I would love to get a copy.
This IS something important! So from one mum to another, and one from your 1.35% readership, I say thanks. And keep doing what you do – it’s awesome to do a job you love. Mine is in the library industry so if a book came out I would hunt it down! But only you know if it meant to come to fruition. How do your kiddies have Fridays off?! Love your recipes and yes, the photos have improved like everything does when you work hard. Congratulations Mel (and team)!
Thank you for all you’ve done over the last 15 years! I’ve been a follower for probably 10 and used countless recipes. I’m so grateful you have kept it simple and just share great recipes you love. That’s why I keep looking you up any time I need to make something. As a busy mom of five myself life has changed but the need to make easy delicious food never has. So thank you!
Hi Mel. Hate mail? How could anyone send you hate mail. You are so sincere, human and fun to listen to. You just keep ‘blabbering’ and we’ll all be grateful. Thank you for all of your dedication thru the good and the bad. Your site is always a go to when I’m looking for something great to make. Can’t wait for the new recipes. Blessings to you.
Congratulations on 15 years of blogging! I’ve been a fan of your site for many years and at our Thanksgiving dinner last week I realized I had made three “Mel’s recipes” for our dinner. Thank you for the great content! Curious, do you have any plans to create an app?
I just love you and your blog so much! Thanks for always feeling like family all of these years ❤️
I started following you as a single college freshman cooking for my roommates and have relied so much on your recipes and positive influence all this time. Now I’m cooking for a family of 6, and they all approve too!!
I have been following you for several years now (though not the very beginning!) and everyone in our house knows you by name. We mostly make “Mel recipes.” I’m so grateful you keep blogging because I love trying new recipes and if you’ve posted it, there’s a good chance we will all love it. Whenever I see one of those grumpy comments I get all irritated and think – don’t you dare talk to my friend that way! Haha, I’m not sure you knew, but we are friends! Happy 15th to your blog!
I have been following your blog and making your recipes for years. You are one of my favorite places to be online because of your amazing content and touching stories. Thanks for sharing yourself and your gifts with us.
I don’t think I’ve been around all 15 years, but pretty close – maybe 12? . I’ve made your recipes all over the world – Kenya (high-ish altitude) and the UAE, and they have all worked well, even when I’ve had to swap out ingredients for things in those countries. I currently have your cornbread in the oven (only one I’ll ever make). I’m grateful for your recipes and for the real-ness you provide to the blogging world. Cheers to 15 + more years!
I have never made a recipe I didn’t like from your blog. They are full proof and I can always count on you to have exactly what I am looking for. The other reason I keep coming back to your blog is because of how real, raw, and genuine you are. Don’t ever stop being you! Thanks for all your hard work to make our lives easier and better.
Congratulations, Mel! I have loved your blog for a long time- don’t remember how I even found it, but glad I did! Thanks for sharing everything (recipes, life, family). It’s been a pleasure!
Oh this was just delightful to read. I love hearing from you on this wonderful blog with your recipes and bits and pieces of life and thoughts and just all the goodness you share! Congrats on this happy milestone of 15 years! 🙂
I use your recipes 3-4 days a week (and always love family updates and favorite things) and can’t remember when I found your blog years ago! I’ve shared your site with many friends and family that are also loyal followers. Thank you for all your work…it’s definitely appreciated!!
Hi! Your cookbook should be called “From Blog to Book MKC’s Tried-and-True Recipes!” No need to create anything new or new recipes–Just print your blog. Lol!
Mel, can I just say thank you and we love you! I am not even kidding when I say 95% of the things I make come from you. In fact my kids now will always ask, “Is this a Mel?!” They know ☺️ And everything I make is a fan favorite. I know I can go looking for a recipe and if it comes from you it will be a winner! I also look forward to your game list posted every year as well…we have found so many fun games based on your recommendations! So basically what I’m saying is I hope you keep going for another 15, because over at this house we love everything you share! I know we’ve never met in person, but my kids know I will talk about “my friend Mel” like we are friends, because if we ever do meet one day, I would love to think we could be great friends! Thanks again for all that you share and do!
MEL! Congrats on 15 years of the best food blog ever! You have made such an impact on how I cook for my family and I just love your blog (and you) to bits. Your philosophy and all the ways your blog is done differently than others out there is exactly why I love your site the most. It’s easy to navigate, ads don’t assault my eyes every five seconds, and everything you put into your writing makes it feel like we’re friends. There’s a reason why my husband and close friends will ask “is this a Mel recipe?”!
And on a personal note, thank you for sharing your family with us along with all of your delicious recipes. I track my following of your blog by how big Cam is getting, as I started following you (Cowboy Dinner was my entry recipe) when Cam was just a wee wee baby. Thanks also for everything of yourself you’ve put into this blog. I recognize it takes a lot to keep this beautiful ship afloat, and I appreciate every minute you give us.
THANK YOU!
I have been following you since you posted your “Best BBQ Sauce”. My daughter was playing soccer at the time and I made pulled pork sandwiches for the team. My guess that was about 13 years ago. My daughter just got married this past summer. Looking at your new photo just brought tears to my eyes as I know my family photo has changed so much in the past 13 years. You are still the first website I go to when I am making a meal, app or dessert. I can always find what I am looking for and have always been more than happy with your recipes. Thank you for all your time testing so I don’t have to:-) I had printed all my Mel’s Thanksgiving recipes and they were scattered around the kitchen island. I was just talking about your site to my family. FYI, I would definitely buy a cookbook. I am old school and love to sit and read a cookbook. Keep up the good work, Mel! Your family is precious.
We love you Mel. We have a 3 inch thick binder of your printed recipes & Thanksgiving is now not the worst thanks to you. My girls still want to do a summer internship with you but we really just want you to know how much we love you & we’re proud of your accomplishments!
I’ve been here faithfully since the My Kitchen Cafe days!! I simply adore you! You helped me expand my cooking skills, and we eat food from your blog almost every day. My whole family knows they can trust a Mel recipe, even if I seem sketchy and untrustworthy to my teenagers.
I’ve felt connections with you throughout the years, beyond your yummy food and amazing photos. Our home is currently populated by four teenagers. I sent my oldest on his mission last year and welcomed him back home home just five short months later. We’re prepping the next one to leave next summer. I have three boys and a “baby” girl.
I’ll still be here, cheering you on and trying your recipes as long as you are still blogging. Love your guts!! ❤️
I found you a few years ago. I love your gentle sense of humor as much as I love your recipes. I also appreciate that you haven’t succumbed to the make-all-the-money-you-can trend. You are real. It shows. Thank you for your generosity.
I think I may have contributed to the entire ‘Canadian’ traffic stats as I am on your site multiple times a day – and have been for 15 years – obsessed . Would so buy that cookbook also . You rock.
Happy Birthday!
I found your blog at a very lonely time in my life, my mom had recently passed away, and my kids were in the Jr High stage of life- you know the one, where they still need you but they are trying out independence also… I had been cooking dinner for some 20-plus years and I was getting burned out. Reading your blog has always felt like I am sitting with a friend- sharing a story and a recipe! Thank you for that! You definitely made some hard days easier and helped me get excited about cooking dinner again.
Those Jr High kids are now adults living on their own, calling and texting “Have you made this recipe of Mel’s, if not try it”. While preparing Thanksgiving my daughter asked if I had learned a cooking skill from my mom- Nope I learned it from Mel or Mel’s Aunt Marilyn.
Thank you for being a friend I have never met, but one who has made my life better!
PS- My secret dream… being your neighbor!
I have been a reader for the last 8 years or so and I love your blog! I echo many other commenters when I say that you are my go-to for recipes. Thanks for what you do, all of your hard work, and for being real with all of your readers! Congrats on 15 years!
I almost never comment, but I just want you to know that I LOVE YOUR BLOG!! You are my go-to website for any recipe that I am wanting to make. My family teases me about my obsession with your recipes. Anytime I make something new they ask me with a twinkle in their eye, “Is this a Mel recipe?” And 99% of the time it is! I honestly feel like I know you, the same way you feel like you know your readers. You are genuine and relatable, and I know if we were neighbors we’d be great friends. 🙂 So please keep posting, even the long-winded novels! I love it all!
(Oh and my 14-year-old daughter is now getting into baking & cooking, and she now agrees that your recipes are the best!!)
Over the years I have systematically quit following anyone I don’t “know in real life” because I don’t want to be “sold” things. I love you for staying real and authentic and putting all of your goodness into a place that isn’t always good. Your blog is the one I could never give up – my family would starve. Thanks for all you do and are. You are a blessing to so many.
Happy Birthday and Congratulations!!!!
I am so happy I know about you, I love your blog because you are an amazing person!!!
Keep it up
Thank you so much for 15 years of hard work. You are my first stop when I can’t think of anything to make for dinner or need something delicious to take to someone or somewhere else. I’ve never made something that I haven’t liked or hasn’t turned out. So thankful for your blog and for all the time and effort you’ve put into making it. Congratulations!!!
Mel, I say PURSUE THE BOOK! I bet it will be an accomplishment you wished you had done sooner…….you have the background, experience, and give yourself at least a 5 year timeframe in making this happen!! Look into it and create that project management spreadsheet in seeing this become reality! And your readers will cheer you on!! Good luck and yes, here’s to another 15 years!! 🙂
I loved this post and I have been following you for years. I always say my good friend Mel gave me this recipe. My family knows when I say that it is going to be great because your recipes never disappoint. Thanks for your hard work. I look forward to reading more of your posts and sharing more of your recipes with my family and friends.