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). 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, 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. 🙂
You rock! My daughter turned me onto your recipes. Anytime I’m looking for a recipe I check your blog first. If you have something I’m like, “Yes!” If it’s not on there then I’m like, “Hmm, do I really want to make this?” Thanks for your hard work. It’s nice to hear about you and your family.
I honestly love every one of your recipes I have tried. I’ve probably made about 50 different things. I am all for a cookbook!!! Having your amazing re pies all in one place!!! Or even an app! You’re amazing and so talented!
You are the bomb.com!! So thankful for you and the amazing tried and true recipes you share. I know I can always count on your recipes and often times make them for the first time when hosting guests. I always know they will be a hit! Thanks for spicing things up for us during the crazy COVID year… we loved trying so many new dishes and have added them to our regular meal rotation. Thank you!!
The way I found your blog is through a friend- I always admired her amazing cooking abilities and she clearly liked your recipes because she kept sharing them. Then, when I saw other people sharing them, I knew something good was happening over here. Looking at the site myself, I could tell immediately each recipe was right on the money, so, (and here’s the funny part), I decided to print out every. single. recipe. Because, I thought to myself, “what if she took the site down? or started charging for a subscription? or, or, or…” I knew I needed those recipes. That recipe collection has grown enormously as I squeal and hit the print button when a new recipe comes out. I have goals to make certain recipes and have surprised myself so much as I have tackled (and conquered) bread-making, sourdough, making real caramel, and so much more. Thank you. Love your guts.
I don’t even know how many years I’ve been following you, I feel like you had already had Cam, but I think she was pretty little. But you are my most used/visited site hands down ever since I found your site! And yes I tell others about your recipes often, and after I realize that I just told them about it like I know you in real life I usually have to add… ya I’m slightly a bit of a Mel stalker. Ha! I love the authenticity of your site! Getting to be a part of your life and how your recipes come about really does fill my cup! Even when you post a recipe that I know I will never make (sorry nothing you say will ever convince me to make anything with shrimp or fish) I still read the whole blog post about it. You are shining your light for the whole world to see and it’s beautiful! Thank you so much for this blog, for sharing your thoughts, and your recipes. You are in my home most days of the week, wether by the food we just made, or the games we just played, or books and presents that were recommended by you and then loved by us. Thanks for all you do!!
I would love a cookbook so I don’t have to always have my phone! Pretty much anything you suggest is my vibe. Like, your 30 minute meals actually take 30 minutes. I would love if in the recipe steps, you (and all online recipes) would repeat the quantity of the ingredients to save endless scrolling, which really wouldn’t be bad except for ads, which can create a lot of space between ingredient list and directions.
Love your blog! Made three of your recipes for Thanksgiving!
I am a MKK fan girl! I have been since the blogspot days. My sister and I will say things like “It is a recipe from my friend, Mel.” You are awesome. Keep up the good work!!
I found your blog when my oldest (who graduated this past May) was about 2 years old. At that time, my husband and the husbands of a few friends were in grad school. So we made a dinner group where once a week, we’d go to someone’s house to feed ourselves, our kids, and our need for adult conversation. The host cooked the main dish, and the guests brought sides. We ate at 5pm! (So early! But it had to be because we all had kids to put to bed at 7!) We made lots of the early recipes you posted and developed as home cooks. Thanks for sticking with it all this time. And not just the recipes…the gift guides, the family stuff, all of it. You are just the best! Happy anniversary!
I’m a recent Mel’s kitchen fangirl (only 3 years) but I think the reason I got hooked on this blog is how you do things authentically. It doesn’t feel like you are doing all the gimmicks other bloggers do. You just post dang good recipes. And if you tell me it’s good I trust you! And just something about your cookbook – maybe you don’t feel like it is anything new for the cooking world, but I just wish you would publish one because I would just love a tangible piece of you in my kitchen! I have lots of cookbooks from people simply because I like the recipes and I like the people and I just wish I could show my love and admiration by buying your book! I’m still crossing my fingers it will happen one day
Wow! Happy 15 years!! I had to go pull out my recipes and see when I printed off my first recipe from your blog. It was 2011!! You have been a part of our kitchen for a looong time. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your amazing recipes with the world! I owe all of the compliments I’ve received, chili cook off wins, Christmas morning cinnamon roll excitement, Thanksgivings, bake sell success, pie success, bread success and so much more to you! You are the first site I go to for new recipes and weekly menu planning and the first one I recommend. So thank you for all of your hard work! You have blessed our life in so many ways with recipes, gift guides (so many good game recommendations!), cute animals, and with who you are and the goodness you share. Thanks a million! I’ll be here reading and baking from your blog until the day you are done and I sure hope that isn’t for a very long time!!
I love your recipes! Thank you!!
Congratulations! Fifteen years doing anything is a long time…..and you’ve been doing this while raising a beautiful bunch of humans! I love your recipes, you’re where I turn to whenever I need a great recipe. But mostly I love your humor and your authenticity. Please keep it up, you’re part of our family!
Your blog is the first place I go to for recipes on the daily and I have complete trust that if you post it, it will be yummy! I appreciate your approach to blogging so much more than all the others I have followed off and on over the years because you have succeeded in presenting yourself as real and genuine and just someone I would like to know in person. You never give the vibe that you are just in it for the show and “dough” (although I am so happy that this gig has become a lucrative venture for you since you give so much to your readers!). Thank you is not sufficient, but please know that I am truly so grateful for all of your 15 years of blogging and look forward to however many more years you are able to stick with it. Wishing you all the best! ❤️❤️
Thank you!! I’m fairly new to your blog… Jennifer Garner shared one of your recipes and I have been hooked ever since. Keep doing what you’re doing as long as it brings you joy! Congrats on 15 years!!
I remember that first logo! Years ago I won a subscription to Cooks Country magazine from you. I still have all of the magazines! So thanks again! And congrats on 15 years and a successful blog.
Congratulations on 15 years of blogging! I’m not one to comment very often (okay, rarely), but I’ve been a long time follower (probably 13-14 years). I love, love, love your blog and your recipes. Thank you for always being real and for making me wish you lived next door to me. You’re the best!
I started following you when your kids were small. You once sent me an apron with your logo on it that has almost worn off from use. It hangs in my kitchen until I start another batch of cookies or something with FLOUR. I love it! It reminds me of baking with my mother and grandmother.
You are my favorite blogger of all time and my go-to for great food. You are someone I respect that doesn’t feel manipulative or crass to get clicks. I can relax and enjoy my time on your site with confidence I won’t be wasting money, food, or time by trusting your recommendations. BTW, I got the socks you raved about recently and they are great. Your wordiness has made me a great cook that my family delights in. God bless you and so grateful for you and happy to know you are still in it! Merry Christmas! John 3:17-18
Hi Mel,
Not sure if I ever commented on your site before but I want to let you know that your blog has been a big part of my cooking life. I started following you about 10 years ago when my youngest son was born in Greece. We moved to Germany when he was one and we moved again to California two years ago. All these years I followed you and cooked your recipes. Your recipes still make up the bulk of my repertoire. Every time I need an inspiration I know that your recipes will work. Thank you for everything you have done. You have made me a better cook and kept my family of four men happy over the years. I also appreciate your down-to-earth and honest style. Btw – I read every word of this post. Thank you for being so open and genuine. Best, Ruth
Love your blog! Truly. Have been following for years and I use your recipes multiple times a week. Thank you for your hard work, your amazing sharing stories and you.
I love you Mel! My family & I really enjoy every recipe I’ve made from your blog! Been following you for about 10 years now! I have 3 kids under 11 and they love to bake with me! The cinnamon roll cake has become a Christmas tradition and is the best cake EVER! Your my fav and excited to see what recipe you post next! Happy Blogiversary! ❤️
Happy anniversary! We are so happy you do your “job” so amazingly well. I’ve been following you for forever. I truly think my family thinks we are personal friends. I can’t promise that if I were to ever see you in public I wouldn’t give you a big hug…and I’m not a hugger. Thank you for making feeding my family so easy and fun. Please never stop! I would miss you greatly. You are hugely talented and I love how low key and humble you are about your amazing talents.
I do not find joy from cooking. I actually covet the wandering Isrealites (to an extent 😉 that they got to have Mana provided for them for 40 years and never had to think, wonder, plan or prepare their meals.
That being said, thanks to your blog I have found joy in one area and that is baking bread. Because of your blog and your thorough tutorials and step by step guides I enjoy baking bread/rolls/breadsticks/ etc and have gotten pretty good at it. So thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing me something that brings me happiness in the kitchen.
On the other hand I have a teenage daughter who is a foodie like her dad and is the most helpful child I could ask for. She knows that if there is something she is wanting to make, to check your blog first for the best version of it. She knows that your blog is where most our dinners come from.
I rarely comment but have followed for many many years and so after reading this decided it was high time I give you a huge thank you and virtual hug!
Oh and I have an aunt who likes to buy us games. I always check your game guide first before deciding what to ask for! Thanks for being real with your suggestions!
Congrats on 15 years of blogging! Funny story, my friend kept asking me for the recipes of things I make and I kept sending her the link to your blog. She finally realized that all my recipes come from you. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this blog!
Wow, 15 years, congrats Mel!! I’m grateful for all your yummy recipes you give us all! Looking forward to seeing what else is coming:)
Happy 15, Mel! It’s no exaggeration to say you’ve changed my cooking life, and I’m forever grateful for you! I also love that you are real. I’m sure you have a million would-be besties out there, but I’m definitely on the list of people who wish we were friends in real life!
If you are looking for ideas for new things to try and then teach me about , I’d love to do more meat-free meals, but have had a hard time finding recipes that appeal to kids/teens/husbands (okay…just one husband, but he’s a meat lover!) I’d love some help making filling, delicious meals that are plant based (and not just subbing in fake meat.)
I hope you blog forever! ❤️
I first heard about you at a meal planning class on a “Super Saturday” about ten years ago and since then many of your recipes are my old friends (Texas sheet cake and beef noodle stew are favorites). It’s common to be talking recipes with sisters, mother-in-law or friends and have one of us say our favorite version is Mel’s. You’re like a friend we all know! Thank you for sharing the journey and congratulations on 15 years!
I am in Canada and have been following your blog for about 10 years and I can honestly say you are my favourite of all bloggers. You are so real and genuine and many of your posts make me laugh out loud. I feel like we could be friends in real life if we lived close. I also have a bunch of constantly hungry boys and your recipes are the first I look to! Thank you thank you!
Mel, you’re amazing! I can’t say enough about what your blog does for me and my family. I turn to your blog every single day – you taught me to be a great cook! Congratulations on 15 years of your hard work and dedication. Thank you for all you do!
On top of all of the blog work, you read and respond to these hundreds of comments. I have become a better cook and mother because of your blog. I have laughed and cried reading your posts and enjoyed every single recipe.
I try to click on ads because I know this is not easy to do and you give so much of yourself. Thank you. You are loved and appreciated.
I was introduced to you (and r your website) by a friend. She always would talk about how every one of your recipes she used turned out fantastic. Finally I decided to check out this Mel’s kitchen cafe and honestly anytime I’m looking for a specific recipe yours is the first place I go because like my friend said, I can count on it to be amazing. I remember commenting on a post which I never do and was thoroughly surprised when I received a response. I once emailed you and also received a response. I felt so valued. It felt like there really was a friend on the other end that perhaps I’ll never meet in person but has helped me in the kitchen. For Christmas we make all our own gifts and I have a daughter that loves to cook. I decided to make her a little “cook book” and noticed as I looked through it, although there are some of my childhood favorites and some collected from her or there a huge number have “Mel’s ….” For the title. (As I write this all of the sudden I’m thinking maybe that’s illegal and I’m going to get sued for copyright I promise you’re getting all the credit, you’ll be my daughter hero in the kitchen as well!) hoping we are still friends after my confession my reason for commenting is really to thank you for choosing to do this work, to be authentic and to help make my life as a mom and wife easier. Thank you to your family who make sacrifices as well to allow you to do it. I look forward to many more years to come of Mel’s kitchen cafe recipes. Congratulations on 15 years and many more to come!
I loved seeing the old blogspot logo! My family is grateful for all of your hard work as a food blogger… they might not know your name but they know I have a favorite food blogger where I get my favorite recipes.
Thanks for sharing so much of yourself (that sounds terrifying to me!)
Sending you lots of high fives and cheers for 15 years!
My friend is amazing in the kitchen! When I found out you were her go-to blog it became mine too! Thank you for all you have shared! In recipes, and in your goodness ♥️
I have followed your site since the early days! You’re still my favorite food blogger and I don’t think that will ever change! I know that my family will love your recipes and I love that I can trust that it will be good! I also love that you are so down to earth and real! I’ve been known to say a time or two that you and I could be BFFs! I’m so grateful for you and all of your hard work! And I happen to love your lengthy posts!
Hello! I have been following your blog since year 1 or 2. It was the first cooking blog I ever followed. I had a new baby and was learning how to cook and meal plan, and you helped me in learning to cook and love it (and be a rock star) I still check your blog often and just made the creamy black bean taco soup last weekend (for the millionth time.) thank you!!!
Have followed you for your 15 years and loved every post. I, along with my daughters now, always turn to your recipes first. Such a fun read. Thanks for sharing
I am so grateful for all of your hard work and many, many hours of “solitaire” that provides myself and my family and friends with delicious food. I am so confident that your recipes are indeed tried and true that many times I don’t even do a trial run before I take a new recipe somewhere. My family always asks when I make something new if the recipe came from you. My 11 year old son (who isn’t the least bit interested in learning how to cook) tells people he knows about your blog. He credits you for making my food so wonderful. I just know that we sure appreciate you and your sacrifice. Bless you and your family!
Our recipe books at home are literally filled to the breaking point with all of your amazing recipes. You are our favorite! And I mean FAVORITE. Whenever we want to try something new for dinner? Go to Mel’s. Craving some pie? Mel’s. Let’s make a fancy salad. Mel’s. So cool that you’ve been posting for 15 years, congratulations! We really appreciate all the effort that you have put into this blog and all of its components. Looking forward to everything that the coming years will bring as well!
Mel, when my kids ask me what famous person I would meet, I tell them you! I’ve been using your recipes since my kids were tiny, and 9 times out of 10 if someone asks for a recipe I’ve made, I send them a link to your site. Thanks for being real and making recipes that a family loves.
I wish I could remember the first recipe that I made from your blog, but I can’t! I have lots of good memories and a list of favorites! Thank you!!
You are my go to for a good recipe of any kind. I Couldn’t feed my family without ya. Thanks for all the amazing recipes!
I’m pretty sure the first time I came across your blog you were having a power outage in the Midwest and still making content for us! You also taught me how to make a dinner roll round and I have been a dedicated Mel fan ever since! I love the accessibility of your recipes. They are easy to follow and have surely been a main help in me becoming a confident cook. I love your recipes and I genuinely like you! Thank you for staying true to you and for feeding my family all of these years!
I think my reason for wanting allllll your recipes in a real life paper cookbook is honestly fear. What if your blog disappeared or the internet actually crashed. How would I literally feed my family. You are almost all we eat and I would most certainly die if I didn’t have you guiding me through dinner 7 nights a week. I been with you for 10 solid years and I love you so much and you have absolutely made me a better person a better wife a better mother and a better hostess. Your work matters so very much and I’m so grateful I found you!! ♥️
My family and I thank you for your recipes and your blog! The recipes are always good and you are my “go to” when I am looking for something! Thank you!
Mel, you are the best! My sister and I are convinced if we just knew you in real life we would be friends for reals and not just virtually. Thank you for doing things the way that works for you; it’s brave and refreshing and genuine. I tell everyone who asks for a great recipe to try your website first, and I’ve share recipes of yours I have made countless times. Thanks for being a wonderful constant for so many years, I am grateful for you.
-A SAHM of five kids in AZ.
Thank from the bottom of my heart for all the years you’ve fed my family with love and deliciousness!!! Congrats!
Mel. I thoroughly enjoyed your article. I had no idea of all that’s involved in blogging. I’ve been with you for several years and always get excited when I see a post from you. I love them all but one of my favorites is the recipe for your Moms Burritos. My husband and I have made these three times ( getting ready or the fourth). I’m the cook and he puts the burritos together. We freeze them and enjoy them until it’s time to make another batch. Thank you for your time and effort. It’s much appreciated and enjoyed!!
You’re the best, Mel! Your recipes work for me—and my hubby always knows when I’m trying something from you! His favorite is the Firecracker Chicken so keep up those spicy recipes!
Thanks for all the effort you put into your work. It is the best tip I was ever given on a flight from a seatmate. Don’t ever lose your sense of home because your love shows through in the recipes!
I found your blog 11 years ago when I had two toddlers and was in a terrible cooking rut of tacos and spaghetti, having never really learned how to cook or meal plan. I’m still not great at meal planning but have loved learning new skills. I don’t completely dread that daily event called dinner and my family is much happier about food! My daughter is 14 now and has been helping me bake your muffins and cookies for ten years, and this year she made 4 pumpkin pies and one apple pie completely by herself for our big family Thanksgiving dinner.
I have especially enjoyed laughing along with your stories about funny kid moments, mom struggles, Christmas lists, pictures of farm animals and discussions about everything from lip gloss to hard parenting decisions. You are my favorite imaginary friend and my life has been enriched by your blog. I’m so glad you are able to earn an income from it and hope you will be around for at least another 15 years! God bless you and your family Mel
Congratulations! Love your site and your recipes. Nothing has ever been a flop. So many of my favorite recipes come from you. Thanks so much!!! In a world full of “influencers”, I appreciate your sincerity and that you always keep it real. I think we all feel like we know you and are good friends. Hope you celebrate with something really yummy!