Things Look a Bit Different Around Here! (A Few Tips to Navigate the Changes)
Hey friends!
It’s been a long time in coming (and months in the planning!) but my little home away from home website got a much needed facelift. Both inside and out!
While you may see a slightly different color scheme and some new design elements, a lot of the improvements were updates made to the bones and structure of my website so it’s optimized, fast, and purring along nicely.
I wanted to specifically point out a few new features and design changes in case you had questions or haven’t noticed them yet.
I know change can be hard, but please know I made these changes very intentionally and thoughtfully. And I promise they really are an improvement to make your life (and mine!) better.
Homepage
You’ll notice on the homepage there are some new features, including a section of reader favorites (which could also be called the most popular recipes) and another section of MY favorites. Because, guess what, I have very strong opinions about which recipes fall into ones I can eat for the rest of forever. 🙂
The recipes in these sections will change every week or so to keep the ideas fresh!
And for you weekly menu fans, it’s still there at the bottom! The only change is combining Saturday and Sunday into one “weekend” day.
Recipe Format
One of the most notable changes is that the recipe card is looking a bit different! This improvement is being rolled out one-by-one to ensure the utmost quality control in switching over all the recipes to the new format.
I have over 2,000 recipes living here, so it’s going to take a hot minute to get it done, but you’ll start seeing a new format to the recipes as they get updated.
Old style:
New style:
Again, not all the recipes are in the new format yet, but they’ll be there soon(ish). All of the same features are still here PLUS a few new ones!
(If you are looking for the Save to Prepear button on the new format, it’s getting added today!)
Nutrition Facts
After hundreds of you asked (begged, pleaded, threatened) for it, I finally caved and added nutrition facts to the new recipe format.
I never planned to include nutrition facts, because even the best nutrition calculator can be off a little, AND, I’m a big believer and proponent of intuitive eating vs calorie counting, so I don’t look at nutrition facts myself.
However, I know a lot of you rely on them for counting carbohydrates (shout out to all my Type 1 Diabetes families out there!) and many of you DO track nutrition facts for your meals, and I know it’s important to you!
So consider this my gift to you. 🙂
I’m not going to lie, it pains me to add nutrition facts to recipes like donuts, but I’ll just take a lot of deep breaths and hope no one writes me hate mail because they found out via my blog that donuts actually aren’t health food and they feel like their whole life is a lie.
*If you don’t see nutrition facts on a recipe yet, it’s because that recipe still needs to be converted to the new format. Working as hard as I can to get this done!
Print Photo
I get that, like, only 3 1/2 of us are still printing recipes in this day and age (I’m a die hard recipe printer-outer), but for our awesome print community, you can now select whether to print the recipe photo or not.
This has been a long requested feature, and I’m excited to roll it out!
Weight Measures
I’ve included weight measures in ounces on all my baking recipes for several years, but many of the old recipes don’t have weight measures.
Using weight measures and a kitchen scale is an awesome way to level up your baking game in the kitchen! Plus, it helps recipes be even more foolproof since many of us measure flour, sugar, etc differently when using a measuring cup.
As I convert all my recipes to a new format, I will be adding weight measures to ALL my baking recipes – even the super old ones languishing in the cobwebby dungeons of the archives.
In the past, I’ve used OUNCES for all weight measures on my recipes. I did this mostly because I was highly influenced by America’s Test Kitchen when I first started blogging, and they use ounces instead of grams. However, I have gotten many, many, many confused questions over the years when readers see things like: 1 cup of flour = 5 ounces.
Many people associate 1 cup = 8 ounces, which is true if we’re talking fluid ounces. But 1 cup can equal a lot of different weight measurements depending on the ingredient.
To help clear up any confusion, I’m converting all my weight measures to grams, which is a more widely accepted and accurate method for weighing ingredients. And of course, I’ll still continue to use cup measures as well.
I know this may cause some of you consternation. Those of you, like me, who have gotten so used to setting your kitchen scale to ounces. But I promise, in the long run, this is the better way. Thanks for your patience as I roll this out!
Reviews
I’ve said this before, but it bears saying again: it means SO much to me when you take the time to leave an honest, unsolicited review on any recipe on the website.
These reviews help me as I continue this endeavor of food blogging (and as I create and test many more recipes), but it also helps give reputability to my recipes, as well as helps my content show up in google searches.
So THANK YOU to all of you who leave ratings and reviews. I appreciate each and every one of them! (Yes, even the ones who constructively and nicely say why they didn’t enjoy a recipe for whatever reason.)
In the new recipe format, there are several ways to leave a rating or a review. A rating is just selecting a star amount without leaving a comment. And a review is a star rating + a comment.
1) Under the title of the recipe, you can select a number of stars to rate the recipe (without leaving a comment – although if you select three stars or lower, it will automatically ask you to leave a comment so I can learn from the valuable feedback!).
2) Down at the top of the comment thread, you can leave a comment and select a number of stars to rate the recipe there. Or you can leave a comment without selecting a star rating.
Search
I’m still working on improving the search function to return the most relevant results, but for now the best results will pop up as you type in your search criteria and wait for the dropdown box to load.
This is enabled on mobile and desktop.
A Few Last Notes
There are a few more design changes that are kind of fun: keep your eye out for the What to Serve With This box on main dish posts as well as cute FAQ boxes to answer the most commonly asked questions (and save time reading through the comment thread).
Thank you for your patience as I continue to update recipes and roll out some of the remaining changes!
One quick note about ads: you guys, I know ads are annoying. I don’t like them much, either. But ads are kind of a necessary evil as they are the revenue source that pays my bills and allows me to continue giving you my very best tried-and-true recipes.
As my blog has grown exponentially in traffic over the last decade+, it has turned into a full-time business, and it requires a lot of behind-the-scenes work to keep it up and running.
I think long and hard about ad placement and the amount of ads that appear. There is no magic formula. And I know many of you feel like you’d make different decisions if you were in my shoes.
But please take a moment to be thoughtful as you judge or issue criticism. All of the pieces of the blogging puzzle add up to an insane amount of work and costs associated with web hosting, design, contract employees, audits, plugins and more. I’m running only about 1/2 of the ads available to me in order to keep the user experience fairly positive.
With this redesign, I’m tweaking a few things ad-wise (and trying to eliminate some problematic ads that have popped up – I apologize for those; thanks to those of you who bring them to my attention).
Ok, I think that’s it!!
I appreciate you and your kindness, loyalty, and patience! I’m excited for these website changes and hope that you are, too! Thanks for being here, you guys.
209 Comments on “Things Look a Bit Different Around Here! (A Few Tips to Navigate the Changes)”
I love your recipes! You are definitely my first choice when I’m looking for something new that I know will be good! I have been a little frustrated with the change to grams – although looking through the comments most people have been really excited about this. My scale only has ounces! I have been finding a conversion website, entering each weight in grams, and converting to ounces. This takes A LOT of extra time! Do you know of an easier way to convert back to ounces? Do you have a favorite conversion site? Lol! I understand you took the time to make this change so things would be easier. It’s not you, it’s me.
Hi Kelly, I can see how that would be frustrating! Any chance it might be worth investing in a new kitchen scale? There are some highly reviewed scales on amazon if you search “digital kitchen scale” for less than $15. I really don’t know of any easier way to convert grams to ounces than using a website.
Thank you so much for adding the weight in grams! Such a time saver. You are the best!
You are amazing! All these changes have got to be a TON of work for you and your little team! Thank you for all you do to develop and share recipes and to make the user experience on here super easy and fantastic for us. I recommend your website to people all. the. time. It is the recommendation I make the most frequently. In fact, I just recommended you on Friday to some new friends who’s son is super into cooking and baking. They texted me on Saturday afternoon with a picture of their son making your pretzel bites. I love love love you site and your blog and your insta accounts. I’m so glad this is still something you enjoy doing!
You’re amazing! For being my go to recipe person, I say get paid, girl! I’m happy to click the x on some more ads if it helps you out. Also, though, I’m totally a recipe printer. I have a binders of recipes printed from the internet. Only the good recipes get saved in the binders, of course. It’s so much faster to cook when my wet hands don’t have to keep reviving my phone or keeping my iPad out of the flour dust.
Mel,
You and your team are incredible! Thank you for your continual hard work. I am always impressed by you and your blog.
I glad you get paid for your work though ads. I love seeing a product I don’t have and being able to click on the Amazon link to help you, because honestly you have helped me SO MUCH through your recipes, your thoughts and all you do for so many around you!
Cool changes. Keep up the good work.
Hi Mel! You are my #1 go to for recipes! I love your blog. I have a question about the new format. On the weekly meal plan, I see it on the mobile site but not the web version. And even on my phone, when I am in a recipe, it is not at the bottom. Is that supposed to be only on the mobile version or is that something that needs to be fixed? I love that feature so I am hoping that it’s only gone while you are working out the kinks with the new site. Thank you!b
Hi Rebecca, yes the weekly meal plan should be on the desktop version, too. I just looked and it’s showing up on mine. Can you check again and let me know if you are still having issues?
I love your blog so so so so much. Your food is so incredible. You are down to earth and so relatable. Thank you for all the time you put into your work! I do have to say I miss seeing the dates of the recipes at the top or on the home page. I know that’s minor. You’re amazing!
Looking forward to exploring the new changes and thanks for keeping us recipe printers in mind. Also I fully support your ads Mel! Thanks you for all the time you put into this blog!
You are my go to for all my recipes and love your changes. Thank you for all your work on bringing all your recipes to us. You make many houses happy with your wonderful recipes.
Hey Mel, Love your website and all your recipes.
Yay, Mel! Thank you so much. I just love you. You are totally my food spirit buddy.
Thank you for including grams, that`s wonderful! I love your recipes and your page.
The highest compliment that I could ever give you is that your recipes and overall work is SO consistent and trustworthy. You are my one-stop-shop! We love you Mel!
The ads on your site are perfectly fine. I would hope that no one is expecting you to do so much work without compensation- especially when the service is still free to us! There’s no need to apologize for having ads on a free blog
Thank you so much for making changes to your website based on readers comments. I have thoroughly enjoyed your site for years! I appreciate the new changes and the post explaining all of the new changes. You offer things free other sites charge for, and I really appreciate that! Thank you for your stories, pictures, recipes, recommendations, and making my life easier. I often forward your recipes to friends and family. And, I too prefer a printed recipe 😉 You are awesome!!
Love your old site and love all the additions coming to your new site !! 99% of my recipes come from you. Thank you for all of your hard work and inspirational words. Always look forward to seeing what new and amazing food you have in store for us. You are my kitchen hero <3
Wanted to take the time to thank you. Almost everything I make I’ve found here. Thank you for the time and energy you spend to help the rest of us find success and delicious food in the kitchen. Appreciate you!
Yay for grams!!!! That makes me so happy. I’m definitely a printer, and I love that you make it easy to do so. I’m a relentless recipe purger, to keep my binders from filling with stuff I don’t love or need. As a result, easily more than half of the recipes come from you! Also, I’m so glad that the “1 year ago, 2 years, etc.” recipe links aren’t going away. I’ve found lots of keepers through that function. I’m really looking forward to the FAQ feature–I’m a comment reader for that very reason.
As a budding intuitive eater, I’ll confess I’m a little sad about the nutrition facts appearing. Those can be tough for those with disordered thinking about food. Still, they don’t print on the recipes, and I’m grateful for that. I can also see why diabetics would need them. Kudos to you for making the effort for your readers that want them, when it’s not important to you. That’s impressive in and of itself.
Your ad quantity is fine to my thinking. Some blogs have so many that loading a recipe on my phone is impossible. I don’t venture outside the dependable few food blogs I follow often, but I always wish they’d take a cue from you when I do.
Finally, thanks for doing what you do. You make the stuff I love to make, and it’s delightful to have such a great source of fresh, dependable recipes. I’ve recommended you over and over AND shared countless specific recipes from the blog.
Mel, I love to hear your energetic voice as I read your excellent explanations! I love your site! And to think it just got even better! Thanks for all the work you put in to be a resource in so many ways! Work your fingers to the bones…haha! You are a rock star! (And will you be selling pink Rock Star aprons again this year?)
Mel, you’re a TOTAL ROCK STAR!!! <3 love Love LOVE <3 all the changes/updates you've made to your website, especially the photos (I'm a printout first, try recipe later, gal) on the print recipe option, listing the metric weights and adding nutrition info. Side note: All your recipes I've tried are very good to most excellent with the Oven Baked Ribs the all-time favorite of my whole family. A hundred thanks!
You’ve done a lot of work and it looks amazing! I look forward to discovering and using the new features in the weeks to come. I still print recipes too and add them in my trusty binder. 🙂 Yay! for weight measurements, especially for baked goods. And, I have never been distracted by ads on your site. It always looks clean and fresh and I love spending time here searching for fun and delicious recipes to feed my family!
Honestly, Mel!
Thank you for all the extra work you did to make this great blog even better! I’ve never made a recipe of yours I did not love! The best to you and yours with heartfelt thanks❤️
Commenting a second time….LOVE the page numbers at the bottom to go to the beginning of your blog entries. It’s so fun to see how you started and what you cooked and chose to record. 🙂
LOVE and APPRECIATE SOOO much that you’re including nutrition facts! It’ll make managing my son’s type 1 diabetes so much easier and lessen the headache and frustration of eating (so sad eating is such a mountain to climb, but very thankful we know how to climb it!). Never thought we’d have to worry about nutrition facts. Like you, I appreciate intuitive eating, but one never knows what surprises life will bring. Thank you!
Great changes, Mel! I dabble in trying recipes from other food blogs from time to time, and I am almost always annoyed by the zillions of pop-up ads and videos that slow down my experience, and I always think to myself, “This is why I love Mel’s Kitchen Cafe so much.” So thanks for keeping your recipes accessible instead of hidden behind an obstacle course of ads.
Mel, I just want to say thank you so very much for all you do! I’m not sure how you keep up with this and your family and everything else in between, but we all appreciate it so much. My only regret is not finding your website sooner….I only discovered you during early Covid (April 2020). I have tried so many recipes and they have become part of our everyday life! I was sad to see the recipe dates had disappeared, but after reading the comments I see it is now below the recipe. Keep up the great work, Mel!!
my first time just want to say Hi
It looks great – I am so glad the weekly menus stayed and I am so excited about the favorites sections! I love discovering recipes I may have overlooked or one that just fell out of my rotation somehow!! Thanks so much for all you do – you are my #1 tried and true recipe source!
I LOVE the addition of weight measurements in grams!!!! Hooray!
Thank you for making my very favorite source for delicious recipes! You make my dinner (& breakfast & lunch) table a happier place almost daily! We all so appreciate your hard work.
I am also a printer of recipes (mostly yours), so thank you for the no picture option.
You’re awesome!
All of these changes are amazing, and I 100% support your need to have ads. Love your site so much!
I’m a “printer”!:)
as always…appreciate so much all your hard work
Oh my Mel! What a lot of work on improvements! They look amazing!
Thank you for all of it.
We love your website and all the ways it blesses our family.
– Kristen
I already thought you were the best and then you go and add carb counts for us T1D families. Cue the standing ovation and tears! You really are the best Mel! Thank you for making my life a little easier!
I love the new weight feature for your recipes! Thank you for adding those. I’m definitely a recipe printer and I appreciate the picture/no picture feature!
I’m vowing to do a better job of rating recipes.
Thank you so much for all you do, Mel! I can’t even imagine all the work that goes on behind the scenes! You are my go-to site for all my recipes. Whenever I make something new, this is what I hear, “Let me guess, this is one of Mel’s recipes!” And my response is always, yes! LOL
Mel, all of these redesigns and changes look great! Thank you for all the care and love you put into your blog!
I love your blog, Mel. I first came here several years ago needing to learn to make bread. Last night I made your Cafe Rio Sweet pork and we couldn’t get over it.
And I’m a recipe printer, too!
Can I just say one thing about ads? I agree with others here who are saying that you should be paid for all you do and I totally agree BUT I have been to some food blogs where there are SO many ads that the page literally will not load (or take forever trying) and I leave. So I think there still needs to be a balance. Your sight has never been like that and as a reader that is huge for me.
Thank you for everything! I don’t know what I would do without you!
Thank you SO much for adding the weight measurements in grams to all your recipes!!
Wow, awesome and exciting changes! Your website is the best. Thanks, Mel!
You taught me to cook.
I will forever be a-okay with ads if it brings you revenue.
I also have printed out all my favorite recipes (and will continue to do so) in case the apocalypse happens and I need to make all the cookies (because, of course, the power will stay on through the apocalypse to allow me to bake).
I love how much you love what you do and want to help us all become better in our kitchens. Thanks for taking the time to update everything.
Wow! What a lot of work, thank you so much! It looks good.
The changes look good! The only thing I am missing is where to find the date each recipe was posted. This mainly helps when there are two recipes for something so I can figure out which is newest. Thanks!
Hi Cassidy – I moved it below the recipe. 🙂
Mel, what would I do without you!!! Whenever I’m so burned out on old recipes you give me something new, thank you so much! When I make something new I tell my family it’s one of Mel’s and their worried looks vanish. Thanks for everything!
Thanks for the keeping the print button; I always print because I’m a messy cook. Also looking forward to the nutritional info. The older I get, the more I realize maybe cookies maybe shouldn’t be part of all three meals ;).
I love your blog, it’s always the place I go first, as I have never had a failure with any of your recipes. And maybe more importantly, you taught me to bake bread, which I do weekly.
Mel, I am always printing out your recipes, just in case the world ends and there is no internet. I will NEED to have you by my side in the kitchen! And I don’t mind the ads at all. You are so generous to offer all your delicious recipes for free. Thank you and I feel like you are part of our family, since you show up at so many meals.
Just want you to know that I am so grateful for all that you do. I love your site and everything you share. Thank you a million times.
I’m loving the new design! Thank you for keeping on doing this every day- your recipes and ideas are always my go-tos. I’ll gladly deal with a few ads to get food ideas that suit my style, plus your delightful commentary.
I’m a recipe printer, too! I like to be able to escape my screen when cooking, plus it makes it easy to keep notes for future use.
Mel, I love your new changes! I am so excited to test some of the functions out, especially reader favorite and your favorites! And also I LOVE weights for baking, cuts down on the mess for me so much! Thank you! Thank you for keeping your blog and content going for us! You are so special!
A very nice set of enhancements. I hope that you have a way to automate the updating of the recipes. If not, please talk to a techie type to see if it can be done.
A suggestion: In the Nutrition section, add “per serving.” It’s probably what everybody would assume, but why not spell it out and remove all doubt.
I’ve done websites, although not blogs, and I have some notion of the effort required behind the scenes. I really appreciate all your work, as well as your recipes 🙂
love your recepes; love your website; love the way I can print your recipes; love your sweet face.
Oh my heck – I did not know you were an Idaho spud like me. Now I like you even better. I love it when I see a post on Facebook because I know that your recipes will wonderful I must have ream of paper with your patterns on each page. I love how easy it is to print your recipe. I thank you for that.
Keep put your good works. Kathy Anderson Salt Lake City, Utah
Yay! I usually don’t do well with change but I am excited for this! I love your recipes. I’m eager to check out your favs and reader favs. I know our personal favs in this house (there are many). Thanks for being you and for all you do 🙂
Everything you do is thoughtful and full of kindness. Thank you for ALL the work these changes. I’m super excited!
Thank you so much for thos very thoughtful and professional explanation. My favorite part was you acknowledging and explaining honestly about the ads. It proves that you truly are as wonderful and personal as you were from the beginning, which was one of the reasons I started following you. Your new changes are exciting and Im so happy for your success. You deserve and earned it. Please keep being you.
I love your blog and am excited about the new changes. Thank you for switching to grams. As a Canadian, it is more familiar to me and as an engineer, I always wondered why you didn’t use the more accurate measurement system given your love of being accurate.
Thank you Mel! Your recipes are always amazing and your site just keeps getting better. I am an avid printer and baking by weights gal so thank you for improving those two things.
I love you guys so much! Your comments are awesome (and helpful!). I am mostly so excited at all the recipe printer outers coming out of the woodwork. 🙂 For those of you who noticed the search function was returning pretty crummy or nonexistent results, it’s fixed! Yahoo. I was ready to scream over that one. I’ve also made notes of other questions/constructive thoughts you’ve mentioned. Thank you!
Not a report on a recipe but a thank you for your hard work in providing us with information about all thing cooking/baking/menu planning and many more. Your recipes are go to for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Mel, I love the changes you’ve made. I’ve been following you for years. You are my favorite cooking blog hands down. Thanks for all of the great recipes and all that you put into your blog. I love your voice that comes shining through all of your posts. You are down to earth, funny and gifted at putting together great recipes! If I ever see you in person I’m warning you now that I’m going to be giving you a big hug!
Mel! Just thanks. No way to say how much I mean it. Love your content. I’ve used your web site for years and years and feel grateful every time I’m here for these real life recipe and even your words of wisdom. You are a good person and even if you make a gabillon dollars from your ads it will never be enough…so no complaints here! Ad it up!
This is my first comment, ever and I am 72 years old. Mel, profit is not a 4 letter word. You work hard for your readers and we should respect your efforts. I have an ad blocker on my computer BUT I turned it off about 2 years ago on your site as I respect your work and your economic support of your family. (and the recipes taste good too!).
Love the new look and I am a printer. Always and forever print out your recipes, so thank you for making that easier! Love the areas of Mel’s favorite and reader favorites! Looks great! Thanks for all you do!
Dear Mel-
I love your website and recipes! Thank you for all the updates and information.
Mel, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for the efforts and time you put into this website. It boggles my mind that it’s avail to me at NO COST. Your website is my #1 go-to. I love these new features and thank you 100000x over for the recipes that have made my mealtime life breezy and successful. Among my friends, you are referred to so frequently that we feel like you are one of us. Please continue to let us know how we can support you and anytime you want to roll out more cute aprons/hoodies/engraved spatulas, we will be first in line. With gratitude…xo
I thought you and your website were awesome 10 years ago and I think you are both still incredibly awesome! Thank you from me and my family for all of the reliably delicious recipes. (and I like to take a teeny tiny bit of credit for the growth in your business, I have told so many of my friends and family about you!)
Hi Mel,
Great job! I love your site so much not only for your recipes, but your personality! You’re funny, honest, real, considerate and a very wonderful caring person.
I do have a request regarding the nutritional facts…Could you add saturated fat grams for all of us Weight Watchers out there? It would very valuable to be able to calculate the correct WW Smart Points.
Thanks for ALL you do!!
Susanna
Yes, I’ll add it! 🙂
Yay!!! Thanks! you’re the best!!!
I forgot to mention that I’m a major printer outer too!! Tee Hee!!
Sounds like some wonderful changes are in effect. At the same time, that sounds very tedious and time consuming. I wish you a smooth transitional update.
Can I just say I am embarrassed to admit I just recently found the “jump to recipe” feature? ROFL! Some recipes I keep going back to, or I can’t find my print out or it succumbed to being dropped in the dish water. lol
Love your fabulous site and all you do. I appreciate you so much. <3 <3 <3
Mel, I always enjoy trying your new recipes, thank you for the updates to your site.
Also, thank you for leaving a print button! I print all recipes that I really like and add them to a binder, along with my notes (Let’s be honest, we can’t always make it exactly like you do. Everyone has different tastes and allergies.) so that my children can choose which ones they like/need and take a copy with them back to their homes to try and replicate.
I save recipes so I can customize and print because I destroy anything in print. I retype recipes from my favorite books because I trash the page I’m working g from and my kitchen when I bake or cook. If you want to see where I ate, look at the table. If you want to see what I ate, look at my shirt.
Thank you for including metric amounts too. It’s high time the US joined the rest of the baking/cooking planet.
Thanks for explaining everything that’s going on. I can only imagine the job it must be for you to organize all these recipes & everything else you do, mind boggling!!! I know what’s it’s been for me just to try & organize my little batch, kudos to you you’re doing a great job & we thank you for all your hard work. Nancy
Amazing!
I am a recipe printer, and while photos are great on the site, they’re hard on home printers.
Ads don’t bother me; they are necessary for you and you should get paid for the great job you do.
These all sound like some thoughtful, good changes to your already wonderful website. I have never been bothered by the ads because I’m just so grateful you’re willing to do all the recipe testing and tweaking to give us the best of the best. And like you, I’m a huge fan of intuitive eating, so I don’t pay attention to nutrition facts, but I think it was very kind of you to add it for the people asking. Thanks Mel, for working so hard to help us feed our families well!
I’m sorry – I need to go on a mini rant here lol….This is a free resource that is saving all MKC readers time, money, and wasted effort in our kitchen. With the amount of work you spend on this Mel – I say run all the ads you want! It actually makes me feel really bad to hear you’re running ½ the amount of ads for a subset of people who don’t get what it takes to keep a business up and running in 2021 – like it is shockingly, eye-opening how many people truly don’t understand the INSANE amount of work it takes behind-the-scenes. I’d kindly ask the ad-haters to see how long it’d take for them to write personable, compelling copy followed by photos and clear, easy-to-understand directions. Then I’d like to tell them: can you just do this 2,000 more times for free? Real supporters of MKC will never be bothered by the extra scrolling/pop-ups and WANT YOU TO SUCCEED MEL! We want you to reap the benefits of YOUR hard work! It’s kind of like that quote “never explain yourself. The person who likes you doesn’t need it…and the person who dislikes you won’t believe it.” For those who are truly bothered by ads, there are two easy solutions: SOLUTION 1: Just go in the kitchen yourself and try to come up with your own family winners OR SOLUTION 2: Simply change your mindset to that of gratitude – grateful for the fact that Mel is taking the time to help you become a rockstar in the kitchen. And the cost? Just a little extra scrolling or pop-ups. With the quality of recipes on this site, I’d happily mine through 39202 ads to get to the gold mine of MKC recipes.
❤ X 100!
What she said!
Hi Mel! I am a long time follower of your blog and delicious recipes. These changes seem wonderful, and thank you for taking the time to explain the what and whys of the changes. Also, thanks for the shout out the the type 1 diabetics. I have been living with it for 43 years, so the carb count is especially helpful. My husband and I love your recipes and make your recipes several times a week. It is common to hear “This is one of Mel’s” after a compliment about a meal. So we count you as one of the family, lol. BTW, I have been making milk kefir smoothies (with coconut milk) for several weeks now, and love them. Thanks for your blog about the benefits of kefir a while back. Thanks for all you do!
I think all these changes sound good. I appreciate all the work you do to make all 2,000 of your recipes uniform.
Mel, I have followed you and your recipes for such a long time. I want to thank you so much for having such a sweet, kind personality. It is just refreshing to read your comments and to use your wonderful recipes. Your recipes are always my go-to when I want a good one. What a darling family you have and seem to be growing up so fast. Just wanted you to know my feelings. Have a great day. Virginia R.
I of course noticed the new format a few days ago (I’m on your site literally every day) and, because I love you, I’ll try to get used to it! Thank you for all the hard work you do to keep the recipes coming and the website running.
Not sure why it didn’t post 5 stars so I’m trying again.
Yay Mel!!! Thank you for your continued work and diligence in keeping us and our families fed!! You are my real life modern day Julia child and I just love you!! And while I am 100 on board with intuitive eating my daughter needs a heart surgery which will require a low fat diet for 6+ weeks so nutritional facts will be so helpful during that time. Love you to pieces!!!
Oh, Leila, many prayers for your daughter and you!
Looks great!! You got my at the Type 1 mama part. I am one and that’s so incredibly kind of you to help out with that. It’s hard to find that at time and anything that makes life easier deserves a giant thank you!!
I think these changes look amazing. I really like the recipe format, with the yield more evident. Also the Pin It button is fantastic. I really appreciate all the thought and efforts you have put into this.
Thank you for continuing your work in helping us keep our families fed with food they actually want to eat! #NotACook. #AppreciateTheHelp
So excited for you and your new design! I’m looking forward to navigating it. You recipes haven’t steered me wrong yet!
Looks awesome Mel! You are amazing!
As a long-time reader of your site, I have always loved your blog and have made countless MKC recipes. The ads have never been a problem for me. And all the changes? AWESOME! So glad you are adding weight measurements to all your recipes. I love baking and cooking that way. And although I never asked for nutrition facts, I’m more than happy to use them now that they’re available! So many thoughtful and user-friendly changes to an already great blog make your site even better than ever. Thank you so much for all your work and time! And P.S. – I still print recipes!
The website looks so good! I appreciate all the work and thought that went into the changes. I’m one of the 3 and a half that still print recipes, but only the ones I use most often so that means at least half of my binders are your recipes now. Also, don’t feel bad about the ads! Of course you need to get paid for your work!
Thank you, Mel, for all you do! So many of the recipes that I regularly make are from you. You have changed my cooking life! And thank you, also for taking the time to explain the changes to your website! How kind of you to think of your readers in that way. So appreciated! I do have one question. I am already missing the date a recipe or post was put up on your blog. I have lots of reasons why it helps this brain to have the date. Is that feature gone for good? Appreciate all the work you do for us!!
Hi Robyn, it’s not gone! I switched it so it now appears at the bottom of the post under the recipe.
In my house it’s called “Mom’s Purple Binder”, and probably 2/3 of the recipes are yours. During Covid, I graduated to the 4″ binder and put them all in plastic sleeves to save them from messy cooks. Recipes only go there after we have tried them and agree on their greatness. I am a much better cook after years of your blog, but don’t worry, after they say “this is great”, most times my reaction is, “it’s Mel’s”. I can’t imagine life without printed tried-and-true recipes, beautiful cookbooks to flip through, and Mel’s Kitchen Cafe to give me inspiration!
I just want to say how much I love your blog and love your recipes! I use it several times a week, and many of our favorite recipes come from here! The new format looks beautiful, and I’m excited to print out some of our favorite recipes for my oldest daughter who is leaving for college in a few weeks (maybe it will distract me from the fact that she’s leaving). Thank you!!
I love so many of these changes! I made the banana bread today and was just thinking about how you do ounces vs grams as I’m so used to seeing grams.
And your ads have never once bothered me. They are not in the middle, they don’t pop up, for the most part I don’t even notice them.
I’m so appreciative of all the thought and work that goes into making this site a valuable resource for me (and so many others!) Thank you for all you do to make it the incredible resource it is. I was just thinking that as my kids age (much too quickly!) I should start printing out copies of all the recipes we use so they have them for when they are on their own (heaven help my heart!).
Thank you!
Mel, I think you are doing an amazing job. You are my NUMBER ONE recipe source. Hands down. My kitchen could almost be called Mel’s Kitchen Cafe Jr. 🙂 Lol. Thank you for all your hard work, your sacrifice, and your dedication to helping my family (and ME!!) enjoy what we eat.
Thanks to you, your family and the rest of your team for all of your hard work! Our family is grateful for all that you share! Well done! Excited for all that you’re doing!
Wow! That’s a lot of work! Thanks for continuing to provide trustworthy awesomeness.
You are so kind to explain all the new changes! Your website is my goto and we are so so so very grateful for all you do.
I love that you added grams to your baking recipes. Since I started making sour dough regularly I think grams so I love that change and all the work you have gone to updating your site. Thanks Mel!
I still print recipes!!! During COVID I consider it one of my successes as I used your templates and consolidated and organized all my recipes into different folders. I LOVE my new system thanks to you and you use it daily!!
Wow. You have been busy. I’m loving your new look. Excited about the pic or no pic option on the recipe printout. I’ve always loved your search option and has always worked for me. Not caring about nutritional value either, so I’m thinking you are super nice. You kind of know whether you are eating a green pepper or a chocolate brownie, right?!
I’m nervous yet excited for the new challenge of figuring out grams. I don’t weigh everything, but I weigh a lot of my food when baking. Just two days ago I was weighing 4 loaves of bagel bread to get them close to even in the pans and thought maybe I should learn something new and start weighing in grams, after all it is considered more accurate. So… I’m doing it with you!
I want you to get paid for your incredible work so I don’t mind the ads, especially when I know YOU don’t put an overload on. I won’t even look at some websites cuz I can’t figure out how to close out of the 3 pop ads before I even look at the recipe. So I guess I appreciate the limited use of pop-ups and don’t mind the ones that just stick in place.
I love what you do for my family. Thanks for being awesome. Gold star for you!
Cannot wait to see all the changes!
Will there be a button to double/triple the recipe?
I intentionally left that off because it can yield some REALLY weird results (like 7/8 of an egg and things like that), but if it proves to be useful rather than causing issues, I could be persuaded to add it.
Thank you for all of your hard work Mel! I have been a follower for 10+ years and have loved watching your site grow, as well as your cute family through the blog posts. Your recipes are always my go-to, and I have converted friends and family to your fabulous blog as well. Just wanted to say “thanks”!
Hi Mel! Great job with the new updates to your website! I think it looks great and I’m glad to hear it’s going to be better for you! It has a nice crisp, clean look, the text font is easier to read, the headings stand out better. I look forward to utilizing the new/updated features you mentioned. And I appreciated reading about what all it takes to run a blog site! I didn’t know it was so involved and it’s good to know what goes into it. And, compared to a lot of other food blog websites, your ads are the least intrusive/annoying!
I continue to look forward to every new post!
Wow, what a lot of work you’ve done! The changes sound good and I look forward to checking it all out. I’m going to start with those Extra Fudgy Brownies you show in the Mel’s Favorites screenshot above!
Wow! Looks and works great! Thanks for all you do for me with such great recipes. I’m a longtime fan and appreciate all your hard work and business/blogging methods!
Mel, thanks for all of this hard work! I’m excited about the new rollout, and love that you are converting all the recipes to weights (grams). Kitchen scales are so great for accuracy AND fewer dishes! Thank you!
On the ads – like others, thank you for carefully doing ads even though I’m sure you could make more money if you utilized the full rotation. If it bothers folks when they’re cooking, they can use the Reader Version of a browser and the ads won’t show. I often switch to that format on my ancient iPad when I’m standing in the kitchen to cook the selected recipe, so that the old device doesn’t slow down too much when I need to scroll!
Mel, you are a rockstar! I am loving the changes and am especially excited to see the metric measurements on your baking recipes. What a herculean effort you are making on our behalf. Thank you for keeping the site going and for all you and your team do behind the scenes.
I’ve always loved your website (it’s definitely my go-to when I’m looking for something fun or in a pinch. haha!) I think the changes look great. I love the color contrast. Makes it a little easier on the eyes, I think, to find the recipe inside of a bold color. I can’t imagine the amount of work you’ve gone through to make your recipes more accessible to everyone. Holy Cow! THANK YOU! You are obviously a very talented cook, but I enjoy even more how your personality shines through each recipe and blog post.
I’m excited for these changes! I also want to let you know that I find the number of ads on your website tolerable. There are some cooking blogs that have an overwhelming amount of ads and pop-ups; I end up clicking out of those sites immediately because I can’t take it. Thanks for being thoughtful about that component, and really, about every other aspect of this space. That’s what makes you the best!
It looks great Mel! As a type 1 D Mama that is so sweet of you to put the carb counts on the recipes. I completely understand about the ads. I can’t imagine how much time the administrative stuff takes. I am sure the food side is much more fun for you. On a different topic, this week I made your baked ziti instant pot recipe for about 70 kids at hand camp. We had instant pots lined up. It was definitely the highlight of the week. I took a shortcut and just use pizza sauce instead of the tomatoes and seasoning. I then mixed in mozzarella in half and pepperoni in half to continue the pizza vibe. The kids loved it and the other band moms were asking for the recipe. Thank you for putting out such amazing recipes! And I am definitely a recipe-printer-outer. 🙂
I’m not one that likes change, but I like your new format!!! Thanks for allowing the photo option, I’m a recipe printer also. I have made copies of your recipes for my granddaughters that are learning to cook. They love their very own cookbooks! Thank you Mel for this great blog!!!
i love the new format, especially that the search box is much easier to find on an ipad. The search algorithm seems to have changed though. It’s really not that good. It used to pull up some close options before when I didn’t type in exactly the name of the recipe. Now if I get somewhat close but not right on the nose it just tells me there are 0 results. I find it very frustrating. Like I typed in French Rolls because I couldn’t remember the exact name and it told me there weren’t any results, but I know I’ve typed that in before and found French Bread Rolls. Just a minor criticism from a big fan.
Yes! I agree on the search results. It’s a problem I’m working on to get fixed!
Wait, there are people out there who do not print the recipe? I don’t understand!
Another printer-outer here! Love all the new updates…especially the nutrition information.
I’ve been a reader since the beginning and every morning I check this site. I can’t believe how many years have gone by since I started using your wonderful recipes. You’ve been a blessing to me and my family. So, thank you! The new changes are great. I’m so happy you’re keeping the print feature on the recipes. You’re the best!
How exciting!! I’m looking forward to continued recipes and life stories from you!
Just a few months ago I bought a kitchen scale, and I can’t believe how convenient it is to weigh ingredients! So easy, and fewer dishes to wash 🙂 Most of my recipes use grams as a measurement, so thank you for the change. Also, I love have a print-out of a recipe.
I love, love, love (!) the new recipe format!!! I’m not one to submit comments very often, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy each and every one of your posts. Love seeing a Mel’s Kitchen Cafe email in my inbox!
Oops! I forgot to say that I like to print out recipes, too! 🙂 Something about having that piece of paper in front of me….
Mel –
This is so awesome. And your post explaining all of it makes me love you even more. I’ve followed and loved your recipes for a decade plus. Thank you for sharing and putting so much love and food into our world.
You’re amazing Mel!! I print out recipes too . I have my own “Mel” cookbook! The changes sound incredible. Thank you for all the effort and countless hours you work to bring us amazing food!!!!
Thank you so much for adding the nutrition facts to your recipes! I have a child on a low sodium diet and if I can see the sodium content of a recipe I can make a quick decision to keep it as is, alter it or just skip it altogether. It really is a blessing to have that available for your recipes since they make up a large part of my recipe box.
I’m glad it’s helpful, Emma! Any other nutrition facts you’d like me to include in the lineup, just let me know.
Thanks for all you do to help keep my family fed! I’m sure to love the new changes. And FYI- I still print out any recipe I make and seem a winner! I’m old school like that.
Wow!!! Thank you so much! I’m a calorie counter ☺️
Awww. Mel. It’s beautiful and so many cool new features. I know it is a crazy amount of work. You’ve been saving my food loving life for years and now it will be even more efficient for me to maintain my hidden pantry stash. Thank you!
How kind and awesome are you to explain all this to us? I can only imagine the hours required to update everything- pace yourself, ok? I never doubted there were good, thoughtful decisions behind every change. Thank you, truly, for all that you do. I’ve stopped bumping into the coffee table, and your house is still my favorite place to visit on the internet. 🙂 We appreciate you!
So many cool things! The design elements look great! Looking forward to using all the other updates. I am a bit nervous about grams…. but if you say it is for the best, I believe it. Thanks, Mel!
I was nervous, too, Angela! But I think we’ll both love it!
This is a huge undertaking; please know your community appreciates you!
Your recipes are good and your new format show lots of very well thought out changes to make them even easier to follow and to share. I look forward the new system. Mary C.
Thanks Mel! I’ve been following you since almost the beginning and I love all of your posts and almost all the recipes. Thanks for all your hard work-the new website looks great and you’ve done a fantastic job of adding some pretty neat features.
I’ve been a reader of your blog from the beginning, and the updates look and sound amazing
I LOVE IT!!! Your changes are beautiful, more informative, and have a sleek design. Furthermore, one can tell the tremendous amount of thought and work you put into the new change, thinking of all of us! Bless your wonderful giving heart! I look forward to your new site, how exciting. Many hugs to you dear heart and thank you for all you do….. Claudia
Way to go Mel. That’s an insane amount of work and I can’t wait to try it all out. Keep up the great work. Your recipes are awesome!!!
Just here to say that your website is (and was!) so user friendly! It’s part of why I love coming here for recipes- I know I’ll be able to find what I’m looking for quickly thanks for all your hard work!!!
I love all the changes you made. Don’t know a lot about web sites but it must be a lot of work to do this.
Thanks
Linda from Winnipeg Manitoba
Mel, thanks so much for all of your hard work! I hope you know how much joy your recipes bring to your readers and their families!! The changes will be much appreciated & helpful, and the new site looks amazing! A million thanks to you and all do you, because your recipes are a priceless treasure!
I’ve been following you for years. This new format looks incredible and is quite streamlined. I’d love to know how to measure baking ingredients in grams. I have dismissed many a recipe because I don’t know how to convert.
I am a recipe ‘printer-outer!’ I print out all the new recipes I try, and if they are keepers (as 90% of yours are), they go in my files sorted by category. If they aren’t I just throw the paper away.
I learned from my many early baking failures that resembled nothing more than sad hockey pucks, to weigh my ingredients, so I am dancing the Mel’s Happy Dance of The New Gram Measurements! Thank you so much for every minute of the incredible effort it is taking you to make all these wonderful changes that are only making a truly extraordinary blog even better…….
Thank you mel for all that you do….you’ve made me a rockstar many times….
You are the best!
Mel!! Run all the ads!! Seriously, you should be making every cent possible off of this amazing site. Longtime reader here and I’m here for the quality of your recipes and I will scroll as long as I need to scroll.
Thank you for investing in a great website for us. You are my favorite blog and have blessed our family greatly! As long as the ads aren’t the sexually perverted alphabet soup or Marxist, I am good. 🙂
I never realized how much goes into running a blog (clearly I’m not very tech savvy!), but THANK YOU for all the tasty recipes and all you do to make this such an enjoyable place for all of us. 🙂 My family and I adore your recipes!!! 🙂
Lookin’ good Mel! Question – how do we find the Reader Favorites and Mel’s Favorites? I’m not seeing them on the home page (but I could just be missing them!)
Thanks!
Hi Patricia! They are on the homepage if you scroll down past the first nine featured posts. Let me know if you have trouble finding them!
Got it! Thanks Mel!
Enjoy your weekend 🙂
Yay! Some exciting changes! I love cooking with measurements, and I’m looking forward to printing recipes with pictures! I like to print out those favorite recipes that I use more often. They are easier to use in cooking with my kids … and 4 boys = lots of cooking. 🙂 Recently, I noticed that nearly half my printed recipes are from your site. I enjoy almost everything I’ve made from you! Thanks for all you do for us!
Thank you Mel for all your hard work, making the experience better-though I had no complaints. You are our “go to” site for fabulous food-especially cookies. Thank you for all you do.
Thank you for ALL the hard work you put into your blog!!! I wanted to leave a comment and say that I absolutely love the “what to serve with this” ideas. I use them all the time and it really helps out with menu planning!
Thanks Mel, you are the BEST!!!
Ashley from St Louis, a loonnnggg time reader
I’m “one of those” 3-1/2 who prints recipes and I appreciate the option of printing the photo, because I almost never do! Everything sounds great. Thanks for working so hard and caring about us so much. We love ya!
Thank you Mel for all your hard work! I only know you from your blog but I don’t know how you do all that you do. You are an inspiration!
Thank you. I know this has to be a lot of work. I think it is going to be amazing.
I have followed you for years and have always appreciated your honesty and transparency with your followers.
I am a recipe printer as well. For me it is a way of sorting. I print out the new recipes I try. If they are a keeper they go in my binder sorted by category. If they aren’t I just throw the paper away and remove them from my Pinterest.
Thanks again.
This is such great news! Photos and nutrition info included when printing (I keep a file and it helps) and all these changes will make one of my very favorite websites even better! The nutrition info is a great help. Thank you, Mel. And thank you for keeping the ads so that there is no charge to followers of your awesome blog!
Love the new changes!! We will ALL benefit from you making these wonderful updates. So happy to be part of this community. My family cooking is based almost entirely on your recipes, and I feel good about making these recipes because they are not only delicious but nutritious as well (for the most part haha).
Just before I read your section on ads, I was thinking how thankful I am that your website uses ads!! There have been so many recipe websites that I used to follow that have converted to having readers pay subscriptions fees to get access to recipes. I understand and agree that people should get paid for all their hard work, but not everyone can afford to pay. When times are tough, websites like yours are a true blessing.
Your website is beautiful and I have enjoyed many of your recipes.
Love your recipes and writing, and love these site updates! Thanks for all of the hard work.
One thing I have noticed, beginning with the recent frozen strawberry dessert recipe, is that I receive duplicate emails when there is a new recipe post. I don’t want to unsubscribe from one, in case it removes my email completely! It isn’t a big deal to delete one of the recipe emails, but if there is a way to change that behind the scenes that would be great!
My whole family enjoys your recipes and recommendations, and you certainly make life in the kitchen easier and more enjoyable 🙂
Oh, that’s annoying! Let me see if I can figure out what’s going on.
Sounds good to me, thank you
Thank you Mel the website looks amazing!!!
Thank you! These updates sound fantastic, I appreciate all your hard work. Most importantly: it’s obvious you care about your readers experience as you’re always lovingly explaining choices and you make decisions that are not YOUR first choice just because you know WE will benefit from them. Thank you for remaining humble in this crazy world. May God Bless you and your sweet family.
Thanks for the work you are doing for us on all the changes. Love your content and the ads will be worth putting up with for what you offer.
I already thought your blog was amazing.. and now it looks even sharper! The most important part is your treasure trove of the BEST recipes. This is the first place I look when searching for something yummy. As a die hard recipe printer myself.. I wonder if you have a Mel-magnificent method for organizing them all?
Hey Dorothy! This is a REALLY old post about how I organize my recipes into binders: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/mels-kitchen-tip-how-i-organize-my-recipes-and-my-favorite-cookbooks-blogs/
Thanks for posting this link, my Binders & Pinterest system is similar which is why I do prefer adding a photo to all the many recipes I print. I just saved this link to my Tips & Tricks folder on Pinterest! Also, I agree with all the wonderful comments on here…love the new format, always appreciate your approach to ads, and many of my favorite recipes came from your blog!
🙂 awesome !
and yes I like the idea of weighing ingred. but always switch to ounces – this will be something new for me!
The changes you describe above will make preparing your recipes much easier and more precise. I really appreciate being able to use grams to increase accuracy and also speed the process up. Without all the new updates and changes, your site was still the best. The first thing I ever used your website for was buttermilk biscuits. I love to cook with technology, for example use a food processor to prepare biscuits..They were so good, I was sold on everything else from that point. Printing images is good; I collect in PDF format sometimes. All your changes bring your site up technically to the best of the best! Your site is like a brand new car with all the options. Indeed, now it’s a Rolls Royce (like it always was) but with navigation and forward collision warning / breaking and lane keep assist.
You my dear are a rockstar! I appreciate allll your continued hard work and generosity helping the world be rockstars in the kitchen too! Xoxo
Can I just say I LOVE your format for printing off recipes!!!! Your site is by the best when I need to print a recipe, your efforts are very much appreciated!
Mel, Mel, Mel. Ahhhhh what do I say!? Thank you does not seem adequate! While I have not yet graduated to the big leagues of weighing ingredients or needing to know nutrition facts, I’m immensely grateful for the option to print pic or not, as well as the FAQ box to save me time reading the comment thread (and hoping I didn’t skip the one comment I needed to see!) haha. Truly, what a gem you are. I don’t even understand how we all got so lucky to have you in our (virtual) lives!! Thank you, and may God bless you my dear friend.
Thank you, thank you for all the hard work you put into this site! I have been a faithful follower for hmmm, 15 years(?!) and use your recipes almost exclusively. I don’t comment a lot but I wanted to say: I appreciate you so much! Love you Mel!
P.S. Yes, ads are annoying but I agree, you did a good job incorporating ads so they are minimally disruptive.
You are amazing Mel! I appreciate the thought and effort and hard work you put into your blog! I’ve been following you since the beginning and I’m still on all the time looking for new recipes! You are the best!
I love the fresh updated look!! That is a lot of work and I don’t know how you do it all! This has been my go to site for several years and I always share it with others. I’ve never been disappointed in any recipe and think this is the best out there! I’ve never felt overwhelmed by ads on your site but I think (hope) I speak for all of us when I say you do what you need to do to keep this site up and running! I’m not sure I could live without it! I love it and I love you – you have a wonderful way with words and I enjoy reading the commentary before the recipe and all your other non-recipe posts. Thanks for everything you do.
You are the best. Love the thoughtfulness you put into this— super excited for so many of the new features!!
Love your blog and am so excited to see weights (metric) for many of the ingredients. As a current user of Noom and longtime fan of yours, I’m looking forward to the nutritional information.
You’re right, all your upgrades will only improve on your wonderful blog.
Looking good Mel. I had already noticed improvement when using my phone to search for a recipe. Before I couldn’t see what I was typing in the search box and now I can. Keep up the great site!! And I know you will keep up the great recipes. That goes without saying!!
Thank you so much for the conversion to grams and nutrition facts. My daughter is a T1D, so I have converted many of your recipes to grams. So this will make my life so much easier and save so much time. THANK YOU! Your blog has changed how I cook and has made me much better in the kitchen. I would be lost without you!
Thanks for all your hard work and the time you have spent getting this all done! Your website is my go to, and I’m grateful for all you do to share your tried and true delicious recipes!
Mel, you are AMAZING. The site looks great. It’s a nice refresh and very visually appealing.
You truly have the best cooking blog out there. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your approach to ads. I have NEVER felt inundated by ads when I’m on your page, which I definitely can’t say about others.
Thank you for all your hard work and amazing recipes over the years. You’re a trusted companion in my kitchen!
Love the updates, and yay for nutrition info!
I love your blog! Thanks for a quick glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of running a blog. Looking forward to seeing the new items. One of my favorite things is when you provide “what to serve with” and another is all the comments! When I try a new recipe…I love reading the comments of people who have actually made the recipe. Your blog is a nice place to find fresh ideas for me. You have a gift for appealing to brand new cooks and those who have raised families and served “a million” meals. Cooking meals well takes practice and for me, planning. Thanks for helping me with all of your well thought thru recipes and notes for success!
So excited for the new changes!
Oh my goodness! I. Love. These. Changes! My husband is diabetic, so those carb counts will be so helpful! I prefer baking by gram weight. And I’m one of the 3 1/2 people who still prints recipes, and I am so excited to be able to print the picture! Looks like as you update things, I’ll be going along behind you reprinting all of my favorite recipes!
Thanks for all you do, Mel!
Have found your recipes to be among the best I’ve ever made and I have been cooking 50+ years!
Will enjoy using your new format and I believe using grams in baking is especially important! I’m sure your readers will agree. Really takes the guesswork out.
Take care and God Bless you and your family always.
Hurray!!! Thanks for keeping it real and for the best dang recipes out there!
Good grief, this is a ton of work. Thank you for keeping at it! It all looks beautiful!!
I love ALL of these changes (well, I don’t care about nutrition facts much, either, but whatevs). Thanks so much, Mel!
Yes!!!! This is all so great. I am one of the 3.5 people that print the recipes out. I’m so nerdy that I copy the recipe into word and then insert the photo so I can print it with the picture. Your new format will save me so much time! Sometimes when I’m being lazy I will print the picture separately and then TAPE it to the printed recipe. Haha
Also the nutrition info is amazing! Thank you!!! I love the idea of intuitive eating but I don’t have the luxury of being able to do that. I have to track everything.
Thank you for all your hard work! I adore your website and wish we could be BFF’s.
Thanks for the crazy amount of work that you do for us! I’m excited to see all of the changes. Tonight was “zucchini” night – I tried the cheesy zucchini rice and the chocolate zucchini cake. Success – I think there is only half a serving left! Thx again!
New site looks great. Can I just add that the “what to serve with this” is a complete lifesaver for me! Thank you for those recommendations and thank you for sharing your tried and true recipes and life with your virtual friends.
Fan for life! Love all your creativity and down to earth attitude about life.
Love your blog, Mel. It’s my go to for almost everything. Also just wanted to express my gratitude for all the work you put in. It’s so appreciated!
I have been following you from your earliest days of blogging!.I love reading your stories and cooking your recipes! You have been a life saver for me in the kitchen! I so appreciate you and your efforts! Keep up the amazing work!
Excited for some of these changes, I’m sure this whole process has been a lot of work! Thanks for all you do, Mel, your recipes keep my family fed with delicious meals multiple times a week.
You are a beast. Get it girl. Rock that blog world. Thanks for all you put into this.
The changes look amazing! Thanks for taking time to explain everything to us and for giving us such a great online experience :] Hooray for nutrition facts!! Love ya, Mel!
Love it and love you Mel! Thank you for all of your amazing hard work to make my life simpler.
Awesome! Thanks for all your thoughts and energy going into this! I’m here all the time, so I can’t wait to try out all the new features!