Friday Thoughts
I wasn’t sure I’d get this post up in time for it to still be a “friday” post! #life #summer #sendhelp (Although “Saturday thoughts” has a nice ring to it, too.) 🙂 But I pulled it together in between summer tennis tournaments, being foreman over kids’ summer chores around the house (gah, worst job ever, I need a raise), and staying afloat with general life stuff.
Lots of randomness today as always!
Don’t forget to comment with any and all of YOUR thoughts – whether they relate to anything I said or not! (Just a reminder, none of the products I recommend below are sponsored – I’ve bought them all myself and am recommending them because I love them.) 💗
Baking Steel
Have you used a baking steel??
I’ve had an ancient pizza stone since the dawn of time – we use the old, beloved thing for our homemade pizza. While I’ve heard a lot about baking steels for pizza, I never took the plunge.
A few months ago we were at my SIL’s house for homemade pizza, and she was baking them on a baking steel. It was awesome seeing a baking steel in action! The pizza crust was AMAZING baked on that thing.
Fast forward and my SIL, Angela, surprised me with money to buy a baking steel for my birthday! Apparently my face pressed against her oven each time a pizza baked in her oven gave me away as to my intensity surrounding the baking steel. 😉
I ended up buying a 3/8-inch thick baking steel from 222Steel (same place she got hers), and while I’m slightly concerned I’m going to pull a muscle from lifting the crazy-heavy piece of baking steel each time we use it, it has been so fun, and honestly, we’re eating way better homemade pizza because of it.
I’d love to hear your experience if you bake with a baking steel!
Skin Stuff
I’m hesitant to change up my skin care routine because I’m not getting any younger, my skin is more sensitive as I get older, and also: I’m lazy.
I use countertime from BeautyCounter (and have for years) for most of my skin care needs. I also use this face wash at night and this facial sunscreen {aff. link} when I need it. (Makeup is a whole other story we can get into another time.)
Recently, I added this much-talked about essential oil “bae” routine from The Daily Essential Co. I’ve been using jojobae in the morning and skinbae at night and I am absolutely loving the way my skin feels -softer, more resiliently moisturized, and just overall healthier.
These both have a strong-ish essential oil fragrance – so I can see some people not loving the smell, however we use essential oils occasionally around here, so the smell is actually nice and comforting to me and not off-putting.
Anyway, I’ve been really, really happy I’ve added them into my quick morning and evening routine!
Cooking for 250+ At Camp
Many of you know I was in charge of all the food for a church girl’s camp for five days the second week of June, and I’m happy to report: IT IS OVER. And: WE SURVIVED!
And: I HAVE A LOT OF TIPS TO SHARE IN CASE YOU EVER FIND YOURSELF IN A POSITION WHERE YOU SOMEHOW INNOCENTLY AGREE TO COOK FOR 250+ PEOPLE IN THE MOUNTAINS.
I’m putting together a massive post with tons and tons of details, printables, menus, budget, what worked, what didn’t. That shall come soon!
In the meantime, I thought I’d give a few quick highlights (I mentioned a few of these on Instagram, but I am including a few more as well):
- I printed out huge versions of the menu and daily timeline instructions so that my awesome committee didn’t have to rely on me for delegating each task. We taped these to the walls of the rustic mountain kitchen and it was an amazing help. I created them in Photoshop and printed them as engineering blueprints at Staples (for just a couple dollars each), but I’m working on a printable/editable version for my big, huge blog post coming soon to a blog near you. 🙂
- one of the committee members, Jill, brought this cute little chopper {aff. link} with her to camp. And aside from being cute, it saved our bacon on several occasions when we needed to chop up toppings (and a lot of them). I’ll never chop tomatoes, strawberries, onions or any other variety of other ingredients for 270 people without this thing in my life. I don’t own one personally, but I probably need to change that. Spoiler alert: just ordered one.
- Jill also convinced us to dress up each night in a themed (very simple!) costume. It was a last minute idea (literally the night before we were supposed to leave), so we didn’t necessarily plan the meals with a specific theme, but she made it work. This was entirely outside of my creative wheelhouse. I was confident planning the food. Costumes? Not so much. So she took the reigns and brought us all a variety of props to use…and the girls LOVED it. They thought it was so fun and hilarious. Lesson learned: Mel, be more fun. Also, invest in a muumuu.
- My committee and I baked and froze all of the desserts ahead of time, and I would like this to be an official PSA that baking, frosting, sprinkling, and freezing sugar cookies works brilliantly. We made over 300 of these swig sugar cookies (swapping baking powder for the cream of tartar) and once thawed, they were as fresh-tasting as the day they were made (and to say they were a hit would be a complete understatement). I also made a gluten-free version for our GF girls swapping gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour and making sure the sprinkles were gluten-free.
- I also made nine sheet pans of this s’mores cookie recipe (transforming it into a bar cookie). Tripling the batch and splitting it between two half sheet pans worked very well.
More to come on this front. Stay tuned!
Summer Schedules/Bread Making Businesses
Summer schedules are always…interesting. Just when I think I have things figured out, we enter a new summer with new ages of kids (hello, teenagers, you make life fun and “interesting”) and I have to kind of rethink everything.
This summer in our household, my two oldest (18 and 16) are working full-time jobs in a warehouse doing equipment assembly, my third oldest (14) is working a few shifts a week at our small-town ice cream shop, my 13-year old is enjoying a bit of freedom before summer jobs hit him smack in the face in future years (and he also works a bit for us on our property), and my resident 10-year old started her own bread making business.
She’s following in the footsteps of her entrepreneurial brothers – several of them have spent their tween-year summers making, freezing and selling cookie dough.
Two weeks in and I am so impressed with how well she can churn out 10-12 loaves of bread in a day (she sells it 1-2 days a week for $5/loaf)! She’s selling this rosemary bread and this French bread. She already has some loyal customers, and it’s been a great way for her to earn some money toward things she wants to save up for and also to help with some refugee projects (see below).
What do your summer schedules consist of?
Some Volunteering
For the last few months, I’ve been volunteering at a local refugee agency, and I’ve been able to bring my kids along to help to a few events (move in families to new apartments, deliver meals to refugee families staying in temporary lodging, and a few other things). It’s been a really eye-opening, humbling, amazing experience for all of us.
Recently, my kids spent hours making bracelets and beaded animals to pass out to the children of refugee families when we are delivering meals.
Aside from the joy of giving them out to the cute kids riding their bikes through the hallways of the temporary housing center, it made me remember and realize how fun it is for my kids to have a crafty/creative summertime project going on.
I think we might just keep a small table set up so they can continue making these bead animals, the bracelets, and other crafty crafts we find.
This is the book we use {aff. link} for the bead animals. Not gonna lie and don’t wanna brag, but I’m really good at making the frog (er, after I had to have my 14-year old show me how to do the arms).
We also made the bracelets out of these glass seed beads aff. link (once I googled an easier way to thread them using a needle, we started rocking!).
Do you have any other fun craft projects for us this summer? It’s good for all of us (including the teenage boys!).
Random Recipe Note
You know this stellar strawberry rhubarb pie?
Well, I went to make it for Father’s Day and realized I had forgotten to buy strawberries. Fantastic.
Having already traipsed through the wilderness of our side yard weeds to harvest rhubarb, I was not about to give up.
So I searched high and low through the also-wilderness of my disorganized freezer and found a frozen triple berry blend (from Costco). I subbed the frozen triple berry blend for the strawberries, increased the cornstarch by 2 tablespoons, and went for it.
And it was probably one of the best pies in the history of ever. Moral of the story: maybe, always, forget the strawberries??
The End
Thanks for making it this far! I appreciate each and everyone of you so much. All the things you share with me and all the support you give me day after day, year after year. I LOVE hearing from you.
I love it.
I have lots of recipes to post this summer and some fun video projects to come! But like many of you, I’m also trying to be intentional about the time I have at my disposal. And life gets so very real at times (read: kind of hard). So we’ll see how it all plays out!
I’m actually currently buried in 15-20 pairs of golf pants as we try to figure out the right sizing/type of pants for my son who is preparing to serve a church mission to Brazil (he leaves in August), as well as hanging out with two litters of piglets born on our very faux farm recently.
Time is fleeting. My goal is to sidestep the stress I often feel in certain circumstances and really, truly be grateful for each moment I have with the people I love.
Wishing you a happy, happy summer!
173 Comments on “Friday Thoughts”
Ok, I need a baking steel tutorial! I finally got one and we’re so excited! Except, pretty sure there’s a learning curve I wasn’t quite expecting…
If I leave it in the oven, I’m thinking I can’t put glass pans on it? I have a enameled cast iron pot – and I when I put that ON the baking steel, I was kind of worried the shelf being way too heavy!
I finally tried pizza on it, and it was really hard to get the pizza on to the steel! So I came back here to see what you said about baking steels – and I saw you had the pizza on parchment paper – do you make the pizza on parchment and then just slide that right on to the steel? Definitely trying that next!
How do you clean your steel? Do you just leave it in the oven to burn off?
Hi Molly, I don’t leave my baking steel in the oven (I want/need to but haven’t started doing that yet), so I’m not sure about the weight – I *think* as long as the oven rack holds up to it, it should be fine, but I agree, that is a heavy combo. My SIL makes pizza on her pizza steel without parchment – they use flour or cornmeal and spread a good amount of that on the pizza steel and the dough slides off easily onto the baking steel. I usually let the steel cool and either brush it off or vacuum off any dry spots (but if there are cheesy spots that are stuck to it, yes, I let it burn off)
Hi Mel,
This has nothing to do with cooking but I thought I remember you saying at some point that you follow along to an exercise program or videos at home. It may have been in one of your Instagram stories but I don’t remember. If you get a minute could you tell me what it is? Thanks!
Hi! Super interested in all the details on how you cooked for that huge camp. Did I miss the post or is it still coming? Thanks!! You’re awesome!!
Dear Mel, I frequently come to your website to look for great recipes. (I originally came across your site when I needed a lemon bar recipe for my mom’s birthday; they are her favorite, and your recipe rocked it. My mom said they were the best bars ever so thank you).
I had not been back for a while and whenever I come to your website, I always find so much more than amazing recipes. Your “Friday Thoughts” truly inspire me. Very belatedly, I wanted to let you know how very sorry I am to hear about the passing of your friend, Holli. She sounds like she was an amazing mom, friend, wife, and human being in general – much like you. Anyway, I just wanted you to know I am thinking of all of you and sending positive thoughts your way. All the best, Chiara
So, so fun watching your beautiful babies grow up- and congrats on the missionary! You’re exactly one year ahead of us on sending that first big baby boy out into the world and I mostly just try not to think about it too much *sob*.
Thanks for giving a peek into your life!
I love it all.
Thanks for being you Mel.
Which mission is your son going to? My son leaves to go there this month as well.
A quick comment on mission pants. After cruising most of utah trying to decide oon pants for our grandson, serving the Dominican republic, his mom went to Mr. MAC and the salesman knew exactly the pants he needed. And he was correct
Your posts are delightful, informative and completely relatable! Keep up the awesome job!
Hi Mel! I’m just super curious how things are going with your KuneKunes. We’re expecting our first litters at the beginning of September and we’re excited. I’ve been reviewing your Instagram videos and just wondered if you had any updates.
Love your Friday thoughts!
My husband swears by the Haggar Men’s Cool 18 Pro pants. Not expensive but durable. They used to have an expandable waist version that worked great but it was hard to find last time he bought pants.
Thank you SO much for thinking of the GF girls. I am a GF mom and it is so hard to be left out at work, family things, etc. It means ALOT when someone looks out for you to have a treat too!
Have you tried the new Trader Joe’s facial sunscreen? It’s being called a dupe for Unseen Sunscreen. I actually like it better than Unseen Sunscreen!
Just want you to know how much I love these posts! Happy Summer and good luck with the mission pre
I admire how you get your kids to work and learn to make their own money! That’s a big struggle over here. Kid chores are the bane of my existence. And that pie looks amazing! I don’t have triple berry blend, but I do have oodles of frozen blueberries and now I think I need to get baking!
My husband loves the Eddie Bauer travel pants. I have very fond memories of my girls camp cooks. Thanks for being that person!
Oh Mel will you please please share your s’mores cookie recipe that you transformed into a bar cookie recipe. My family would absolutely LOVE that so much. Thank you so much and Happy 4th to you and your entire family…
My son is in Ghana, so similar climate to Brazil. He took a variety of golf pants with him, and his favorites are the ones we got at Old Navy (online). They are the Go-Dry Cool Hybrid Pants. He tried Lululemons, Lulu dupes from Amazon, and some department and missionary store brands. The Old Navy are the ones that he likes the most and feels are the most comfortable/cool in muggy weather. Very affordable, too.
Yay for him! My family and I are volunteering time in northern Ghana, we’ve been here almost a year. We sometimes meet American boys in our shopping town, I’m always proud of them for coming! (And of their families/moms for letting them go!) I have to get creative with substitutions sometimes, but still love cooking from Mel’s site, even in Africa. I hope your boy is happy and healthy and well-fed, wherever he is in Ghana!
Angie, thank you for the pants recommendation! My son is going to Mexico, and we have been trying several different types of golf pants also, so I just ordered him some Old Navy ones to try out!
I’m always happy to see an email from you whenever I eventually get around to checking my emails! Your tip for the steel baking rack is something I will have to try. I have some hard core pizza lovers at my house. If I’m ever in the position to cook for a large group, I know you’ve got my back. Thanks for showing us how we can use our interests and passions to bless others daily in simple but significant ways. My summer schedule is somewhat structured around doing chores, practicing music, reading daily and working on a little bit of school stuff to keep our minds sharp. Then we try to fill our time with outdoors fun, friends and activities like weekly baking class, library runs and picnics at a park. I can’t believe it’s almost the end of June.
I can’t WAIT to see your magic from your Girls Camp cooking experience! I just got back from taking girls to ours for the week. Good food makes everything better when they are missing home. Thank you for ALL of your thoughts. I’m ordering some skin bae too. I’m excited to look/feel better! Enjoy this special time with your darling kiddos- you are right, time is fleeting and flies by so quickly.
Costco has some Banana Republic pants right now that might work for your son. Super lightweight and comfortable.
You are so wonderful and inspiring! I love reading your posts. Tell me about these golf pants. My son is leaving for Peru in September for a mission and I don’t know what shoes or pants or shirts for that matter, to buy. I’m a first timer and I’m trying to not just lay in fetal position on the floor and cry. I’m so happy it’s happening but so sad! Anyhow, I could use all of the tips I can get!
Hi Emily! So many people have recommended the golf pants as great missionary pants. You can find them many places! On amazon (if you search men’s golf pants), at sporting good stores, etc. We have had great success with the &collar brand of shirts (my son has worn them for a year already and they don’t stain, wrinkle, etc, so we got them for his mission, too). As for shoes, we’ve heard a lot of great things about Ecco shoes, but a lot will depend on how much your son will be walking in his mission vs riding public transport, etc. Good luck!
We keep our steel in the oven all the time- I’m wondering by your statement about hurting your back moving it that maybe you haven’t considered that you can just leave it in there? It does make pulling the rack in and out pretty much impossible.
I’m going to do that, Stephanie!
Thank you for the 250+ ideas. I look forward to them. I currently cook for veterans once a week and I am in need of some recipes. Linda
What an amazing opportunity and service, Linda!
My sister, also named Jill, gave me that cute little chopper for my birthday! Wow! It is such an incredible time saver! I just used mine today to cube potatoes and peppers for hash browns.
I look forward to making your Roasted Balsamic Vegetable Pasta Sauce with this gadget. I’ll have all those veggies chopped in less than half the time. Yum!
Is it the same Jill?? 🙂
The baking steel comes in different sizes. Do you recommend a size? I was thinking I of getting the 14×16. Thanks!!
Hey Emily! I bought the 14X16 size.
I enjoyed you being real!! I just smile reading about your experiences, as i have been through it all (except our camp kitchen served 180 – and having crews of volunteers is the best!!).
You wrote that you prepared and froze all the desserts before hand – brillant! One suggestion I would include is to precook any other main dishes (eg. taco meat) and freeze in foodsaver bags (you possibly may have done this!!), which is a timesaver.
My little chopper broke a few years back – so it’s a great reminder to buy one again – and gift one to each of my six kids!!
Look forward to your future summer blogs.
Hey Ann! Love reading your comments. Yes! We also froze all of the meat so that we were just reheating up at camp and not actually “cooking” anything from a raw state (especially meat). Such a timesaver!
Baking steels are the BEST! I have the baking steel brand and I actually have two of them. They are great in the oven for pizza and pies and bagels and pita and probably anything you want to bake. They work on the stove for pancakes and english muffins and burgers and whatever you would griddle. I have seen people use them on the grill for pizza and such but that’s still on our to try list.
So excited to delve into all the ways to use the baking steel!
When do you think you will have your girls camp food ideas post? I am planning for 400 this July and need help 🙂
I’m hoping to get it up soon! But I may not have it in time for July. Sorry!
I have one recommendation for an easy craft that my girls have loved to make- paracord bracelets. (Like these ones: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.instructables.com/Paracord-bracelet-with-a-side-release-buckle/%3famp_page=true) you can get kits with fun colors from Amazon, but you can also find paracord at hobby lobby or even home depot, but the colors aren’t as fun.
So many exciting things for your family right now! I don’t have any recommendations for missionary pants… but when i went to Ecuador 15 years ago, my Born leather shoes held up and were so comfy… when the sole finally gave out, i could find a shoe shop that could replace the sole and i finished my mission in them! So a good sturdy upper is a must!
If you have the time, i was just wondering why you don’t put the cream of tartar and use baking powder instead in the frozen swig cookies? I want to make the chocolate swig ones for a family reunion this next weekend and freeze them, would the same strategy work for the chocolate ones? I’ll probably just try them and can report back!
Thank you Mel!!
Hey Nicole! Thanks for the recommendations! My kids would love the paracord bracelets! About the swig cookies, yes, you can use baking powder in place of the cream of tartar for the chocolate ones as well. I sometimes make that substitution because the cream of tartar flavor is stronger than the baking powder.
Busy Mom and Busy kids! Recipe for success! One must remember when engaging in any endeavor that you will learn more from every failure than from any success!
Love the bread recipes… My favorites overall! have passed along several of them to friends along with your email and site info.
Baking steel has been around for quite some time as anyone who uses cast iron can testify too. I started to use steel when i broke my stone. Recycled a piece from a junk yard. cleaned it up with a sander, drilled a hole in each end, made a hook to slide it in and out, and tempered it with peanut oil. Just the thing for Naan and other flat breads, and in by case rectangular pizza.
Finally GO IDAHO!
Best Regards!
Thanks for sharing those words of wisdom, Karl! really, really appreciate that (especially the line about failure and success!). Pretty amazing you made your own baking steel from recycled materials. Love that!
I didn’t get the chance to respond to your Instagram poll, but my sister used Doc Martins for her son’s shoes when he served in Brazil. For sending packages she used my missionary packages for Brazil. Anything she tried to send him herself never made it to him. These packages did.
Thank you, Tiffany!
These thoughts are also some of my all-time favorite things to read! Having done food for similar camps and conferences, I’ll add one observation. As you’ve so beautifully shown on your site, food=culture.
For that reason, I’ve been learning all the ways that the food we serve is biased towards certain perspectives (namely, a dominant white culture). I’m ashamed I never even really noticed this until some youth women and leaders casually mentioned the “white people” food that we tend to serve at dances and even at camp. I was initially defensive, recognizing the love and care that goes into preparing even simple refreshments. However, as I talked with friends and others, I’ve hopefully become more open-minded. I’m certainly not an expert on the topic, but here are some examples (these are generalizations): when someone proposed serving brownies and veggies at a dance, it was met with the “white people food” label — instead, many of our Latinx youth said they typically would have an actual meal without lots of sweets at a dance (empanadas, pozole, etc.). At Girls Camp, we have one night when we make and serve Dominican food. Even the girls who aren’t Dominican, but are Spanish are so excited, and often say, “finally, it feels like home.” Many people are lactose intolerant or sensitive, but our youth with African or Asian descent can have it at rates up to 90%+, so having things like ice cream sundaes can be dicey (even when we offer Italian Ice, it can seem like the back-up). I really, really hope this doesn’t come off as insulting to anyone who has thoughtfully prepared meals and readily state that I don’t have things figured out, but recognizing our biases and how we might be “othering” especially our youth with our meal choices is just one way to be more welcoming and inclusive (and having better representation in leadership roles goes a long, long way!). Mel, I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you made your large-group meals inclusive for not just dietary restrictions, but the cultural and ethnic diversity of your young women. My sister’s congregation is largely Haitian-Creole and South/Central American, and shared meals can be a source of connection, but also sometimes alienating (even the decor, music/lack of music, time and length of meals, etc. can be biased at best).
Thank you for this thoughtful, caring, helpful comment!
Opened my eyes and helps me to adjust my thinking about connecting and serving with understanding. Love opportunities to learn more about and support each other.
Sorry, but saying “white people food” is actually offensive. This is America, and our culture is different from other countries. Yes, we are a melting pot of ethnicities, and that is great. But this is a girl’s church group. Anyone kind enough to make meals for 250 girls is wonderful and giving and charitable. If you traveled outside the US and were getting served meals, do you think they would make American foods? I assure you they would make food native to that country. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. For one week, I think any food prepared is wonderful. It’s impossible to carve out exceptions for each case.
If your group has a lot of mixed cultures, then hopefully there is a committee that can make food from their cultures. But for only 5 days, I think the kids would be fine with anything. If someone’s child has dietary needs, usually the child’s parent takes care of that.
The more labels that are used, the more divisive it sounds. It’s food, not “white people food”.
I think this is super interesting, definitely an area of culture exclusivity I hadn’t considered and I appreciate your willingness to outline examples of issues and solutions. I hope we’d all be open to making some simple, loving adjustments in this area.
Hi S, thanks for sharing your thoughts! I echo others below that I always appreciate being able to open my mind and heart to other people’s lived experiences and cultures – specifically how it applies to food. I also feel that it can be tricky, in some cases, when meals become “exceptions” because then you face situations where not everyone’s cultural expectations can be met? Not sure if I’m making sense when I say that. It definitely opens up more challenges (that are important to face!) while still maintaining a realistic sense of what is feasible with budget, resources, etc. I am a big fan of rethinking the way we’ve always done things (especially related to church activities) and revamping, if needed, to be more appropriate and inclusive!
The group that we served is not culturally diverse (I live in a semi-rural/semi-urban part of Idaho). Most of us are white women and girls who have lived or been raised in similar cultural environments. But within our large group, there was one girl from the Dominican Republic and another girl from Thailand and several others who have been raised in differing cultural environments. For the camp, I didn’t plan a menu tailored to each of these cultures, but I tried to include a lot of variety in the meals we made so that everyone felt, I guess, comfortable? with the food options. My focus, to be honest, was largely on the food allergies since they were prevalent, and I wanted to make sure that our gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free girls were able to eat the same things everyone else was eating without feeling like they were outsiders. Anyway! A lot to think about when it comes to food, large groups, cultures, food allergies and so much more! Thanks for opening up the discussion!
Thank you for sharing! This will definitely be on my mind when planning future activities.
I love your “real” Friday posts! Thank you for using your talents to bless the YW in your area. I’m sure it was greatly appreciated by everyone. I, too, need to remember to “be more fun” . . . even if it doesn’t involve a costume 😉 Good luck with getting your missionary ready!
Haha. I’m usually mentally allergic to costumes of any kind so it was definitely out of my comfort zone!
Hi Mel,
A helpful note: look at http://www.andcollar.com for awesome men’s dress clothes, especially for hot climates. They look like regular dress clothes but feel like athletic wear, aka comfy, soft, breathable, & stain resistant! My husband enjoys wearing them to work and church. They would be great for missionaries too!
Been loving your blog for years, it’s fun to see your kids “grow up”.
-Jenny
Thanks, Jenny! We just ordered him a bunch of shirts from there!
Golf pants for the win! They are so much better than dress pants in warm climates. My son was serving in Alabama and got hurt. They cut his golf pants off him at the hospital, and he spent several days in the ICU lamenting the loss of his favorite golf pants. FYI – he likes the Greg Norman brand the best.
My hubby is a pizza making guru and has been using a baking steel for years, but we just converted to deep dish that he does in cast iron skillets – that’s my favorite style so far.
Thanks for the golf pants brand recommendation (and I hope your son is doing ok after that injury??). My husband would LOVE deep dish pizza. I might have to try that!
Oh Mel! I loved your Friday thoughts post this week. I was in charge of the food for 276 people for our youth conference this year in Nauvoo. (And for our ward girls camp two weeks later, which wasn’t near as many people!) Man what an undertaking it was! I had an awesome committee, which as you know, makes all the difference. We didn’t get a lot of lead time, which was kind of stressful. You are an angel to share what you’ve learned and make it available to others. That would have been so helpful to us. Thanks for being so awesome to share all your insights and the things you learn. You’re the best!
Back to back food assignments?? You are amazing, Heather! And yes, a good committee helps more than I can even express!
Hi Mel,
Your newsletters/recipe posts have been a mainstay in my life all the way back to the first recipe I ever printed was for lomein…..I googled tried and true recipes and your site came up and so happy it did! I’ve tried countless recipes over the years, have watched your kids grow up (remembering your daughter as a baby!) and felt like I was part the many moves with your husbands job. So happy and grateful you have let us into your kitchen and life for so long! Your content is soothing and a comfort in a sometimes chaotic time! So thank you! I’ll be here reading as long as you’re still doing your thing!!
Oh wow, Lisa! that Lo Mein recipe is ancient!! I’m so honored you are still here after all that time! Thank you for being here. Truly.
Mel! My ten year old is a chin’ for some money earning opportunities- what cookie recipes have your older kids done? This post came at just the right time to get him started!
Hey Brynn! They made these cookies last year and froze the dough:
http://melkitchencafe.com/super-soft-chocolate-chip-cookies/
http://melkitchencafe.com/brownie-cookies/
http://melkitchencafe.com/classic-snickerdoodles/
http://melkitchencafe.com/classic-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/
I’m right there with you getting my son ready to leave in early September. It is a lot to get ready. Hang in there. I have been trying some of your recipes muffins and desserts. They are always delicious! Thank you for having a fantastic blog I truly love all the things I have made and so does my family!! You are amazing. Time is speeding up and I too am trying to savor every moment. There are always a lot of feelings and seemingly not enough time. The piglets are soo fun!! Best of everything!!
I have also been on the food committee for camp and know the magnitude of all you did. I’m sure the girls ate well.
Take a moment to just breathe.
You sum it up just right, Michelle! Lots of feelings and not enough time.
Love you and your fun Friday thoughts posts Mel ❤️
Thanks, sweet Judy!
My two oldest just got to experience FSY this week. Oh Mel, hands down the best week for them in the history of ever! I’m seriously so grateful that this opportunity is being made available to the youth!
My littles are staying busy with all the fun things littles do interspersed with me making them read and do math facts #meanestmomever
And on a recent trip to the Tetons, I thought of you several times because we bought several Ravensberger puzzles to do in the evenings. We had so much fun. My 17 y.o. son and husband stayed up until 2:00 am finishing one of them because “we definitely cannot put it back in the box to take home if we haven’t finished it.” So, we’re trying hard to have a fun summer in spite of the craziness of being citizens of a crazy world living a hectic schedule. Thanks so much for your Friday Thoughts! I love hearing how you do all the things!
Sounds like your summer is in full force, Wendi! My kids go to FSY in August. I’m anxious and excited for them! And seriously, Ravensburger puzzles are THE BEST!!
I am anxiously awaiting the “feeding a large number of teenagers” post. I have to cook for our high school marching band this year. It’s only 100 people but we are on site with NO KITCHEN! Basically we have a generator and crockpots. I would love tips on if you can precook rice or pasta to serve without and oven to heat it up.
Hi Melissa, I just returned from a no kitchen camp as well. What an adeventure! I can’t speak to warm pasta, but I did a cold pasta salad with the pasta cooked ahead of time, and it worked really well. So I would guess that rewarming pre-cooked pasta in a crockpot (with some water in the bottom maybe?) would work. Good luck and have fun! Don’t forget your muumuu! =)
Back in the day, our marching band parents would cook
huge amounts of pasta in a turkey fryer pot!
You are amazing to tackle that responsibility with no kitchen!! I don’t even know what to suggest (I’m glad a few other commenters have chimed in). Good luck, Melissa!
Thanks for all your awesome ideas and tips! You are an amazing! Prayers for your new missionary son and your sweet baking daughter! You’re family is a great example for others…no pressure, not saying youre a perfect family but its great reading your story and seeing how you press forward and ‘sidestep’ the stress while searching for good things to do for yourself, your family and others:)
Thanks, Laura! I hope I do an adequate job of helping people realize we are FAR from perfect. Just muddling through like everyone else and trying our dang best. 🙂
Hi Mel,
I know exactly how much work Girl’s Camp is because I was on the food/kitchen committee for three years ! Since I live in New England, it was always hot and super humid so I spent a lot of time in the walk-in freezer! And it didn’t help that I was still experiencing a ridiculous number of “hot flashes” a day at the time !
Anyway, you’re a good sport to volunteer for that job considering all your other responsibilities!
Looking forward to your Summer recipes
Three years?? You are a saint, Linda. Wow.
What mission is your son going to? May son also leaves for Brazil in August….Recife North…
So many Brazilian missionaries leaving this summer! He’s going to Sao Paulo South. Good luck to your son!
Wonderful! My brother went to that mission and loved it! My son is going to Recife North. I hope your son has a wonderful mission!
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes! Your website is my go-to to feed my family of 7.
Oh Mel, I took a break from insta due to stress and anxiety and have missed your posts the most. I’m glad to be on your email list.
You are so busy and such a great mom and I’m excited for your son to serve a mission. Mine served in Chile. It was the best/worst time in my life. That kid was my best friend. He’s now married and has a 9 month old and I made it through the mission. You will as well but I’m sure you will miss that kid something fierce.
You are a great mom to teach your kids to save and work hard and how to be responsible. They will be great assets in the world as adults.
You make me happy and I’m proud to be a follower, you are such a great example to all of us in this crazy world of not normal! Family first!
Love you and your family and your delicious recipes and the way you serve!
I mean, if I’m being honest, there are days where both he and I are ready for some time apart. Haha. Having teenagers is the best and worst of times! But I know I’ll miss him like crazy…it will be such a bittersweet transition for all of us. I’m glad you chimed in today! Always love having you here (and totally agree about an Insta-break…so necessary in these loud, chaotic times!)
I always love your Friday thoughts. 250 people! Wow! That is so impressive! And you are so organized with it! I have cooked for several pastors retreats but the most was like 35 and have done band camps for about 10 years but that was only one meal a day so not that difficult. Can’t wait to see the post on it. Sounds like you are having a wonderful busy summer!
Those events sound like a ton of work, Renee! You are amazing!!
I just love your posts! You are so funny and your tips are so real and awesome! Good luck with the golf pants thing! I just got done with that and sent my son to the MTC this week. Fun times!!
Oh, I hope that transition is going well for him and for you!
Hi Mel, we’ve been making your foolproof pizza dough for a few years (love it!) and we had stones to cook them on but my husband read about how awesome pizza steels were so he bought one & he loves it! I can barely take out of the cabinet & put it in the oven to heat up bc it’s so heavy, but he loves that it makes his pizza crispy! I’m sure you’re going to love it!
We keep our steel in the oven 24/7!
I think I’m going to try keeping it in the oven all the time like so many people are suggesting!
Sending a missionary out is it’s own kind of stress for sure. So many conflicting emotions too. We sent our son out in February. Golf pants are sure amazing. Good luck finding all the things that he needs.
I love your Friday posts and all that you share each time. Thank you so much.
Golf pants! Sounds like that’s the way to go! Thanks, Susan!
I love your posts, Mel. They are always funny and you speak like a normal everyday mother. Please know that I enjoy your posts, as I’m sure everyone else does. You have a beautiful family. God bless you! Susan
Thank you so much, Susan!
I looooove my pizza steel. We use ours a lot. Have you ever tried Polly-o mozzarella on you pizza? I highly recommend.
The real reason I can to comment is BLESS YOU for your upcoming YW camp cook guide. I have done it for a few years and something like this is so needed. You’re the best Mel!
I haven’t tried that mozzarella!! I’ll look for it!
You will love your baking steel. I took the plunge just over a year ago for sourdough bread. I was tired of lugging my pizza stone in and out.
Bonus to it all, because the steel is thinner, I leave it oven all the time. It serves as a heat sink. My oven has less hot spots.
Not only is pizza crust better, but sourdough/artisan bread is better as well. Saves lifting it in and out. I just set whatever pan I am cooking in directly on top of the steel. Treat it just like it isn’t there. It doesn’t affect the results of anything else that I cook.
Glad to hear that the steel pan stays in oven -and over all even baking. Motivated to get one!!
Thanks for mentioning that, Jill! I was worried if I kept it in there that baking cookies on it would brown them too fast?? I’m totally going to try that!
If you haven’t checked out &collar for missionary wear… do it! Ours just left Monday. His entire wardrobe was from &collar and he LOVES it! So comfy even for home MTC and looks so nice!
Good to hear! We got shirts and ties from there!
My dear, you are just simply amazing! I just love reading your thoughts, trying your great recipes, and giggling watching you raise piglets! Its great. Period!
Thank you, Kristen!
Love you Mel! I think my fav pic is the last one- eating ice cream with your kids. Soaking up time with them! Tonight my kids begged for “bunkin bronco”- and I did it. I’m so grateful I did because it reminded me they actually enjoy being around me and having fun! I loved it. I don’t love playing Barbies, but I love doing other fun things . Love laughing with my kids. Summer schedule? Um.. doing my best. I too dislike summer chores. Grateful for all of it. I agree, sometimes it’s really hard- but we push through and make time for fun. Thanks❤️
There are definitely things I don’t love doing either (read: playing legos…there! I said it out loud) but I take advantage of the things I do enjoy that my kids enjoy, too, and it’s always worth it! Hope your summer is fun and peaceful. 🙂
Thank you for taking time to share all that you do. Yours is really the only blog/recipe site I follow anymore.
Please share which of the pants you find you like best and any shoe recommendations too. My oldest son is headed to Peru in August and we are in the thick of all this mission prep too.
That means so much to me, Wendy. Thank you!! We’re definitely going the golf pants route (my son likes the slimmer fit, so after trying on a bazillion pairs, we’re going with the under armour tapered ones but there are tons of options out there and others have said the Amazon essentials brand has been great as well as IZOD). I heard from a couple moms of kids in his exact mission that recommended Ecco Hybrid shoes. I think we’re going to try those. They are really expensive, so I hope they last. Good luck!!
Mel, my first missionary son is leaving too, next week! so thanks for the reminder to savor the moments. It’s hard to live those big changes. Thanks for all you do to share a bit of your world and encourage all of us through amazing food and your fun experiences. Best of luck with the missionary (p.s. mine loves the golf pants, says they’re comfier than pjs )
Oh, good luck, Michelle! Such a big transition and new phase of life. Looks like we’re headed the golf pants route, too!
My son barely just got called to the Brazil Natal Mission. (He leaves in September). I need all the tips you can share!!
My son served in that mission and had an amazing experience! Primarily walking–no bikes, and public transportation only very occasionally, so good shoes are so important!
Love that Mirien chimed in with some tips! Good luck with your missionary, Amy! I joined a facebook group (LDS moms of Brazil missionaries) and it’s been so helpful to read tips from other moms. If you don’t have the link to that group, let me know and I’ll send it to you!
Hello Mel I love these posts! I The pie you made hearkens to my favorite and best pie…Bumbleberry! Have you had it? Taste of Home has a pretty good recipe. (You have to adjust how you bake it…start at a higher temperature and drop it to 350 after 20 minutes or so.) It’s like strawberry rhubarb but super amped up. Main ingredients are strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, rhubarb and a diced apple. And really the other ingredients are just flour and sugar and a little lemon juice. It’s a rather allergy friendly pie because it’s thick and juicy with no butter or other dairy! If you want a complete recipe let me know but Google will probably set you up pretty well.
Ooooh, can’t wait to try that pie. YUM!!
Hi again! I just finished a teeny girls camp with 9 girls and was camp director, cook, planner, etc. and I learned a lot. But holy moly 250 people would stress me out! You are the queen rockstar in the kitchen. I also was inspired to make the s’mores cookies into bars and I loved them that way. Somehow they didn’t all get eaten and they tasted better the last day than the first. Maybe all the smoke inhalation from the campfire altered my tastes. ♀️But we survived!
I can’t believe how soon your oldest son leaves. I was thinking this might be our second to last summer with my oldest. It is too soon, but life is good. Right?! Enjoy the details and all of the moments.
I actually think the smaller camps (like yours) makes for some amazing bonding! And it’s a lot of work either way! I’m sure you spent hours and hours planning and making it all work. I totally agree about those s’mores bars! We had one tiny bag left over…and three days later, I think they were even chewier?? So good.
Growing up, my parents always made “Blubarb” pie— blueberries and rhubarb. WAY better than strawberries, always.
We also inherited a pizza steel from some neighbors who moved across the country. Those things are so heavy, I’m sure it wasn’t worth the cost to move it!! I haven’t tried it yet, but hearing that the pizza crust is even more amazing than on a pizza stone?? Gotta try it soon.
By the way, when I reported to my husband what you said about the pizza steel he said, “Mel, like our Mel?” Yes, you are OUR Mel! ❤️
I wonder how many people think of her as our/my Mel! =D Thanks, Mel!
Haha…your husband’s comment made me laugh (and also was so sweet). Thank you for your kindness and loyalty! Seriously, I just love all of you who take the time to comment and be part of my life (even virtually!) so much. So many people are saying they leave the pizza/baking steel in the oven nonstop. I’m going to try that!
I’ve had two missionaries in the field. I bought the IZOD golf pants for my son serving in Mexico. Just mailed him two more pairs for his year mark package. Make sure to pack him extra pair of shoes, those are the hardest to mail. You are blessed to have the temples open before he leaves. Be patient with yourself, it’s a transition for about a month or two after a child leaves my home at least.
Thanks for the tips, Heather! So helpful!!
Thanks for your Friday Thoughts. I always enjoy them. And your website is my one and only go-to place for recipes. And with your recipes I always come out the hero at potlucks and family dinners.
Thank you so much, Catherine!! That means so much to me.
How did your daughter get to be 10 years old already???? I remember when you posted her baby pics!
Right?? Time goes so fast. It’s crazy.
These posts are my favorite! Thank you for sharing!!
My son is leaving for a mission to Brazil in August as well (first missionary for me too!). What mission is your son going to? Curitiba South for mine.
Thank you for sharing all the goodness with us!
Oh, that’s fun, Kristi! He’s going to Sao Paulo South. I’m not sure where Curitiba is but I’ll look it up!
Love your posts!
FYI – we purchased the Nike golf pants from Dick’s and my son wore them his two years in Mexico City. He still wears them now, although they are a bit worn at this point.
Yes! We have had a lot of people suggest golf pants. I currently have 15 pairs ordered online sitting in my office and we’re sorting through which ones he likes and fit well. Thanks for that recommendation!
I’m obsessed with you. Having done girls camp myself for a much smaller group, I am so impressed.
What I really need to know is where is that ice cream from in the last pic. Headed to Meridian for the 4th and I need that.
Hey Tara! Don’t be too impressed. Haha. The rest of my life basically fell apart during the months of girls camp prep and execution. The ice cream is from a small little shop way out in Middleton!
I am intrigued by this chopper—it really works on tomatoes!? Also, never heard of a baking steel, and need to make that pie! I bet it would also make a good cobbler.
I have a very similar chopper – the Vidalia Chop Wizard – and it works great on tomatoes! I love having this little food chopper. It makes quick work of prepping veggies for soups, salads, stir frys, etc. and fruits for fruit salsa, etc. I can’t manage in my kitchen without it!
Stepping in to say I have this same chopper and the blade grates are super sharp, so yes, it works great for tomatoes! It’s a game changer, I use mine all the time on all the things!
Hi Heather, just like Holly and Mona, I saw this little chopper in action on tomatoes and it did great!
Mel, you have saved the day again! Not only does my wrestler love your recipes, but yesterday I was texting a friend about a veggie chopper. Not only was the one you recommended on sale, but it had a coupon. Sweet! I never want to go to girls camp, but if I do, I think I want to be one of the cooks, so hopefully I’ll remember this post! Thanks for always having great recipes and fun posts.
Yay! Glad the chopper timing was spot on!
I love your post and faux farm photos. Waiting for next grandbaby to be born. When the time comes we will watch the first one.
Also waiting for probate court to decide if I can be the legal rep for a relative. I never knew that probate docs were public records. Already dealing with tons of phone hang ups – old cell number (kid has it now), my cell and house phone. None of those numbers are on the probate docs! Definitely getting a trust in the next few months. I don’t want my family to have to go through this.
Ooof, sounds complicated and exhausting. Good luck, Heather!
I enjoy your Friday thoughts posts. This time I will take your beaded animal project idea to try with my boys AND the little chopper looks very necessary!
I will add a cool craft idea for you: alcohol ink art using inexpensive picture frames (think dollar store) this project is a favorite of my 4 boys because it involves fire! But in a controlled environment it is quite safe. The results are good gifts for grandparents and teachers (I’ve attached a picture of the boy standing behind the creation, with the flames a foot high, to the back of the framed art so the recipient can see a bit of the process). Look it up on the blog: itsalwaysautumn
Fun for mom too!!
I’ll totally look up that art project, Lisa! Thanks for recommending it! I’m sure my kids will think it’s super cool.
My kids have been making friendship bracelets with embroidery floss, and puravida bracelets from waxed embroidery floss, and that’s so easy to keep on hand. My daughter honestly always has one pinned to her shorts or her water bottle handle and bless your heart for doing food. I did craft for 2 years at stake girls camp and that was a lot!
Friendship bracelets are a great idea!
Did I sign a waiver for that Hawaiian night photo?
Hahahaha. I’ll buy you lunch.
I never take my baking steel out of the oven. I just put whatever cooking container I’m using (sheet pan, roasting pan, etc.) right on top of it.
Also, check out Alexandra Stafford’s blog (alexandracooks.com). She has amazing recipes using the baking steel for all kinds of breads, pitas, pizza, focaccias, etc. Her cookbook, Bread-Toast-Crumbs, is also wonderful.
I’m going to try that with my baking steel! Thanks for mentioning that! Thanks for the tip on Alexandra’s blog – I follow her for lots of recipes but haven’t noticed the baking steel recipes (but I DO love her cookbook – I have it and it’s amazing!)
Dear Mel, thanks for the suggestions for bead crafting. I have tried this before but haven’t had good directions. I just placed an Amazon order, and I included the onion chopper, something I’ve never heard of before. And best wishes for your missionary! It was an emotional time for me but I survived. I am very much looking forward to your tips for girls camp. I hope to never do this again, but sometimes cooking for my family feels oddly similar. Although I’m probably never going to wear a mu mu.
I agree about cooking for a family, Julie! I’ll try to get my post up about girls camp stuff sooner than later!
Mel,
I always love your newsletters and your IG posts. This was no exception. So glad you got through girls’ camp. We’ve never had that many to feed, but it is quite the responsibility to keep people fed and happy. An army truly does move on its stomach.
That last line! So true. 🙂
Mel, I just followed your advice and made one batch of the s’mores cookie bars for girl’s camp. I’m only feeding 30, so I just made two pans. And dang, they’re so good, it will be a miracle if I don’t eat them all before I leave for camp! Thanks for all you do! Love your posts.
Haha, that’s exactly how I felt when I was making all those treats for camp!
I am so intrigued by the baking steel. I’m going to have to look into this more, and then probably order one because you like it and I trust your opinions for all things food and cooking. You are a champion to cook for girls camp! And I wish our 10 year old daughters could be friends. They like so many of the same things!
How fun would that be, Madison? I’m super intrigued by the comments in this thread about baking steels and leaving them in the oven!
For some reason I have never been a huge fan of strawberry rhubarb pie but mixed berry rhubarb pie has me very intrigued and willing to try!! Also I love love love organization and cannot wait to hear your life lessons learned from summer camp!!! Love you always and thank you for taking time out of your life to make ours taste a million times better. I’ve earned myself the reputation as a good cook but I always always say I’m a good instruction follower and Mel is the good cook! ♥️♥️♥️
You need to take all the credit for yourself, Leila!!
Love it all Mel!
Thank you for sharing (love the bread loaves and the ice cream and the muumuus and the service and the fun ❤️) and giving me joy.
The love you have for your family and your purpose and your life is beautiful, and I feel stronger and better after connecting with you and the other folks here.
Ah, Tina, you are so kind. Thank you.
Hey, we just got the ooni pizza oven and I’ll tell you what, I’ve never had a pizza so good!!
I tell you, I’ve been super intrigued by those pizza ovens but haven’t taken the plunge. I have an old CampChef pizza oven and we use it occasionally but I’m not sure how the Ooni compares. Need to look into that!
I may have gone on Amazon, gasped when I watched a video of someone using that chopper, and bought it on the spot. I have high hopes! Enjoy your summer!
Haha. I hope it exceeds those expectations!
Love your story about girls camp, what a super nice job you did with everything. I know the sisters have been going to girls camp in our ward and it sounds like it went well but I think you have them beat with all your planning, I love all your recipes.
Thank you! I think everyone and anyone who puts forth an effort to make girls’ camp or any youth camp work is doing an amazing job. It takes a whole village to make it work.
At the risk of sounding like a cantankerous old coot, I do not understand why adult women labor so hard and long to provide fabulous meals for teenage girls who are at camp to learn, I thought, self sufficiency. Why are these women who already have too many responsibilities waiting on these girls? In my day (yes, I know how awful that phrase is) we did our own cooking at girls camp so we could . . . learn to cook! In the wilderness! Over a campfire! And our food was . . . adequate. Can you imagine adult men waiting on teenage boys this way? It would not happen! Rant over.
I really like Paula’s Choice skincare.
i’m 28 and whole heartedly agree. i hope some of them get inspired to learn more
Actually two men did the cooking in our stake for the boys and the girls camps. And have a reputation for serving really good food.
That’s awesome, R Smith!
Thank you, Tamtam, I was just feeling a little foolish about my negative comment so I’m relieved someone agrees.
Hey Diane! I think your thoughts are valid. I think it’s important for girls and boys to learn how to cook and learn self-sufficiency skills. I think every region/church unit organizes and does things a bit differently. There are years where our girls camp is done on a much smaller level and the girls cook a lot more for themselves. This year happened to be more of a top-level effort. My love language is food and so I loved being able to provide fabulous meals for these girls…but I can understand not everyone feels that way. I also hope these girls are learning some great cooking skills of their own, too!
That’s it Mel! I’ve been wanting a baking steel and your affirmation has sent me over the edge. Gotta have one!
I hope you love it, Tammy! so many people saying they leave it in the oven. I’m going to try that!