Made With Love

I made a new friend this week. Only she doesn't know that we're friends. Or how much I adore her. Or that she's completely changed my life.

Mel. I'm talking to you. And if you ever actually read this blog post...I might die of embarrassment.

This thing happened to me a few Sundays ago. I had the urge to make brownies but was discouraged to find I didn't have a box of brownie mix. Shucks. You can't make brownies without brownie mix.

Or can you?

I doubtfully looked to Allrecipes.com for a boxless version of brownies. I was stunned to find that brownies can exist without the packaging. And I was even more stunned to find all the ingredients for yummy, gooey brownies were right there at my fingertips. In fact, they were even more delish than any other brownie I'd ever tasted before which resulted in my instant conversion to all things homemade.

I laid awake in bed at night envisioning new food creations. Pizza. Does it exist outside of Little Caesars? Chicken Cordon Bleu. Is that when a chicken eats a pig who's eaten swiss cheese? French Bread. Maybe it doesn't have to be imported?

This is where Mel and I first met. We were introduced through my sister who told me she has yet to be let down by Mel and her scrumptious recipes. I used her blog to menu plan like I've never menu planned before. I was drawn to all the recipes I once thought were impossible to completely home make.

For instance, french bread. I have a habit of making Jeff run to the store solely for french bread in my last minutes of pulling a meal together. It's stressful and inconvenient. But I love my french bread. And I recently found I especially love it homemade. (Imagine I took all these pictures with a nice camera and "plated" them nicely. They would look much tastier.)

To accompany my French Bread: the mysterious Chicken Cordon Bleu plus a vegetable actually seasoned with something.

Not pictured was pizza -- homemade down to the dough, and our new favorite soup now that I've made Taco Soup one too many times.

Tonight's meal was an enchilada pasta. Who's even ever heard of that?!? It was a fun, different meal.

I finished dinner off with lots of cookie dough as I tested out her giant cookie recipe to see if it would be a good neighbor Christmas gift. I'd say that's enough cookie to bring me Christmas cheer.

So Mel, you've changed my life and my outlook on food. Turns out cooking is fun when you're making delicious things. I'm smitten by the concept of creating beautiful meals out of minimally processed items. I love having a fridge full of vegetables and a basket full of fruit. And most of all, I love your easy to follow, gourmet tasting recipes. I'm glad we became friends. Even if this relationship is completely one-sided.

Now if you'd just post a Schlotzky's sandwich recipe we'd really be in business.