ABOUT US – My husband Ron and I are now retired, but while we were working we had a serious restaurant habit that became more than just an indulgence.  It challenged and inspired us as cooks, and ultimately, as gardeners. It has been an ongoing cycle – we would sow, tend, harvest, cook, and eat, and then we would start all over again.

But things always evolve, and our focus is shifting a bit. The recipes I posted for the first couple of years were frequently rich and fatty, but now that we’re older, we’re watching our cholesterol, and hence, my recipes have become healthier. Much less cream… I’ve also begun to tire of the garden, because it’s so demanding of my time. Sometimes I’d rather be biking or hiking! So I plan to grow fewer varieties of veg in 2026, and lesser quantities of what I do grow. Ashford Farmer’s Market, here I come!

ABOUT THIS BLOG – The inspiration for this collection was born of frustration – the frustration of failed memory. What made that meal special? Where did I get that recipe? How did I make it mine? How might I improve upon it next time? So I decided to compile it all. Rather than just maintaining a hierarchy of bookmarks, I set out to document all of our favorite dishes in Google Docs. Recipes called for pictures and pictures told stories, so I very quickly realized that I needed a more dynamic and sharable platform. Ron has been urging me for years to create a blog, to document our neo-homesteading efforts, but for the longest time I felt like we had nothing new to bring, that what we were doing had already been done and redone. But as I got further into the process of compiling the recipes, lost memories began resurfacing as I set about to capture what made each dish, and this wonderful life that we’re living, uniquely ours.

So melinmaccooks.com was created. It’s about much more than the recipes at this point. This collection documents the recipes and meals that have fueled our memories, and that have become our tried and true favorites. I’m also peppering this collection with opinions, quotes, and stories that echo, memories involving the people, friends and family, who have participated in the experience. I love this food and these people. I think you will too.

P.S. I work on two other blogs. Melinmac’s Days is a personal blog – a photo collection, a visual memoir, if you will. I also serve as the webmaster for a more public passion of mine, the AshfordPollinatorPathway. Please check out these sites as well!