Hello — welcome to cooking a la mel! My name is Melinda Vertlieb, and I first started cooking a la mel back in 2010 during my second year of college when I decided to go without the school meal plan while living in the dorms. I created this space as a place to chronicle our nightly dinners and the occasional baked treat, and it quickly became a passion to share new recipes, becoming the space you see today! It started with mostly healthier options (lots of baked goods), but nowadays, it’s all about balance and enjoying life. I’m all about enjoying healthy foods, but it’s okay to also enjoy yourself and indulge every once in a while. I also like to share the occasional craft, travel, and my favorite things.
ABOUT MELINDA
I’m a full-time pharmacist, crazy cat lady, fitness aficionado, and geek. I am originally from Pittsburgh, PA, but it’s been a long time since I’ve lived in the ‘burgh. I lived in Buffalo, New York for 6 years during pharmacy school, where I met my husband, then we headed down to the Baltimore, Maryland area for about 5 years. Now, we’re back in Buffalo with our 4 cats. Yep. FOUR cats.
Meet Mr. Tesla Bear, Missa Miss Nymeria, Morty Fluff, and our newest addition, Kenny Putte.
Oh, and this is my husband, Alex (hands-down my favorite photo from our wedding).
My favorite things include working out (it’s really the only thing that keeps me sane), reading, learning about the British monarchy, online shopping (particularly for fitness gear), traveling, family, great TV, coffee, my cats, tea, and ice cream.
CURRENT FAVORITES
Watching: The Witcher
Reading: Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, book 1)
Working out with: Jennifer Jacobs in Job 1 (follow along on Instagram to see my journey)
A lot of the recipes you’ll see here are delicious baked goods because I first and foremost love baking. My favorite thing to make is a layer cake (although it’s not often I get a chance). I also make great guacamole. My favorite meal is definitely brunch — I love a good mimosa and some bacon.
Thank you so much for visiting, and feel free to reach out to me anytime — I love hearing from you! Shoot me an email at melinda(at)cookingalamel(dot)com.