Hey Y’all! My name is Melanie and welcome to adashofmel.com.
I am a Baton Rouge, Louisiana native currently living in a suburb of Houston, Texas. I’m here to share recipes from my Cajun southern roots mixed with a little Texas flare that I’ve acquired along the way.
My Family
My handsome husband Mark and I have been married for 12 years. He was born in Texas but grew up in Louisiana and that’s where he met me!
He is my outdoor cook, grill master, breakfast chef, and Jack of all trades. Be on the lookout for his blog posts, where he takes you along on his many cookouts and home projects.
We have a miniature schnauzer, Gumbo, who loves her mommy’s homemade treats and is very much addicted to carrots. She loves to be on “crumb patrol” whenever her mommy and daddy are cooking in the kitchen.
My Background
Since moving to the Houston area in 2016, I have become a full-time housewife and running, what feels like, a Bed & Breakfast at times.
We moved to the area to live between both of our families. My family living in Louisiana and my husband’s family living in the San Antonio area.
We have visitors staying over quite frequently which gives me the joy to host, cook, and entertain.
About A Dash of Mel
I started this food and lifestyle blog as a way to share my favorite recipes and many other passions with y’all.
I always get inspired when I see what others share, whether it be a blog, a vlog, a social media post, or even in someone else’s kitchen. I hope that you find something in my blog that you can use in your daily life.
This site is mostly a collection of personal recipes and things I’ve learned along the way. Just about all of the recipes are tested and approved by my husband and I, and sometimes maybe even some extended family and friends.
My husband reviews all of the blogs as my own Editor-in-Chief, and I do all the photography by myself.
How I got started cooking
When I was in college, I got sick of eating nothing but fast food all the time, so I called my stepfather one day and asked how to make red beans and rice. As a true south Louisiana girl, I was hungry for some “good ole” comfort food.
My passion with food continued as a young adult where my love for cooking and entertaining was fueled while watching my dad whip up huge pots of gumbo and jambalaya for tailgate parties and family gatherings. In Louisiana everything is celebrated around food!
My family was, and still are, a big inspiration on how I became the foodie that I am today.
To further compound the food situation my husband enjoys cooking as well even though he claims he just likes to eat. He’s usually my official taster which is a rank that has hopefully come with more ups than downs.
Culture and Background
My father is from South Louisiana and likes to refer to himself as a “Coonass,” which is basically a badge of pride within the Cajun culture. I grew up around all sorts of great Cajun food. Way too many dishes to begin listing here. Hence the blog!
My mother’s family is from South Louisiana and parts of Mississippi. Some of the family had ties to shrimping and crabbing, so I was exposed to a lot of seafood at an early age.
My stepfather is from North Louisiana, so I also grew up eating what I like to call “southern food” which to me mostly consisted of beans, cornbread, biscuits, and iced tea.
My stepmother is from South Louisiana. As a kid every Sunday we had a tradition of going to her parents’ house after church and eating pot roast, rice & gravy, green beans, & potato salad. The combination may seem particularly odd but trust me it was nothing but a symphony of flavors.
My husband’s family is from Texas and they love a good ole Texas barbecue: smoked brisket, ribs, barbecue chicken, and potato salad.
So, as you can see, I have been exposed to many different cultures and varieties of food and cuisine here in the south. Be sure to check out the rest of my blog to read all about it!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy my blog. Y’all come back now! Ya hear?!
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