Welcome to cookingwithmike.com, your trusted source for hearty comfort food recipes, practical kitchen wisdom, and timeless flavors that never go out of style. This blog is more than just a collection of dishes—it’s a celebration of the kind of food that brings people together and sparks memories. Here, we believe that every great meal tells a story, whether it’s the crackle of fried chicken in a cast iron skillet, the smell of garlic bread fresh from the oven, or the simple joy of biting into a burger stacked high with cheese, onions, and all the fixings.
Our goal is to create a space where readers can feel at home. When you land on Cooking with Mike, you’re stepping into a kitchen that’s warm, welcoming, and just a little bit messy—because real cooking isn’t about perfection, it’s about flavor, sharing, and connection.
Our Mission
At cookingwithmike.com, our mission is simple yet meaningful: to make cooking approachable, fun, and undeniably delicious. We want to inspire home cooks of all skill levels to feel comfortable experimenting in the kitchen while knowing they can trust our recipes to deliver.
We believe that food doesn’t have to be fancy to be special. From classic Chicago favorites like deep-dish pizza and Italian beef sandwiches to everyday family staples like spaghetti and meatballs or baked casseroles, we share recipes that balance nostalgia with practicality.
Our commitment is to:
- Provide step-by-step recipes that are clear, easy to follow, and written in a friendly, conversational tone.
- Highlight big flavors—savory, cheesy, crispy, and saucy—because comfort food is about indulgence and satisfaction.
- Encourage readers to cook not just for themselves, but for the joy of sharing with family and friends.
Cooking with Mike is about honoring the traditions of comfort food while making them accessible to today’s busy home cooks. Every post should feel like a nudge from a friend who says, “You’ve got this—now let’s make something good.”
Our Reporting Standards
Accuracy and Integrity
Recipes must be thoroughly tested and carefully explained. That means double-checking cooking times, oven temperatures, and ingredient measurements so our readers can achieve consistent results. A recipe for mac and cheese should yield creamy, gooey pasta every time—not dry noodles or soupy sauce.
We avoid vague instructions and instead lean on sensory cues. For example:
- Instead of “cook until done”, write “simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.”
- Instead of “bake until finished”, write “bake for 25–30 minutes, until the edges are golden and the cheese is bubbling.”
Authenticity
Our recipes reflect real cooking in a real kitchen. That means approachable ingredients, realistic prep times, and instructions that don’t require advanced culinary training. Content is written with warmth, humor, and a dash of personality—always in Mike’s voice.
We avoid unnecessary jargon or pretension. Instead, our recipes should feel like advice from a neighbor or friend who’s just as excited to talk about their skillet lasagna as you are to eat it.
Right of Reply
We respect all perspectives—readers, chefs, and contributors alike. If concerns arise, we’re committed to open dialogue. Our aim is to make corrections or clarifications in a way that builds trust, not confusion.
Verification and Corrections
Content is carefully reviewed before publication, but if errors are discovered, they are addressed promptly and transparently. Whether it’s a mistyped temperature or a missing ingredient, our responsibility is to fix it quickly so readers never lose confidence in our recipes.
Source Confidentiality
When contributors, readers, or professionals share input, their confidentiality is respected. We cross-check information against reliable sources, ensuring accuracy without compromising trust.
Professional Conduct
Ethical Relationships
We collaborate with food writers, chefs, brands, and contributors who share our values. Partnerships are chosen carefully to align with our philosophy of honesty, quality, and love for comfort food.
Transparency
Readers deserve clarity. Any partnerships, sponsorships, or affiliate links are clearly disclosed, so the line between editorial content and commercial content is never blurred.
Independence
Editorial independence is non-negotiable. All recipe and content decisions come from genuine passion for food—not advertiser pressure. Sponsored content is accepted only if it naturally complements our mission.
Content Creation
Diverse Perspectives
Comfort food belongs to everyone. From Italian-American lasagna to Southern fried chicken, from Chicago-style pizza to Midwestern casseroles, our site highlights a range of dishes that showcase the richness of food traditions. We aim to celebrate flavors from different cultures while keeping recipes approachable and true to the comfort food spirit.
Engaging Narratives
Every recipe tells a story, and we lean into that. A post about meatballs might include a nod to family dinners, while a pizza recipe might reference Chicago’s famous tavern-cut pies. Stories add warmth, but they must always tie back to the recipe—never drift into unrelated anecdotes.
Visual and Written Harmony
Writing and visuals work hand in hand. Our food photography should highlight the irresistible qualities of each dish: melted cheese stretching off a slice of pizza, steam rising from a bowl of soup, or crispy golden chicken skin. Writing should match that visual energy with vivid, sensory language.
Advertising and Commercial Activities
Clear Separation
We maintain a strict boundary between editorial content and advertising. Sponsored recipes, affiliate links, or promotional mentions are always labeled, ensuring readers know when content is commercial in nature.
Transparency with Advertisers
We only collaborate with brands that align with Cooking with Mike’s mission. Products, tools, or ingredients mentioned in sponsored content must be authentic, useful, and consistent with our kitchen style.
Content Integrity
Sponsorship never dictates editorial decisions. Readers should feel confident that recipes and recommendations remain authentic, regardless of advertising. Our first loyalty is always to our audience.
Feedback and Corrections
We welcome and encourage feedback from readers, contributors, and partners. Feedback is a tool for growth, helping us refine our content and maintain high standards.
If readers notice mistakes—whether it’s a typo, unclear instruction, or factual error—we ask them to reach out. Corrections are handled quickly, and improvements are documented so future content is stronger.
This ongoing dialogue ensures Cooking with Mike remains a reliable, evolving resource for comfort food enthusiasts.
What We Don’t Publish
To stay true to our brand, Cooking with Mike does not publish:
- Recipes that focus exclusively on restrictive diets or calorie-counting.
- Overly gourmet or restaurant-style dishes requiring rare or luxury ingredients.
- Content filled with unrelated personal stories or filler text.
- Posts that lack clear, actionable cooking instructions.
Our readers visit because they want hearty meals that taste amazing. If it doesn’t fit that vision, it doesn’t belong here.
The Cooking with Mike Standard
Every recipe or article on the site should:
- Be approachable for home cooks at all levels.
- Use simple, affordable, and accessible ingredients.
- Celebrate bold flavors and the heart of comfort food.
- Carry Mike’s warm, conversational, and sometimes humorous tone.
- Be optimized for SEO with keywords, headings, and meta descriptions.
- Pair strong writing with appetizing visuals.
- Provide genuine value—something readers can cook, share, and enjoy.
Closing Words
At cookingwithmike.com, we’re more than just a recipe blog—we’re a community built around flavor, nostalgia, and connection. Every piece of content is an invitation: to cook, to share, to remember the joy of hearty meals, and to create new food memories.
Our job isn’t just to feed people—it’s to remind them of the magic that happens when food is cooked with love, shared with others, and enjoyed around the table.
So whether it’s a stack of cheesy burgers, a bubbling casserole on a Sunday night, or a pizza pulled fresh from the oven, Cooking with Mike is here to say: pull up a chair, grab a plate, and dig in.
Because food doesn’t have to be complicated—it just has to taste good.