Hi, I’m Meredith!
A lifelong Midwesterner balancing working full time, mom life, and a love for all things food and photography. I launched Our Love Language is Food in 2021 as a passion project to share fun recipes with my family and friends. My goal is to make cooking feel less intimidating and more accessible through detailed step-by-step visual instructions, comprehensive information, and encouraging guidance.
My Background
The recipes you’ll find on this site are all rooted in my Midwestern background. I was born and raised in Minnesota and moved to Wisconsin for college.
Growing up in a tight-knit family in Minnesota, so many of my favorite memories were made around a big table sharing food that everyone helped to prepare. I’ve been around great cooks and bakers my whole life. I always loved helping my Grandma and mom make cookies, traditional Czech kolaches, and other baked goods since I was a child. I really began cooking meals and playing with recipes when I went off to college.
My husband and I love trying new recipes and simply having fun together in the kitchen. We’ve been together for 15 years and have been cooking together nearly as long. Our kiddo is also learning to help and loves to participate in our day-to-day cooking and baking adventures.
Midwest Meals that are Interesting, Flavorful, and Easy
If you’ve ever seen Midwestern cooking portrayed on TV or in the movies, it usually doesn’t depict us in a great light (like the scene in How I Met Your Mother where they visit Minnesota and have a salad that included ‘seven cups of mayonnaise’). I’m here to show you that Midwestern cooking is far from bland and doesn’t require a can of cream of mushroom soup in everything you make. The Midwest is farm country, and our access to fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, and fish is incredible. Midwestern cooking can be hearty cooking, but also includes vegetarian recipes (I’ve got a lot of them!) and is always wholesome because our food doesn’t have to travel very far to get to our tables.
You’ll find tested and fine-tuned recipes for hearty breakfast ideas to fuel your day, cozy dinner ideas to keep you warm, a lot of crockpot cooking, quick and easy desserts perfect for a potluck (I mean, can you even go a party without bringing a pan of bars with you?!), as well as recipes for drinks to share with your family and friends. And lots of recipes with cheese, because let’s face it, I live in the Dairy State and cheese is a way of life around here.
Try a Favorite from Our Midwest Kitchen
Whole Wheat Waffles with Greek Yogurt
We’ve been making these waffles for over a decade! They’re a hearty way to start the day, even when enjoying a sweet breakfast. Probably the recipe we make most often in our kitchen.
Crockpot Chicken Chili with Bacon
The ultimate comfort food for a chilly day! This is my husband’s favorite recipe on the website. Great for meal prepping to enjoy throughout the week and for game day parties too! A must try.
Death by Chocolate Cookies
This is my mama’s recipe, and we’ve made this every year for as long as I can remember. If you love chocolate and you’re a cookie person (like I am!), then you need to try this easy cookie recipe ASAP.
Why I Go Out of the Way to List Dietary Modifications in My Recipes
I’ve always strived to be inclusive of others, and the same goes for when I’m cooking and baking.
I lived in a house with six others in college where we traded off cooking a weekly meal together. One roommate had celiac, another was vegetarian. Because we wanted to make sure everyone felt included, it was always a fun challenge to make a meal that everyone could enjoy together.
My nephew cannot have dairy. I want him and his family to feel comfortable eating and enjoying time at our house without having to worry about if they can eat the food and treats that are being served.
As a mom, I know my kiddo will have friends with various allergies (because it’s just so common now). I want to be able to have warm cookies fresh out of the oven to share with them like my mom always did. I want my home to be welcoming and inviting to others, regardless of what dietary restrictions they may have, and I bet you do too.
So, you’ll see vegetarian recipes, vegan recipes, gluten-free recipes, and dairy-free recipes tagged on my recipe index page. Many recipes throughout my site also have a section that lists how to modify the recipe to accommodate dietary restrictions when it’s easy to do so.
A Little More About Me
🥕 I spent a decade as a vegetarian. While I’ve incorporated meat back into my diet, my family continues to eat meatless for at least half of our meals. Our three-bean vegetarian chili recipe has been a favorite for my husband and I for over 10 years!
🍪 My mom and I have an annual Christmas cookie baking marathon. For over 20 years, my mom and I have had this holiday baking event together. When I was in middle school and high school, I’d often have a friend or two join in the fun with us too! We typically make at least a dozen different kinds of cookies. Including family favorites (like these cranberry oatmeal white chocolate cookies) and new cookie flavors we haven’t tried before.
🥞 I love everything breakfast. Breakfast foods, making breakfast, going out for brunch with friends… breakfast is just the best! This is one of the many reasons you’ll find an ever growing breakfast recipes section on here!
☀️ Spending time outside is one of my favorite things to do. Whether it’s simply going for a walk, or doing something fun like hiking, camping, or going to the pool.
🎙️ I’ve been a guest on a couple of my favorite podcasts! Listen to my Eat Blog Talk episode on sustainable side-hustling, and my Align & Expand episode with fellow bloggers on shifting your mindset.
As Seen In…
Let’s Get Cooking!
You do not need a big, fancy kitchen with all kinds of special gadgets to create amazing food. A few basic tools, a good attitude, and a willingness to have some fun in the process is all you need.
So let’s dive in and make something delicious!
Let’s Connect!
Need a quick answer to a recipe question? Do you have a recipe suggestion? Feel free to contact me by email: [email protected]
Follow me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST. If you make one of my recipes share a photo on social media and be sure to tag me @ourlovelanguageisfood.
Do we share a love of easy, tasty recipes? ⬇️