Oh hey there! I’m Meredith.
A lifelong Midwesterner, home cook, food photographer, and the recipe developer behind Our Love Language is Food. I believe that the best meals aren’t complicated. They’re made with real ingredients, good company, and a whole lot of love.
My Midwestern Roots
I was born and raised in Minnesota, moved to Wisconsin for college, and never left (Wisconsin has a way of doing that to you). Growing up in a tight-knit family meant that so many of my favorite memories happened around a big table, sharing food that everyone helped prepare. My grandma and mom had me in the kitchen early, making cookies, traditional Czech kolaches, and all kinds of baked goods before I was tall enough to see over the counter.
I’ve been cooking for myself for over 20 years and cooking for my family for nearly 15, and somewhere in that time cooking stopped feeling like a task and started feeling like how I show up for the people I love. Now that I’m a mom, I’ve had my kiddo in the kitchen since she was small enough to be strapped to my chest in a carrier.
What You’ll Find Here
If you’ve ever seen Midwestern cooking on TV, you know we don’t always get portrayed in the most flattering way (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 what Midwestern food actually looks like: fresh, flavorful, and rooted in the incredible produce, dairy, and proteins we have access to right here in the heartland. Scratch-made food that feels familiar and satisfying, without relying on a can of cream of mushroom soup to get there.
Every recipe on this site is tested in my real home kitchen, developed with everyday cooks in mind, and written with enough detail that you feel confident making it, no matter if it’s the first time trying it or your fifteenth. I’m not here to send you hunting for a ton of obscure ingredients or walk you through techniques that require culinary school. I’m here to give you recipes that actually work and meals worth gathering around.
You’ll find hearty breakfasts, easy weeknight dinners, slow cooker meals, crowd-pleasing desserts, plenty of drinks to share, and so much more. And yes, a lot of cheese, because I live in the Dairy State and cheese is a way of life around here.
Why I Go Out of the Way to List Dietary Modifications in My Recipes
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 nearly 15 years!
🍪 My mom and I have an annual Christmas cookie baking marathon. For over 20 years, we’ve made this a holiday tradition together, making at least a dozen different kinds of cookies every single year, including family favorites (like our white chocolate cranberry oat cookies, frosted cardamom cookies, and snappy turtles cookies) and trying our new recipes and 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.
👷♀️ Before making Our Love Language is Food my full-time focus in fall 2024, I spent 15+ years in the commercial construction industry in project management. Turns out that background has a way of showing up in the kitchen too. I care about the details, I test recipes more than once, and I don’t publish something until I know it works.
As Seen In…
🎙️I’ve been a guest on a couple of my favorite podcasts! Listen to my Eat Blog Talk episode on sustainable side-hustling, my Recipe of the Day episode where I walk you through how to make our popular oven baked egg bites, and my Align & Expand episode with fellow bloggers on shifting your mindset.
I’ve also contributed to several publications, including:
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? ⬇️