Hi, Welcome to Midwestern Holidays, your go-to for easy recipes to celebrate allll the holidays and special moments in life.!
I’m Cara, the creator of Midwestern Holidays and the actual, real-live person behind everything you see on this site. I’m the hands in the pans, the eye behind the camera, and a lover of every holiday.
I live in central Minnesota with my husband and golden retriever, where we love to hike the many trails around our beautiful lakes and golf courses. And when I'm not up to my elbows in brownie batter, my nose is probably in a book. Or I'm watching a Hallmark Christmas movie.
Here in the Midwest, we're blessed to experience all four seasons—and, sometimes, a few more in between—that each have a distinct feel. And I think that's why I love the holidays so much.
Like the seasons, holidays mark the special occasions in life that keep every day from feeling the same. They give us a reason to come together and celebrate the occasions, memories, and people that matter the most.
I created Midwestern Holidays to give you easy, approachable recipes for all the holidays and special occasions in life. And since I am a small-town gal, most of my recipes are made with simple ingredients you can find in almost any grocery store. And if an ingredient is beyond what a small town store would carry, I'll be sure to let you know where you can find it.
Every recipe has been meticulously tested and tasted and includes all my tips and tricks to help you create it perfectly at home.
ABOUT MIDWESTERN HOLIDAYS
I started my first recipe blog, Midwestern HomeLife, when I transitioned from a 20+ year career in the hospitality industry to freelance writing. As I built up my business writing about other people’s passions, I realized I only wanted to write about my own: FOOD.
You see, I’ve been creating my own recipes for years and have been told many times I should write a cookbook or open a restaurant. I read cookbooks like novels and love cooking for family and friends -- especially during the holidays.
The recipes you’ll find at Midwestern Holidays are influenced by how I grew up, my love of cooking, and YOU — what you’re looking for.
MY BACKGROUND
I grew up in a small town in northern Minnesota. Weekends and holidays were often spent at large family potlucks and church gatherings with banquet tables lined with heaping bowls of savory and sweet salads, CrockPots of homemade hotdishes (that’s casserole for you non-Minnesotans), and 9 x 13 pans of delicious bars and gooey desserts.
And my grandparents’ platters of homemade holiday goodies shaped what Christmas tastes like to me.
As a result, I tailor my recipes to ingredients my family and friends back home can easily find in their grocery store. And I find great inspiration (and comfort) from my collection of hometown community cookbooks with tried-and-true recipes from my aunts, neighbors, friends’ moms, and the people I just know because I grew up there.
MY RECIPES
At Midwestern Holidays, you’ll find fast and easy recipes for decadent desserts, potluck dishes, holiday sides and goodies, and so much more.
I believe you can make delicious food regardless of your time, money, or energy. So, you'll find a blend of time-saving recipes with convenience ingredients like boxed mixes and scratch recipes with fresh ingredients.
YOUR RECIPES
But Midwestern Holidays isn't just about my recipes—it's about you, the passionate home cook seeking inspiration and guidance. I'm dedicated to understanding your needs and preferences, constantly researching trends and flavor profiles to bring you recipes that resonate with YOU.
My goal is to create recipes you will turn to again and again for showers, birthdays, weekend entertaining, holidays, game day, and more special occasions, big and small.
Because even though this is my “About Me” page, Midwestern Holidays is really About You.
FEATURED IN
My recipes at Midwestern HomeLife have been featured on Fox News, Cosmopolitan, Parade, EatThis, NotThat, Eater, Punchfork, and more.
GET IN TOUCH
I'd love to hear from you! Whether you have a question or just want to connect, don't hesitate to reach out at cara@caralanz(dot)com and let's chat.
Happy holidays!
Cara