About

Welcome! We’re glad you’ve decided to visit our corner of the internet, where if you give a girl an oven, she might bake bread, she might roast vegetables, she might read a book while cupcakes are baking, she might watch Gilmore Girls for the upteenth time while soup is simmering, or she might start a blog.

The story of this blog starts in the heart of the midwest, in the place where autumn dreams come true: the pumpkin capital of the world. Elle (a social worker) and Lu (a librarian) grew up in the most pumpkin-y place in the world and became best friends in fifth grade, where we bonded over four square, the silliest inside jokes that can only be thought of while not sleeping at sleepovers, Dairy Queen, and more. We stayed friends through college and grad school, through moves across the country, through being bridesmaids at each other’s weddings, through one of us being Team Logan and one of us being Team Jess. We’ve changed a lot since fifth grade, but we’ve never stopped being bffs, and we’ve always kept cornfields and pumpkins near and dear to our hearts.

We have been baking and cooking our whole lives, but as we’ve migrated from and then back to the midwest, we’ve seen the need for some changes to our beloved midwestern comfort food. Casseroles can be delicious without four cups of cheese, and salads can be just as cozy without any mayonnaise. Our home is the midwest, and this blog is a desire to let our home know that healthy food isn’t weird, healthy food isn’t bad, and healthy food can be comforting. We’re here to add more vegetables and fruits to midwestern potlucks. All of our recipes are vegetarian plant-based, with a hint of vegan and a dash of sugar-free.

The number one question asked about a vegetarian diet is, “What do you eat?” We hope to take a bit of mystery out of that diet change and help others learn how to make vegetables the focus of their favorite meals.

That’s not to say we don’t have a sweet tooth (or more than one), and we don’t think there’s a time or place to indulge. As Oscar Wilde and our old cross country coach used to say, “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” Sugar Saturdays are our attempt at moderation.

So welcome, we’re glad you’re here, and we hope you enjoy our love letter to the midwest and to the magical things an oven can do.

– Elle & Lu

It might not look like much, but we have waited in very long lines in very cold temperatures to taste these delicious pumpkin pancakes.
Sure, the movie Signs may have momentarily made cornfields terrifying to our middle-school selves, but we got over it.
Full disclosure, this photo was taken in Colorado, another place that's special to us in different ways. But we can never stray too far from a pumpkin patch.