Hey, I'm Christina!
I'm a home cook with 20+ years of experience and have been blogging about it since 2017.
I wasn't that interested in cooking growing up, and even into early adulthood. Cooking meals was a necessity growing up because I quite literally grew up in the middle of nowhere Minnesota - good luck finding it on Google Street View!
Eating at any kind of restaurant was a treat since it required a minimum 15-minute trip to a local diner, or 45 minutes to get to a Dairy Queen.
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My Story
I knew how to cook my own meals because my Mom helped teach me as the primary cook in the home (and my Dad taught me a few signature dishes, like Creamed Wieners). I cooked for myself frequently as a young adult because it was what I knew - a good Midwesterner can't go wrong with meat and potatoes after all!
It wasn't until after moving to Minneapolis in 2009 that I started slowly falling in love with food, all kinds! There were so many kinds to try and so many wonderful chefs to cook them for me! But I especially loved Mexican. Mexican food has this coziness to it like Midwestern food does. It felt familiar, yet the flavor profiles were so different - it has HEAT. Spice. Bold flavors. Midwestern food often gets knocked for being bland, but here was this bold, oftentimes spicy food that was also comfort food central.
Being a comfort food-loving gal I immediately gravitated towards Mexican food, and it inspired me to get in the kitchen. I used it as inspiration to doctor up things like Tater Tot Hot Dish (because a casserole is just a hot dish with attitude), and create new recipes like Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas and Rotel Pasta. I love making Midwestern dishes and I love Mexican food and the result of experimenting with both in the kitchen is Midwexican.
Too Long, Didn't Read (TLDR)
I wasn't always passionate about cooking, but Mexican food inspired me to get into the kitchen. I've been creating recipes for years because I enjoy cooking and love experimenting with new flavors.
I'm also super passionate about writing :). Always have been, especially when writing about my favorite topic, food! (Check out my Work With Me page to see where I've been featured). I started my career as a Technical Writer in the technology industry in 2014. As a Technical Writer with 15 years of experience, technical writing has 100% impacted the way I create and write recipes. In my experience failing to execute a recipe almost always happens because the directions aren't written clearly or completely. I obsess over my recipe instructions because it's my priority to ensure you can replicate my recipes and enjoy the delicious results.
I'm Christina and I'd love it if you cooked along. Because I'm bringing the heat to Midwestern eats, served with a slice of Minnesota nice!
These are some of my favorite recipes and I hope you'll enjoy them too.
What will you find on Midwexican?
Recipe hybrids that take inspiration from both Midwestern and Mexican food, like Pork Enchilada Hot Dish.
Comforting recipes ranging from cozy soups (like this Creamy Taco Soup) to homemade condiments (like Roasted Garlic Chimichurri) that take simple food from tasty to flat-out delicious.
Easily customizable recipes, along with suggestions on how to tweak them - because recipes are only guidelines!
And of course, you'll find plenty of tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, and more, because those are some of my favorite dishes to make!
Oh, and I enjoy cooking with the Instant Pot and Air Fryer. I own the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker (8 quart) and the Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 Smart XL Air Fry Oven. So you'll find recipes that use those kitchen appliances as well.
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Midwexican FAQ
I took the "Mid" and the "w" from Midwest and the "exican" from Mexican, combined them, and the result was Midwexican. Plus it just sounds cozy right?
My Mom rarely ever followed recipes to the letter growing up, and that 100% rubbed off on me. Sometimes tweaking a recipe is done to better suit one's taste preferences, and sometimes out of necessity. Living 15 minutes from any grocery store growing up meant substitutions frequently occurred. I try to be mindful of what I refer to as "substitution necessity" when crafting recipes, offering variations that might work should you be missing an ingredient or two.
Other than the obvious answer - delicious food - I want readers to be able to replicate my recipes and have it turned out as pictured. I also want the flavors and the textures to be enjoyable. And since I believe recipes are only guidelines, I want readers to not be discouraged if they see an ingredient they don't have on hand when they look at a recipe. I like to offer varitions and substitution ideas to accomodate as many diets and preferences as I possibly can. I eat meat, but a lot of my recipes that use meat will work with vegetarian-friendly substitutions like pinto beans. I want Midwexican to be known for making cooking approachable and encouraging creativity in cooking.
I don't use AI to write. Fun fact, this blog is older than ChatGPT! I enjoy writing so AI has no place on my blog. I also don't use it to create photos. I take no frills photos with a DSLR camera because I want to show readers what a dish actually looks like - no surprises.
My Begrudging Dietary Journey
It's said that the only things guaranteed in life are death and taxes.
But there's also change. It's constant, evolving, and downright unpredictable at times.
It's those unpredictable changes that I haven't been able to stop thinking about.
Because those BIG unpredictable changes are oftentimes things you never thought would happen to you.
Like losing an organ.
In 2024, I had my gallbladder removed.
Why? Because it malfunctioned in spectacular fashion and was leaking "sludge" into my body. So, it had to go.
Fortunately, the gallbladder is not an essential organ. The gallbladder is a small organ that stores and releases bile. Your liver produces bile, and the gallbladder releases it to aid in digesting the fats in the food you eat. Read more about how the gallbladder works and what happens when it quits working.
Long story short, while the gallbladder may not be essential to survival, it did allow me to eat fatty and fried foods with minimal discomfort. And that's pretty neat.
Or WAS pretty neat.
Not having a gallbladder means a person should really pay attention to food intake and keep fat calories to 30% of one's diet.
And for the last couple years, I haven't exactly been following that smart medially backed advice.
Why? Because I'm a food blogger! As a lover of food, I should be able to eat anything! Right? Right???
I mean, the Minnesota State Fair exists! C'mon!
But the reality is, I can't eat like I used to. And I've been living in denial, having a real conundrum with how I pivot moving forward.
Obviously, I need to get my diet in check. But what does that mean for Midwexican?
Because when I started Midwexican, all my organs were intact and my recipes followed a strictly (😉) Midwestern diet of tater tot hot dish, cheesy potatoes, and Rice Krispie treats. But if I'm honest with myself, eating too much sugar and butter and grease is just not a good experience. But I sincerely love all those things, I just have to love them in more moderation now.
The best piece of writing advice I've heard to this day is "Write what you know."
So I must proceed forward accepting and embracing my newly accepted reality and post recipes I can enjoy without discomfort - because they are delicious and agreeable to my gallbladder-less digestive system.
Midwexican will maintain its flavorful Midwestern meets Mexican roots, but you can expect more fiber up in here! And a little more thought when selecting ingredients for recipes and building in suggestions to help lessen fat and sugar.
But don't worry, the cream cheese isn't going anywhere.
After all, lower fat variations exist 😊.
Some disclaimers.
Informational Purposes Only
I am not a certified nutritionist, registered dietitian, or licensed medical professional. I'm just a gallbladder-less food blogger trying to figure out a better way to still enjoy delicious food - in smaller portions, and with less fat and sugar. All content, recipes, meal ideas, and nutritional information provided here are for general informational and educational purposes only.
No Medical Advice
The information shared on Midwexican does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician, registered dietitian, or a qualified healthcare provider before making significant changes to your diet or if you have any questions regarding a medical condition.
Personal Responsibility
You assume full responsibility for your own health decisions - accountability matters. Any reliance on any information provided on Midwexican is solely at your own risk. The owner and publisher of this content will not be responsible for any adverse reactions, effects, or consequences resulting from the use of any suggestions, recipes, or dietary plans mentioned.
