Midwest Living September/October 2021 Issue

Find out more about decor for the Omaha home featured in our September/October 2021 issue.

Get inspired by the fabulous road trips our staffers and their families took one pandemic fall. Each staff member shares ideas for food, ways to play and relax outside, and activities they'd like to try next time.

Ohio-based Rozzi’s Famous Fireworks is known around the world for award-winning pyrotechnic displays—including Cincinnati’s signature Labor Day weekend show.

See what a Nebraska gardener's prairie-style yard looks like around the year in our short video.

Our content editor enjoys a couple’s weekend at the winsome home of Luther College, with hiking, shopping and an excess of ice cream.

Our editor in chief takes a classic family road trip to an artsy Lake Michigan shore town for sandy beaches, gallery-peeping and great food.

A three-generation camping trip takes our executive editor to the far reaches (oh, Canada!) of Minnesota’s rugged North Shore.

Our copy editor’s top fall trip: An excursion with another couple to hike in a national forest and see Garden of the Gods (the one in Illinois).

Outside Minneapolis, a world-traveling designer and modern-minded architect earn extra credit for the ultimate show-and-tell project—turning a former schoolhouse into a chic urban triplex.

What would a more equitable, sustainable restaurant industry look like? This Detroiter is on a mission to find out.

Making pie is a piece of cake with a nook that keeps essentials easy to see and grab.

If you like vacation destinations packed with hiking trails and waterfalls but not too many people, our senior editor found just the right place.

In North Dakota, Pembina Gorge’s patchwork of state-protected lands marks a cultural crossroads (and looks lovely dressed in fall finery).

A new wave of independent Midwest cinemas goes way beyond four walls and a film.

A Nebraska gardener advocates for more prairie—and less lawn—to support wildlife across the Midwest.

It’s not just the crisp air or the hum of students back on campus. This fall, Madison, Wisconsin shines as favorite events return from a pandemic hiatus.

A daring homeowner with a life-long passion for decorating brings her classic mid-mod ranch from one century into the next.

Learn how improving your relationship with money can boost mental health.

Our project editor finds a great fall day trip close to the Twin Cities, with hiking, unique architecture and stellar restaurants.

Our new issue delivers recipes for cozy, spice-laden fall desserts; delicata squash; a juicy Italian beef sandwich; a Thai dish that might make you a tofu convert;  and fig and pecan scone just perfect for crisp autumn days.

Barbecue hogs the spotlight in Kansas City, Missouri, but a diverse Mexican food scene warrants a special trip across the state line into Kansas City, Kansas.

Whether you spray, soak, strike a match or hit the town, these innovative takes on perfume and home fragrances are sure to tickle your senses.

Our senior designer returns to her hometown each October for dining, shopping, hiking, biking and more. Here’s what she recommends.

A Chicago transplant reveals—and revels in—her adopted city’s surprising secrets.

South Dakota delivers a road trip full of outdoor adventures to our fact-checker and her husband.

Chef Jeff Mauro shares his recipe for a hometown favorite: Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches.

When it comes to the shape of scones, should we say yes to tradition or no to scraps? Our writer weighs the possibilities.

The family that helped bring Thai to St. Louis has a new restaurant—and the tofu recipe your Meatless Mondays have been waiting for.

Sure, you've seen this combo before. But not done this well. This recipe doesn't use a whole can of pumpkin, so add leftovers to a smoothie, a pot of chili, hot oatmeal or even hummus.

Nutmeg is the secret ingredient that makes this playful Bundt taste just like a cake doughnut. (Be sure to use freshly grated nutmeg--you'll really notice the difference in flavor.)

For maximum flavor, this one-pan dinner has you caramelize two ways. High-temp roasting browns veggies, while basting chicken with a sweetened glaze adds color and bold flavor.

Any dried fig variety (black, Mission or golden California figs) works in this tender, buttery recipe. Cutting scones into wedges is faster than rounds and means no wasted dough scraps.

Vanilla custard bathes buttered brioche in this English-style bread pudding. For a rich but understated finish, drizzle cinnamon cream over top.

A humble snack dresses up for company. With its nutty flavor and tiny flecks of toasted milk solids, browned butter elevates a simple cream cheese frosting to saintly levels.

Plums release their sweet-tart ruby goodness in this summer bake. It is flavored with Chinese five-spice---a blend that typically includes fennel, peppercorns, star anise, cloves and cinnamon.

Food Network star (and Chicago native) Jeff Mauro's recipe mimics captures the spirit of classic Italian beef without having to invest in a deli slicer. Just so you know, "real" Italian beef sandwiches are completely dunked (bread and all) in the meat juices, or jus. It's messy and marvelous. The recipe comes from Mauro's book, Come on Over (William Morrow, $30).

No peeling necessary! Delicata's thin skin makes it a cinch to prepare and easy to pick up and dip when sliced and roasted.

In the Middle East, cardamom often flavors coffee. Here, that duo teams up with cloves and chocolate shards in a bakehouse-style cookie with cozy chai vibes. (Trust us: The extra step of melting chocolate, spreading it out and breaking it into shards, rather than use chips, is worth it for a totally elevated cookie.)

This German-style, not-too-sweet, yeast-raised cake begs for a cup of coffee. For an extra tang, you can serve it with a dollop of lightly sweetened sour cream.

Just seven ingredients go into this upside-down French tart. And one of them is très-easy purchased puff pastry. (Choose an all-butter pastry, such as Dufour or the Trader Joe's house brand, for the best flavor.)

All you need is fifteen minutes of prep time to make this all-in-one meal--perfect for those days when you need something easy but still cozy and comforting.

Eat breakfast for dinner by nesting rings of squash in a skillet full of eggs, dotted with goat cheese and thyme.

Laap (or larb, as it's often spelled) is an herby ground meat or tofu salad that's eaten across Thailand and is traditionally scooped with rice or lettuce. This super simple, healthful dish is a favorite of chef Shayn Prapaisilp, whose family owns four Thai restaurants and two grocery stores in St. Louis.

Start your day or satisfy a snack urge with these crunchy, chewy bars that have all the good stuff.

This pickled vegetable condiment is the real deal for topping Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches--or anything else, says celeb chef Jeff Mauro, who shares his recipe in his new cookbook, Come on Over (William Morrow, $30). Note that it's lightly fermented, so should be made about three days ahead.