Samantha Lande Samantha Lande is a Midwesterner through and through. She grew up in southeast Michigan, attended college in Ann Arbor and now lives in Chicago. Her work has appeared in many national publications including Food Network, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping and AARP. About Midwest Living Midwest Living, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, is an award-winning resource for stories of travel, culture, food, garden and home readers can't find anywhere else. As the definitive voice of the region, Midwest Living reaches 3.2 million readers and 2.2 million pageviews a month. Our inspirational, authentic content is smart, playful, diverse and loudly, proudly Midwestern. Learn more about us and our editorial guidelines.