What are you favorite Midwestern holiday traditions? And what holiday traditions are specifically Midwestern?

In this festive episode of Midwest AF, hosts Liz and Jen take you on a nostalgic sleigh ride through the holiday traditions of the heartland. Okay, that's a little overdramatic. Mostly, we talk about food. 

But we do share out favorite Midwest holiday traditions, and dive into the things we think are probably only cooked up in that area of the country, like "fluff" salad, broccoli casserole, and the essential appetizer: cowboy dip.

We spill the tea on the foods we love (and the ones we could do without) during the holiday season. What's your REAL opinion of a baked turkey?

What would the holidays be without the quirky, heartwarming traditions that make each family unique? Liz and Jen reminisce about the hilarious and heartwarming antics that unfolded in their Kansas households during the most wonderful time of the year.

So, grab a slice of pumpkin pie and join Liz and Jen for some holiday hilarity. Whether you're a Midwest native or a curious outsider, this episode of Midwest AF will leave you with a newfound appreciation for (and maybe some questions about) the joyous celebrations that make the holidays truly special – no matter where you live.

Please officially FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to the show so you get updated about new episodes. (This also helps us grow our listenership!)

Want to support these Midwestern gals on our weird Portlandian adventures?

You help us out by:
1. Rating and reviewing our show on Apple podcasts
2. Rating it on Spotify

You can also follow Midwest_AF_Podcast on Instagram.

But if not? No worries.

Do you nod and smile when you pass someone on the street? Are you offended if they don't smile back? 

Do you stop to let someone through when you can sense them walking up behind you, or do you keep hogging the sidewalk?

How about telling everyone you come across about the new item you just purchased at a THRILLING, discounted price? And what about complaining about the weather for fun?!

In this episode, our hosts, two Kansas natives, recount all the ways they've noticed just how Midwest AF they are – and how NON-Midwest other people are.

Liz and Jen now live in Portland, Oregon, a place that often – and strikingly – reveals their Midwestern sensibilities. From being hyper aware of everyone around you to keep yourself safe, to being ridiculously nice, West Coasters don't seem to possess our tendencies.

Laugh along with our hosts as they find humor in their own natural ways of moving about the world, and as they pick every bit of it apart – because that's what two overthinking friends do when they get together and discuss their ticks.

Please officially FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to the show so you get updated about new episodes. (This also helps us grow our listenership!)

Want to support these Midwestern gals on our weird Portlandian adventures?

You help us out by:
1. Rating and reviewing our show on Apple podcasts
2. Rating it on Spotify

You can also follow Midwest_AF_Podcast on Instagram.

But if not? No worries.

The latest event Liz found on a billboard is something we definitely wouldn't have found in our Midwest neighborhoods: The Horrors of Capitalism Drag Show.

Listen in to hear details about this wild and educational night put on by the Democratic Socialists of America, and how Jen somehow did not realize this was a political-leaning event until she arrived.

We can't wait for you to hear about Liz's enthusiastic drag show participation, the ACTUAL horrors capitalism the event offered us in terms of the beverage selection, and the questionable food choice Jen made on her way home.

Tune in for a dose of laughter, Midwest charm, drag fabulousness, and a special meeting with Karl Marx as Liz and Jen spill the tea on their unforgettable night at the crossroads of drag and political activism! 

Please officially FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to the show so you get updated about new episodes. (This also helps us grow our listenership!)

Want to support these Midwestern gals on our weird Portlandian adventures?

You help us out by:
1. Rating and reviewing our show on Apple podcasts
2. Rating it on Spotify

You can also follow Midwest_AF_Podcast on Instagram.

But if not? No worries.

Liz is at it again, but this time – on shrooms. Hear as she tells the story of her wild mushroom adventure, and how her alter ego "Party Liz" showed up to a pretty mild afternoon and took her experience to a whole new level. Did she make it home by the time she'd promised her wife, or did Party Liz get in the way of her motherly duties? Will she ever do mushrooms again? Where did the goose come into play? Tune in to find out!

Jen, who was not present for this experimental foraging, had a little adventure of her own this week by attending her very first ecstatic dance class. Listen to hear her recounting of this very new and very Portland experience, and all the uncomfortable moments that ensued. Did she follow the guidance of the man who suggested she, "dance until you drool"?! Why was Guy Fieri there? Will she ever go to ecstatic dance again? 

This episode is full of our "We're trying to be open minded, but we're still Midwestern AF" perspectives on these increasingly popular new age activities, and we can't wait to share it all with you.

We love the characters we've been meeting around Portland, who are quite different from the folks we're used to in our hometown of Wichita, Kansas, or even the people Liz met during her years living in Chicago. Stick around for the end where we read posts from Nextdoor to share the hilarity that's happening in each of our neighborhoods. 

Please officially FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to the show so you get updated about new episodes. (This also helps us grow our listenership!)

Want to support these Midwestern gals on our weird Portlandian adventures?

You help us out by:
1. Rating and reviewing our show on Apple podcasts
2. Rating it on Spotify

You can also follow Midwest_AF_Podcast on Instagram.

But if not? No worries.

Bodies, rats, drag queens, naked people, and Romy & Michelle: this two-wheeled adventure has it all.

In this episode, Liz and Jen recount two bicycling events they attended in Portland this summer, and all of the unique experiences they had – including a few brushes with death.

These particular adventures (and misadventures) offered many views our two Midwestern hosts would not have experienced in their Kansas hometown, particularly Portland's World Naked Bike Ride, an annual event where people ride through the City of Roses in their birthday suits.

Listen in to hear how Liz nearly got taken out by a sedan, how Jen got asked out by someone who looks like her Midwestern dad, and what got dragged out of the river. This episode is a rollercoaster of laughter and Midwestern charm, offering a unique perspective on the eccentric side of the Pacific Northwest.

Please officially FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to the show so you get updated about new episodes. (This also helps us grow our listenership!)

Want to support these Midwestern gals on our weird Portlandian adventures?

You help us out by:
1. Rating and reviewing our show on Apple podcasts
2. Rating it on Spotify

You can also follow Midwest_AF_Podcast on Instagram.

But if not? No worries.

In this episode, Liz and Jen offer their Midwestern perspectives on their Portlandian summertime happenings, which were far different than anything they experienced in Kansas. 

Listen in as Liz recaps how she expertly executed her plan to have a “Hot Portland Summer” before her son was born in July, and how Jen sometimes came along for the ride.

From breweries,  hikes, and random outdoor races to block parties featuring drag shows and real tattoos, come along with us as we recap our summer fun!

Please officially FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to the show so you get updated about new episodes. (This also helps us grow our listenership!)

Want to support these Midwestern gals on our weird Portlandian adventures?

You help us out by:
1. Rating and reviewing our show on Apple podcasts
2. Rating it on Spotify

You can also follow Midwest_AF_Podcast on Instagram.

But if not? No worries.

Hold onto your broomsticks and prepare for an enchanting story like no other! Join Liz and Jen as they recount their intriguing evening venturing into the mystical world of witch culture.

What will the two witness through their curious Midwestern eyes? Listen to the episode to meet the intriguing cast of characters, including a real-life warlock, a breathworking drag queen, summoning belly dancers, and even a photographer who transformed before their eyes, 

Hear how Jen ended up with an ongoing case of tinnitus when the two hit the dance floor and learned some sweet new dance moves alongside twerking witches and smoking jacket-wearing witchmen – and the single, surprising food item the coven decided to serve for the evening.

So grab your favorite witch's hat, a cauldron of popcorn, and get ready for a cackling good time with Jen and Liz. 

Tune in now and discover why the Witch's Ball is a party you won't want to miss next year. We'd love for you to bring your Midwestern self up to Portland so we can experience it again together!

Disclaimer: No pumpkins were harmed in the making of this episode.

Please officially FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to the show so you get updated about new episodes. (This also helps us grow our listenership!)

Want to support these Midwestern gals on our weird Portlandian adventures?

You help us out by:
1. Rating and reviewing our show on Apple podcasts
2. Rating it on Spotify

You can also follow Midwest_AF_Podcast on Instagram.

But if not? No worries.

Liz went to a sex club. That's probably all we need to say about this episode.

But also - do sex clubs exist in the Midwest? They probably do, but we certainly never heard about them. It always seemed to us like the kind of thing that only happens in New York City and Amsterdam. Yet, in this episode, Liz finds herself recounting that one time she went to a "Pickle Party" at a sex club right here in Portland, Oregon.

Listen in to hear her very detailed account of the goings on in a Portlandian sex club, and all of Jen's questions she had as a curious Midwesterner who personally chose NOT to go to a sex club that evening.

After listening to this episode, what questions did YOU have that Jen didn't ask? Would YOU go to a sex club? Send us a message on our Instagram to let us know!

Please officially FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to the show so you get updated about new episodes. (This also helps us grow our listenership!)

Want to support these Midwestern gals on our weird Portlandian adventures?

You help us out by:
1. Rating and reviewing our show on Apple podcasts
2. Rating it on Spotify

You can also follow Midwest_AF_Podcast on Instagram.

But if not? No worries.

Standup comedy is difficult enough — imagine delivering it with hallucinogens in your system. 

In this episode, Liz and Jen discuss one of their most Portlandian experiences yet: the time they went to see comedians attempt to deliver their regular comedic sets after taking magic mushrooms.

Jen found this event in the way most amazing things are found in Portland: off a flyer on a telephone pole. When she shared it with Liz, they knew they had to see this comedy gold for themselves. 

Listen in to hear our hosts’ Midwestern hearts worry for the comedians, wonder about the other audience members, and all the ways they made themselves uncomfortable so as not to disturb anyone else’s good time.

Will they ever go back to another shroomy comedy event? Would they attempt mushroom standup themselves? What’s their stance on the whole mushroom culture lauded by their Pacific Northwest friends

Tune in to hear all of this and more! 

Please officially FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to the show so you get updated about new episodes. (This also helps us grow our listenership!)

Want to support these Midwestern gals on our weird Portlandian adventures?

You help us out by:
1. Rating and reviewing our show on Apple podcasts
2. Rating it on Spotify

You can also follow Midwest_AF_Podcast on Instagram.

But if not? No worries.

In their first episode, Liz and Jen share a little bit about who they are and why they created this podcast. Then, they recount a very unique experience they had at a Portland steakhouse staple, called Acropolis Steakhouse.

Acropolis is a very unique establishment in that is was ranked as one of the best places to take your Valentine's date for a steak in 2023, but the entertainment is very different from what these two Midwestern gals might expect at a places known for its cuts of meats. 

You see, Acropolis is one of Portland's oldest "gentleman's clubs" and – of course – Liz and Jen chose to go to this happening spot for lunch on a Monday afternoon. 

Listen in to hear how their Kansas sensibilities impacted their experience, what the gals ordered for lunch, and all the observations and shenanigans that ensued during this unique steakhouse experience. 

Please officially FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to the show so you get updated about new episodes. (This also helps us grow our listenership!)

Want to support these Midwestern gals on our weird Portlandian adventures?

You help us out by:
1. Rating and reviewing our show on Apple podcasts
2. Rating it on Spotify

You can also follow Midwest_AF_Podcast on Instagram.

But if not? No worries.