Ree Drummond was raised in suburban America. Before she met her cowboy husband, she had never been near a ranch. A graduate of the University of Southern California, Ree was a devoted urbanite and gourmet foodie. Then she met and married Marlboro Man (as she refers to her husband) and learned to cook the comfort food which is central to ranch life. After her fourth child was born, she started blogging about her experiences on the ranch with a particular focus on cooking.
Ree's cookbook based on her blog, The Pioneer Woman is aptly titled, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From an Accidental Country Girl (William Morrow, 2009) and focuses on simple, easy-to-follow recipes for comfort food.
The book is gorgeously illustrated with the author’s photographs of ranch life, cowboys, cattle, horses and kids. In addition, each recipe is accompanied by numerous photographs which provide step-by-step illustrations on how to prepare each dish.
The book is broken down into five categories: starters (appetizers), in the morning (breakfast), lunch (dinner), supper (dinner) and desserts. Each recipe is introduced with background on its history in Ree’s life and many also include Ree’s trademark humor. For example, in the recipe for Prune Cake, Ree instructs the cook to spread the icing quickly, “then please, do yourself a favor: lick the spatula. It’ll make you smile.”
Starters (appetizers)
The appetizer section is the smallest in the book but includes outstanding recipes for Pico de Gallo salsa, Guacamole, Potato Skins and Artichoke Dip. For anyone who has been mystified by the intricacies of making guacamole, Ree’s step by step photographic illustrations are a must.
In the Morning (breakfast)
As might be expected, breakfast on the ranch is serious business. Pioneer Woman Cooks includes numerous egg recipes (Egg-in-the-Hole, Breakfast Burritos, Migas), but there are some sweet treats like Cinnamon Rolls, French Breakfast Puffs and Maple Pecan Scones. The recipe for Sour Cream Pancakes is outstanding. The pancakes develop nice crunchy edges and have a savory flavor which perfectly complements maple syrup.
Dinner (lunch)
Dinner on the ranch translates as lunch for the non-ranching (or farming) population. Dinner tends to be heavier than what most Americans consider lunch-time fare. The recipe for Chicken Spaghetti is an excellent basic casserole. Consisting of broken up spaghetti pasta, cooked chicken, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, onion, green pepper, cheddar cheese and spices, the result is light and flavorful. Unlike many casseroles, this one has a creamy texture.
Other standouts in the lunch category include Chili, steak sandwiches, Spicy Pulled Pork, Macaroni and Cheese and Cowboy Calzone. Her recipe for Beans and Cornbread is very basic, but the results are soul-satisfying nonetheless.
Supper (dinner)
The supper recipes include Chicken Fried Steak, Fried Chicken, Comfort Meatballs, Enchiladas, Rib-Eye Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce and Beef Tenderloin.
Desserts
The standout in the dessert recipes is the Chocolate Sheet Cake. The first clue regarding the decadent nature of the cake is that it takes almost a full pound of butter between the cake and frosting. The cake is ridiculously easy to make and uses only a few basic ingredients. As Ree explains for, “Pioneer Women who live out in the country and nowhere near Dutch-processed cocoa, Madagascar vanilla extract, or crème fraiche,” recipes with simple ingredients are a must. The cake is easy to assemble as the frosting is prepared on the stove top and poured (warm) over the still warm cake. The resulting cake is not fancy or elegant but it is quite delicious.
Other desserts include Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (in an iron skillet), Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce, Red Velvet Cake and Angel Sugar Cookies.
Ree Drummond isn’t concerned with politically correct eating, counting carbs or low fat. She’s all about tasty, filling comfort food suitable for feeding hard-working cowboys. While most of the recipes may be too rich for everyday eating, many are worth making as a wonderful and occasional indulgence.
About the Author
Ree Drummond lives on a ranch in Oklahoma with her cowboy husband and four children. She regularly blogs about ranch life, homeschooling her kids and cooking. Her blog also includes the wonderfully entertaining story detailing her romance with her rancher husband.
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