The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl [Hardcover]

Ree Drummond (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 27, 2009

My name is Ree. Some folks know me as "The Pioneer Woman."

After years of living in Los Angeles, I made a pit stop in my hometown in Oklahoma on the way to a new, exciting life in Chicago. It was during my stay at home that I met Marlboro Man, a mysterious cowboy with steely blue eyes and a muscular, work-honed body. A strict vegetarian, I fell hard and fast, and before I knew it we were married and living on his ranch in the middle of nowhere, taking care of animals, and managing a brood of four young children. I had no idea how I'd wound up there, but I knew it was exactly where I belonged.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks is a homespun collection of photography, rural stories, and scrumptious recipes that have defined my experience in the country. I share many of the delicious cowboy-tested recipes I've learned to make during my years as an accidental ranch wife—including Rib-Eye Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce, Lasagna, Fried Chicken, Patsy's Blackberry Cobbler, and Cinnamon Rolls—not to mention several "cowgirl-friendly" dishes, such as Sherried Tomato Soup, Olive Cheese Bread, and CrÈme BrÛlÉe. I show my recipes in full color, step-by-step detail, so it's as easy as pie to follow along.

You'll also find colorful images of rural life: cows, horses, country kids, and plenty of chaps-wearing cowboys.

I hope you get a kick out of this book of mine. I hope it makes you smile. I hope the recipes bring you recognition, accolades, and marriage proposals. And I hope it encourages even the most harried urban cook to slow down, relish the joys of family, nature, and great food, and enjoy life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Blogger-turned-author Drummond gives readers a slice of frontier life in this likeable-enough collection of recipes and dispatches from the Oklahoma ranch she shares with her husband and children. Replicating the step-by-step photography that made her blog such a hit, Drummond walks readers through dishes ranging from simple-Guacamole, Chili, Artichoke Dip-to more complex, such as from-scratch Cinnamon Rolls and Sherried Tomato Soup. Drummond's careful coaching will help anyone intimidated by the kitchen fearlessly crank out favorites like Chicken Fried Steak, Meat Loaf and Rib Eye Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce. While the recipes are reliable home cooking standards, relentless references to her husband, known as the Marlboro Man, range from distracting to juvenile, giving what could have been a comfort food classic the feel of a junior-high class project.
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Review

#1 New York Times Bestseller (New York Times)

#1 Denver Post Bestseller (Denver Post)

#5 Wall Street Journal Bestseller (Wall Street Journal)

#6 Publishers Weekly Bestseller (Publishers Weekly)

#7 Washington Post Bestseller (Washington Post)

#9 Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association Bestseller (MPIBA)

#29 USA Today Bestseller (USA Today)

an Amazon Customer Favorite Cookbook (Amazon.com)

“[Ree Drummond is] funny, enthusiastic and self-deprecating, making the book appeal to pavement-pounders and pioneer types alike [with] recipes like steak with whiskey cream sauce, leek and potato pizza and pico de gallo. As a portrait of a real American family kitchen, it works.” (New York Times)

“Drummond invites fans into her world with irresistible recipes and photos…. Here’s a mom of four who can turn out a Perfect Pot Roast and make feasts for girlfriends that start with sangria and finish with crème brûlée. It’s sweet and seductive: You’ll want to plunge right in.” (People)

“Jokey and irresistible. Drummond’s…appreciation for something as simple as well-made pico de gallo is infectious. Such attentiveness to basic cooking skills makes the book entertaining and useful.” (New York Times Gift Guide)

“Who needs Julia Child? I’ve got Pioneer Woman.” (Baltimore Sun)

“Drummond’s writing style is closer to a good friend dishing out advice than an expert telling people want to do.” (Denver Daily News)

“[Ree Drummond] whips up mouthwatering meals with easy-to-find ingredients (she’s miles away from restaurants and supermarkets) and shares what living in a not-so-little house on the prairie is really all about. ” (People)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks; Later Printing edition (October 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061658197
• ISBN-13: 978-0061658198
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.9 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,051 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > U.S. Regional

More About the Author

"I'm a desperate housewife. I live in the country. I channel Lucille Ball, Sylvia Plath, and Ethel Merman. Welcome to my frontier!"

My name is Ree. I'm also known as The Pioneer Woman on my website, ThePioneerWoman.com.

Years ago, after living and working there for several years, I left the great city of Los Angeles . Fleeing a dead-end relationship with a surfer, I planned a much-needed pit stop in my Oklahoma hometown before beginning my new life in Chicago. While home, I met and unexpectedly fell in love with a Wrangler-wearing cowboy whose icy-blue eyes made me forget myself. Before I knew it, I'd canceled my Chicago plans, married the cowboy, and was bearing his children and chasing cows off my porch on his cattle ranch in the middle of nowhere.

Four children and thirteen years later, I still don't know what I'm doing here.

But I do know this: I'm exactly where I belong.

A former vegetarian and food-lover, it was a rude awakening to find out that cowboys don't eat seaweed. They don't eat salads unless they're piled high with ranch dressing, and they certainly wouldn't consider spicy Thai food the height of culinary bliss. They eat meat, lots of meat, with an occasional potato thrown in for balanced nutrition. I stood in my country kitchen and cried, mourning the beautiful things I used to eat. I stared at potatoes with disdain.

Then I picked myself up off the figurative floor, dusted off my apron, and figured if I couldn't beat 'em...I'd join 'em. I jumped right in, teaching myself to cook cowboy-friendly meals. Occasionally, I'd throw in some fresh basil to bring a little of my old life in. I'm still cooking today, and I love it more and more all the time.

Unless the family requests fried calf nuts, and then I start crying all over again.

One morning in 2006, my husband took all four of our small children to work cattle. In my pajamas, I wandered to the computer and started a blog, "Confessions of a Pioneer Woman." What started as a place to post the occasional photo or two quickly became a catch-all for rural stories, bizarre poetry, photography tips, and eventually, my step-by-step pictorial recipes. Now, nearly four years later, ThePioneerWoman.com is still going strong. I love sharing my crazy, silly life with the folks who stop by my site...and I love interacting with them. They're the best people on the internet.

My cookbook, "The Pioneer Woman Cooks", is a natural extension of the cooking section of my website. Using only simple and widely-available ingredients, I share my favorite, classic recipes from my website---along with a good crop of new dishes. I hope you enjoy it. It's homespun, homemade, and very stream-of-consciousness. It's me.

Thanks for stopping by!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

311 of 321 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I was expecting less..... December 8, 2009

By Stephanie M. Campbell

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

After reading SO SO many 5 star reviews and then the few sprinkled here and there that were less than stellar, I was expecting this cookbook not to wow me. I thought the 5 star reviews were from fans that would love anything PW put out, no matter what it was, and that the people who were not impressed were probably the ones who had their feet on the ground about the book. But uh.....I LOVE the book. It's beautiful, in full color (I must admit I hate cookbooks without pictures), and EVERY recipe has pictures--lots of them. I am a lover of real food: butter, meat, fruit, veggies, all the food God made in the state in which He made them. This cookbook allows me to use almost every recipe without alterations.

I know one complaint from some people was that most of these recipes are already on her blog. Maybe this is true, but as the mother of 6 small children, I simply don't have time to surf pages of recipes. I need them in book form, in my face, on my counter. A few of these recipes look familiar, but I've not been able to go through all the recipes on her site. And you know, even if I had been able to, it's nice to not have to get online to find a recipe. So if all the recipes in the book are on her blog, I am not irritated with Ree, I am *thankful* to her for providing such a wonderful resource for *free* all this time, and now I'm thankful I get to have all those wonderful recipes right in my hand.

193 of 214 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars step-by-step picture recipes October 28, 2009

By Alla S. VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

In "The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl," Ree Drummond provides step by step recipes in categories like Starters (appetizers), In the Morning (breakfast), Dinner (lunch), Supper (dinner), and Sweets (dessert). There are also bonus sections like Sunday Dinner and Cowboy Dinner Party.

The book is full of colorful photographs, and starts off with an introduction where Drummond tells her story of becoming a country girl and learning southern cooking. Having graduated from a college in L.A., she goes back home with plans to fly to Chicago and start law school. However, her plans are disturbed when she meets Marlboro Man--the character to become her husband and a true cowboy--in an eatery one day. From then on, it's marriage, four kids, country life, and a long immersion into southern cooking. Throughout the recipes, Drummond includes pictures of her family and her country life.

The recipes themselves are delicious: roasted corn salad, morning cinnamon rolls, sour cream pancakes, buttermilk biscuits, onion rings, meatloaf, fried chicken, spicy pulled pork, flat apple pie, chocolate sheet cake, blackberry cobbler, and etc. Those familiar with Drummond's blog--which she briefly mentions in the book--may have known Ree's kitchen style, but for me it was a discovery. I was especially impressed by the fact that for each recipe, Drummond actually provides pictures of each step to supplement the text. As a beginning cook, I found this very helpful.

Initially, I was attracted to this book because of its cover, but I found the contents are equally as good. Recommended for anybody who wants to expand their cooking knowledge or simply loves southern cuisine.

174 of 194 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My new favorite cookbook! October 28, 2009

By Brey

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Being a new wife who had NO idea how to cook, I started searching the internet endlessly looking for recipes that I could actually serve to my picky, meat and potatos eatin' husband. I came across Ree's blog about a year and a half ago, and have been a daily reader since. She has made cooking fun for me, and not just a chore like I used to think of it. Her charm makes it seem like you're cooking (or in my case, learning to cook) with a friend, rather than just reading a boring description of a recipe. I quickly saw the advantages of the step by step photos that Ree uses on her blog, and also in this cookbook. In most of my cooking expierences, I would always wonder "is this how it's supposed to look?!" or "am I doing this right?". The step by step pictures have eliminated that worry for me. It's wonderful to feel somewhat competent in the kitchen now, and that's all thanks to Ree. I know that if I make one of Ree's recipes, it's guaranteed to be a success.
I think the best part of this cookbook is that the recipes are geared towards the home cook. I often buy cookbooks and usually there are only a handful of recipes that I would even try to serve to my family. With this book, I could see myself serving every one. And of course, they are delicious - and that's really the most important part.