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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.
Ree Drummond began blogging in 2006 and has built an award-winning website, where she shares recipes, showcases her photography, and documents her hilarious transition from city life to ranch wife. She is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling books Charlie the Ranch Dog; The Pioneer Woman Cooks; The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier; and The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays; as well as Charlie and the Christmas Kitty, Charlie Goes to School, Charlie and the New Baby, and Charlie's I Can Read adventures. Ree lives on a working cattle ranch near Pawhuska, Oklahoma, with her husband, Ladd; their four kids; Charlie; and lots of other animals.
Anonymous
Posted Sat May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2010
This is my new favorite cookbook, I love the step by step photos, the personal added touch, the food is good and fun to fix, I dont like to read a recipe or instructions for that matter just give me some illustrations. This book is great for new cooks. I love that you can go to the regular grocery store and buy the food she uses, you don't have to go to a special store for a special ingrediant, that is my pet peve. You can get most of these recipes off of her website, however I would much rather have the book in hand in my kitchen ready for use.
18 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Nov 10 00:00:00 EST 2009
Having been an avid follower of The Pioneer Woman blog I was very excited for her to release a cookbook. While I expected that some of the recipes would be carried over from her blog, I didn't expect that most of the cookbook contains recipes from her site. I also didn't expect that the "cookbook" would contain so many pages of her family, ranch, and animals. I felt that those pages would have been better supported with NEW recipes. It's too bad really, she could have really done something great instead of something just okay. I'm returning my copy today, it really was a let down.
17 out of 35 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Oct 29 00:00:00 EDT 2009
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I am so happy to finally get my book. I also got one for my mom as a gift. I have made a lot of Ree's recipes from her website and absolutely love them. I made her olive cheese bread for my family and I don't think it lasted 15 mins. I would definitely recommend this book. If you like comfort food than you will love these recipes. Also the photos are amazing. Check out the website @ www.pioneerwoman.com and make some of her recipes and you will be hooked like me.
12 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Nov 30 00:00:00 EST 2009
Meh.
There is nothing new, interesting, or spectacular about this book. Pot roast? Done. Red velvet cake? Done. Potato Skins? Breakfast burritos? Guacamole? Done. I wish these bloggers who are looking to be published would come up with something to pique our interest besides their versions of the tried and true. The photos are lovely though.
This is a book that might please the beginner home cook.
11 out of 26 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Oct 31 00:00:00 EDT 2009
The stories in this book and Ree's recipe instructions make you feel like you are cooking with your best buddy. I stayed awake until 2 in the morning reading every page. She makes me want to add jalapenos to my shopping list to make BBQ Jalapeno Poppers - and I HATE peppers! Her love of family, friends, kids, livestock and of course Marlboro Man shines through every page. I love that she took all the pictures included in the recipes and included pictures of her dirty dishes and messy kitchen. Ree Drummond is an amazing woman and I want to hang out at her house.
9 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.My neighbor told me about Pioneer Woman and I checked out her fabulous website full of great recipes and so when her book appeared on B&N's new releases I immediately ordered it. Ree Drummond is delightfully expressive and sincere about her love for her family and cooking. The sweet stories she shares throughout this book just add to the "girl next door" level of comfort I feel toward her. The best part about her recipes is that they actually do have easy to find ingredients or items that are likely already in your pantry or cupboards. When you live in the Interior of Alaska, 2 hours from a small city, this is a big deal! I've purchased way too many cookbooks that claim they call for easy to find ingredients only to discover they don't! Pioneer Woman won't let you down-real basic stuff used to create delicious, repeat recipes that your "man" and kids will enjoy. I love them too. Her Chocolate sheet cake is by far the best recipe for sheet cake in the world and her meatloaf rocks! Buy this book only if you like easy to make recipes that don't involve complicated, hard to find ingredients! This is now my fave cookbook by far!
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Oct 29 00:00:00 EDT 2009
I just received this cookbook! I can't put it down! I've been an avid cookbook hound for 30 years. I read them like other people read novels! This tops them all. I loved the humor of Nigella & the Barefoot Cantessa, but Ree has them beat in humor, real life, photography, & the recipes are to DIE FOR!!!!!!!!
I found Ree's blog / website in August and I'm addicted! Her recipes are delicious! Never do we see step by step photo of a recipe ! It is amazing ! The best photography as well.
I'm a farm girl who turned city girl(LA), so I relate to that aspect, as well!
I just bought 6 more for all the family / friends to see, too!
Keep them coming, Ree!
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I am a avid fan of Pioneer Woman and her website! I have already printed most of her recipes and created many a scrumptious meal for my family of six. I am thrilled to have my grubby momma hands on her first cookbook this October. My plan is to buy one for every family member. Maybe then they will believe my ramblings about all of the goodies made by www.thepioneerwoman.com
Amazing is the only word I can think of, she rocks.
Thanks Ree!!
Tanya
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2010
The first weekend we had the book we made cinnamon rolls (from SCRATCH!) in the morning, the potato skins for lunch and soaked some chicken in buttermilk that night. A lady at work thought the cinnamon rolls were store bought, I took it as a complement. On Sunday we fried up the chicken and made a chocolate sheet cake (from SCRATCH!). We shared our goodies with friends and family and any response we got was two thumbs up and drooling for more! Lots of pictures and step by step instructions make the recipes easy to follow. This lady is funny and you'll get more than a laugh or two as you read along. Now if you'll excuse me, we're gonna go make an "egg in the hole"! Looks Yummy! P.S. This is not a diet cookbook, this is some good food that'll stick to your ribs.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.If you've followed her blog as I have, you'll be pleased to find that author Ree Drummond sticks to her singular writing style and butter-laden recipes. I'm glad. It's been working for her. In The Pioneer Woman Cooks, her cookbook slash photographic memoir, Ree brings to life the story of her city upbringing with her farm woman reality, currently wrangling four kids and a husband on a working cattle ranch in Oklahoma. Mesmerizing photographs of family members, get-togethers and muddy farm work blend well with humorous anecdotes - and serve to show you why her family is so hungry!
Cute, ranch-laden, photo-intense asides with amusing anecdotes leave you longing for a house on the prairie in a way that 'Little House on the Prairie' episodes never did. Miss Mustang International, my favorite of these sections, showcases the farm's haughtiest mares, snobby and cool as horses can be, deadlocked in imaginary pageantry.
What apparently didn't work was the step-by-step visual instructions Ree compiles for each recipe. Drummond's gorgeous pix can be viewed on her website, and it's this stunning photography that leaves viewers drooling for more. Normally. In this publication, however, her photos fall flat. Whether an error in photo correction or on press, it's a sad reality that the green tint of the tutorial pictures makes the food less than appetizing. (Let's flag this for correction on the second printing, Harper Collins. You're far too professional for this type of error. Unless it's just my copy. Hmm.)
Now I bought the book despite its meat-centered mains partly to support a fellow blogger, but mostly because Drummond's recipes can be counted upon to work. This is turning out to be a rare feat in cookbookery. For obvious reasons, I won't comment on the chicken-fried steak or meatloaf recipes, sticking instead to ones I've already tried.
PW's Creamy Mashed Potatoes: killer Thanksgiving staple.
Maple Pecan Scones: get this, already made them three times.
Cinnamon Rolls: yum.
Migas: delectable, eggy nachos. I know, right?
Egg in the Hole: something I've made before, but the extra butter does make it better. Like two days in row better.
And I've only had the book for two weeks. In short, Drummond's pithy writing style and remarkable large-scale photography make this book almost as much a coffee table item as a kitchen resource. If you like having cookbooks you can rely on with unfussy authors you'd ask over for lunch, pick up The Pioneer Woman Cooks. You won't be disappointed, especially if you like butter as much as I do.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010
I just love this cookbook. I love to collect recipes and cookbooks. Although I am not very handy in the kitchen, I love to try. Sometimes the recipe bombs, and then something will turn out really great. This book is really helpful, as it gives step by step instructions, as well as photos. Some recipes can be confusing, so having these pictures to show how something should look at each step is extremley helpful. Ree's stories are so enternianing. Her photos of her family and home are really beautiful. I have her pound cake in the oven as I write this. It will be done in just a few minutes, and I can't wait to try it. I have already made the chicken spaghetti. It was delicious. Can't wait to try more of the recipes in this book, and look forward to her next cookbook.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Nov 03 00:00:00 EST 2009
The recipes are hearty, flavorful, and easy to follow. I love the illustrations and commentary. Ree is hilarious, and if you haven't visited her website you definitely should. I took this book to work and suddenly there was a group crowded around practically drooling over the recipes. I would only say this isn't low-fat fare, so if that's what you're in to then steer clear.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Nov 03 00:00:00 EST 2009
This is one of the best cookbooks I have ever bought. I have been following her website for some time now, and was really excited about this book. She did not disappoint!
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Dec 05 00:00:00 EST 2011
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Good cook book!! Step by step photos were great. Loved it!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Oct 26 00:00:00 EDT 2010
Full of wonderful yummy dishes.... I love it the best cookbook I ever bought !!!!!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010
Love the pioneer lady online and this book is just a breath of fresh air. Fun to read and great insight to the family behind the food. Loved it so much myself that I gave a copy to my mom for Mothers Day
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010
I first found Ree after reading her blog and trying some of her recipes from there. My husband and kids LOVED the food I prepared. When I got the cookbook, I was NOT disappointed. There are step by step photos for each direction in the recipe. The pictures are amazing, and there's just enough personal info about her and her life on the ranch to keep you interested! I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who likes to cook. If there was anything negative about it, it was that I would have loved MORE recipes! I hope she does another cookbook...I'll certainly buy it!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Nov 06 00:00:00 EST 2009
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This cookbook is absolutely fabulous. I love the insight and background into her life as a country gal while providing us with recipes that are delicious. I love the pictures which is in true PW fashion. Thank you to Ree!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Oct 14 00:00:00 EDT 2009
Ree Drummond is the real thing . . . I've been following her Pioneer Woman site and making some of her recipes for more than two years, and she's never let me down. Ree's photography is a masterpiece unto itself, too. I'm giving this cookbook to several of those near and dear to me this Christmas.
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Oct 12 00:00:00 EDT 2009
I had a chance to review a copy of it this weekend at a meeting in Osage County, Oklahoma. It's amazing. It reads like a story with wonderful recipes in between. I want to know if I can buy in bulk because everyone I know will be getting a copy of it for Christmas.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
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,...