Book Review:The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond

Book Description:

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.

My thoughts:
I came across The Pioneer Woman's blog when I was blog browsing one day. While looking through her posts I came across the recipe for The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake and was hooked. It looked great and doable, plus I recognized all the ingredients! No, I haven't made it, since cooking isn't first on my list (I have books to read!). The Pioneer Woman makes cooking look enjoyable, understandable and extremely humorous. I repeat--extremely humorous!! The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond is a beautiful cookbook. There are pictures for every step of the recipes, plus pictures interspersed throughout of her family and her ranch. I borrowed this from the library, but hopefully I will add it to my little shrinky dink pile of cookbooks. Even if I never cook a recipe from it, I can pull it down and have a good laugh! Check out her cookbook and her blog.