Ree Drummond's Cookbook is here!

It’s not fair that this young woman can cook this sort of food and still look like that.

This weekend, I had a houseful over, and I decided -since the brother-in-law who never eats beef was not scheduled to attend- that I would break with the constant pasta-and-poultry routine around here (okay, I did make two pounds of penne ala vodka for the second course) I would make Ree’s Rib Eye, Onions and Bleu Cheese recipe. Aside from being lip-smacking delish, being able to cook the main entree on the grill freed up some oven space. And we would get a break from chicken, even if it cost a bit more. Hey, a celebration, after all!

As it turned out, the BIL who never eats beef did show up, just as the entree was being served. And he looked at the beautifully grilled steaks, smothered in the sauteed onions, and got a whiff of the bleu cheese, and he said, “oh…I eat steak sometimes.”

He ate steak twice that night; he kept sniffing at the platter which held a few extras, saying, “no, no…I shouldn’t” until I convinced him to take the smallest one. Served with carrots, creamed spinach (Ree’s) stuffed artichokes, broccoli with garlic, Eggplant Parmesan and I can’t even remember what else, the steak was a huge hit.

And just now the UPS guy dropped off the 3 copies of The Pioneer Woman Cooks, Ree Drummond’s terrific-looking cookbook (two are meant as gifts) and good heavens! It’s gorgeous – full of great recipes, charming commentary and those step-by-step photos that I have come to love! Ree also adds pics of her adorable kids, and their life on a working farm. All I know is I have got to make Marlboro Man’s Favorite Sandwich for my husband this weekend! And then the Penne ala Betsy. Got to try that.

Good grief! This is a charmer of a book, full of terrific recipes that you will slobber over as you read. I’m ordering a few more, as Christmas gifts!

Intrusive Government/FTC Disclosure: Ree Drummond does not know me from Adam and does not compensate me in any way, shape or form when I plug her site or her cookbook. The only thing I get from doing so is pleasure in sharing these recipes and broader hips. However, if you buy this book (or mostly anything) from Amazon.com via this site, your purchase will generate a small kickback which makes me insanely, immorally rich. I spend a large portion of each day rolling around on stacks of greenbacks, like a filthy capitalist pig, because of this blog! :-)