The Pioneer Woman's Final Frontier
By NATALIE MIKLES World Scene Writer - 10/27/2009
On Tuesday, Ree Drummond will begin a 19-city book tour for "The Pioneer Woman Cooks." But before she saddled up, she invited us to her ranch.
For those unfamiliar with her, Drummond is the accidental country girl and face of the Pioneer Woman, her blog that gets about 13 million page views a month.
Raised in Oklahoma, Drummond moved to Los Angeles for college, expecting never to return. But on a visit home for the holidays, she met Ladd Drummond, known to her blog readers as the "Marlboro Man," a fourth-generation cattle rancher who would soon become her husband.
Now she lives on a remote ranch north of Pawhuska where she cooks hearty meals for cowboys and home-schools her four children.
Cows come home
As we drove down a narrow and seemingly never-ending road, leaving a trail of kicked-up gravel, we followed Drummond's directions to "turn at the first road you see." This road, as she told us, would not have a sign, as it had been knocked down by a cow.
That's no doubt true, because along the way to the family's lodge, the only traffic stop was a group of three slow-as-molasses cows crossing the road to the next pasture.
The cows, the horses, the fried chicken — it's all part of the life of the Pioneer Woman, and it's all in the book.
Drummond wanted the book, like the blog, to be a representation of her life, and she was sure she had captured it, except for the cover.
Her publishing company secured a sought-after photographer to come to the ranch to shoot the cover. The result was beautiful, but just not the Pioneer Woman.
"I had on this pink, ruffly blouse, looking ethereal, posed with a rolling pin," she said. Something wasn't right.
Days later, Drummond, her Marlboro Man and the kids loaded up for their own photo shoot. She set up a tripod, and her husband shot what turned out to be the book's cover.
"I love it because we're all there," she
said. "You can see my kids, and I know
my husband is behind the camera."
What's for dinner?
Last week, Drummond held a copy of her book, published by William Morrow, for the first time. Two years in the making, the book was a major accomplishment. But to her kids, not so much.
One of her sons said: "Is this a real book?" They couldn't imagine anyone would want to read about their mom and her cooking.
"They're indifferent about it," she said. "They just want to know what's for dinner."
And really, that's what her readers want to know, too. The cooking portion of her blog is the most popular, with followers popping on every day to see what's cooking. And whether it's pan-fried pork chops or chocolate truffles with sea salt, her readers gobble it up.
In the book, Drummond has cowboy staples such as chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes but also "cowgirl food," including sherried tomato soup and potato-leek pizza.
She's already at work on a second book, which may be holiday-themed. And although Drummond will be on her tour through mid-December, she wouldn't miss the cooking extravaganza that is Thanksgiving for anything.
"Oh, I'll be here — cooking and washing dishes," she said.
Being on tour isn't going to stop her from letting readers know what she's doing. She has a few recipes stockpiled, but she'll also be posting about the tour. Her children, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and husband will be with her on different legs of her travels.
Not all of the Pioneer Woman’s food is cowboy food. Some she reserves for the cowgirls in her life. This tomato soup, adapted from “The Pioneer Woman Cooks,” is one of them.
SHERRIED TOMATO SOUP Makes 8 servings
1 medium white or yellow onion
6 tablespoons butter
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (46-ounce) bottle or can tomato juice
3 to 6 tablespoons sugar
1 or 2 tablespoons chicken base or 3 chicken bouillon cubes
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sherry (optional)
1½ cups heavy cream
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup chopped basil
1. Dice the onion.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven. Throw in the onion and cook until translucent. Now dump in the diced tomatoes, and stir to combine. Add the tomato juice.
3. Next — and this is important in order to combat the acidity of the tomatoes — add 3 to 6 tablespoons sugar. Now, you’ll want to start on the low side, then taste and add more as needed. Some tomatoes and juice have more of an acidic bite than others. Next, add 1 to 2 tablespoons chicken base to the pot. Now you can add lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine, then heat almost to a boil. Then turn off the heat.
4. Add the sherry and heavy cream. Stir it together.
5. Now chop up a handful of flat-leaf parsley. Next, chop up a few leaves of fresh basil. Now go ahead and throw in the parsley and the basil, and stir together.
6. Keep the soup warm, and serve it on a cold day to people you love.
MEET THE PIONEER WOMAN
Sponsored by Book Smart Tulsa
When: 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday; doors open at 6 p.m. — parking and seating are limited
Where: Tulsa Historical Society, 2445 S. Peoria Ave.
Admission: Free; books cost $27.50
Natalie Mikles 581-8486
natalie.mikles@tulsaworld.com
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Tulsa World Reader Comments
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Brad, Tulsa (10/26/2009 12:00:24 PM)
Hmmmm... this sounds pretty good. I'll have to take a look.....
Milo, PoDunk (10/26/2009 4:32:40 PM)
I wonder why not? Very nice blog...read 'from black heels to tractor wheels'. How about thepioneerwoman plus a dot com?
Milo, PoDunk (10/26/2009 4:33:31 PM)
Very good recipes in her book and on her site... Neat lady!!
pokes06, NE Oklahoma (10/26/2009 12:18:38 PM)
love Pioneer Woman.....she has delicious recipes.
pokes06, NE Oklahoma (10/26/2009 3:53:13 PM)
WideAwake, she started off as a blogger. I keep trying to post her blogspot but the TW won't let me....
lucky girl, mine (10/27/2009 10:12:36 AM)
This is great...you go girl!
SailorMoon xRRx, Tulsa (10/26/2009 4:52:26 PM)
Awesome! I've been following Ree's site for a long time now, and I love her recipes...GO REE! XD
shaw411, Scottsdale, AZ (10/26/2009 11:56:42 AM)
This should be a good seller......
Elusive, the burbs (10/28/2009 1:40:26 AM)
I saw her on T.V. I will have to check out the cookbook. Best of Luck Ree, hope it's a huge success for you.
2ndjoyce, BA (10/27/2009 12:57:27 PM)
I've been following Ree since the TW introduced her a few months ago. I love her humor and have really learned a lot from her photography tips. And... I never wanted cowboy boots til I saw Ree's. They're on my Christmas list this year along with this cookbook.
Arbythree, Tulsa (10/27/2009 9:54:48 AM)
Great lady and family!
lostinOK, (10/26/2009 12:08:52 PM)
Pioneer woman YOU ROCK!
cosmo, TULSA (10/27/2009 12:21:21 PM)
Glad to see this happening for her...love her pioneer woman cook's blog.
twinkie, (10/26/2009 3:07:42 PM)
WideAwake, she was on the Bonnie Hunt Show today.
WideAwake, (10/26/2009 12:42:45 PM)
Never heard of her and I'm a foodie. Has she ever been on TV?
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