The Pioneer Woman and Me

This is going to be a total advertisement for the Pioneer Woman.  If you haven't heard of her, I encourage you to check her out.  She started out as a blogger.  She lives on a ranch, likes to cook and homeschools her four children.  We have two things in common.  I love ranches and we homeschool.  The cooking not so much.

But, about a month ago, probably more, a good friend made my hubby some really great ranch dressing (she knows he loves ranch dressing.)  The recipe just happened to be out of The Pioneer Woman's latest cookbook.  I had asked to borrow it so I could check out the recipe.  Then I started to read it and fell in love with her, her life and her food.  She cooks real food.  I like to call it "meat and potatoes."  The kind of food my family is use to.  And her story is pretty good too!

So, for Christmas, I got her first cookbook as a gift and for the second time in my life, I sat down and read a cookbook.  The recipes were great.  And doable!  I loved the step by step directions and her pictures that went along with the recipes.  I picked out a few I wanted to try before we went back to school.  My plan was to make my birthday dinner along with her fabulous sounding Coffee Cream Cake.

Between the time I got my cookbook and my birthday, a friend got up with me about cooking through the cookbook together.  I thought that was a great idea!  There are over 100 recipes so that means about 2 a week.  I got to choose the first two because I had already picked out some recipes to do for a birthday dinner.  Ranch Chicken, Roasted Cauliflower and the Coffee Cream Cake for dessert.

Honestly, I spent most of the day, this past Tuesday, in the kitchen.  It was really kind of fun.  It isn't something I could do just any day though.  I just don't have that much time to prepare a meal.  Not that it was difficult, just a little more time consuming them my normal crock pot meals!

But, the end result was fabulous.  Even the kids liked the dinner.  The cake was rich and really all you needed was a sliver.

Of course, my pictures don't do the food justice.  It really tastes a whole lot better than the pictures show.  But, I had to memorialize the event.  Expect more pictures of food in the future.

Hubby had to do the grilling.

The bread crumbs and butter will be used on other veggies as well.

I need to work on plate presentation.

The recipe said drizzle on the icing.  Now I know why.  If you pour it on, it runs off the sides quicker than it has time to set.  Lesson learned!  (I made notes in my cookbook on post it notes so I wouldn't make the same mistake twice.)

I do not have a cake knife.  And, I have noticed, a lot of other tools necessary to cook/bake.  And, unfortunately, I figure it out too late in the game.  I am making a list of cooking/baking utensils that I will be needing to complete our adventure!

Anyway, I am very excited to cook through the book with my friend!  It is going to be a great and unique experience for me.  And along the way, the family and I will get to eat some really great meals . . .