The Pioneer Woman Cooks—Dinnertime

February 1, 2016
The indomitable blogger's ninth cookbook offers what has become her signature blend of folksy humor and easy recipes. This volume is aimed squarely at home cooks looking to get dinner on the table: "Not a cocktail hour I'm hosting on the fifth of never. But dinner. Tonight. Tonight, tonight, tonight!" A chapter on 16-minute meals promises to accomplish this task fast with supremely simple recipes such as pan-fried pork chops and veggie stir-fry. Those who plan ahead will delight in the sizable "Freezer Food" chapter, with family-friendly basics like ready-to-go beef taco filling and individual chicken pot pies. The "Breakfast for Dinner" chapter makes a harried weeknight fun with recipes such as Greek yogurt pancakes and croissant French toast. And the "Pasta Pronto" chapter presents a few of the dishes Drummond relies on to please her own busy family, such as Cajun chicken pasta. Visual learners will appreciate the full-color step-by-step shots that accompany each recipe, and anyone yearning for country life will adore the images of Drummond's gorgeous ranch. The recipes aren't going to win any accolades for innovation, but that's hardly the point. Just like the stories she shares on her Pioneer Woman blog, the recipes in Drummond's latest book are exactly what her readers want: simple, honest and true to life.

November 2, 2009
Blogger-turned-author Drummond gives readers a slice of frontier life in this likeable-enough collection of recipes and dispatches from the Oklahoma ranch she shares with her husband and children. Replicating the step-by-step photography that made her blog such a hit, Drummond walks readers through dishes ranging from simple-Guacamole, Chili, Artichoke Dip-to more complex, such as from-scratch Cinnamon Rolls and Sherried Tomato Soup. Drummond's careful coaching will help anyone intimidated by the kitchen fearlessly crank out favorites like Chicken Fried Steak, Meat Loaf and Rib Eye Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce. While the recipes are reliable home cooking standards, relentless references to her husband, known as the Marlboro Man, range from distracting to juvenile, giving what could have been a comfort food classic the feel of a junior-high class project.