The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond (2009, Hardcover)

This cookbook is beautifully presented. In addition, it has such personality! Not the descriptive word you normally associate with a cookbook, I know. Okay, the recipes are great basic down home, cowboy-friendly, rich-in-family heritage recipes with wonderful 1,2,3 detailed steps and pictures to help you achieve outstanding results. But even more than that, I feel like I made a friend in this book. Ree Drummond combines her love of family, her deep admiration of ranch life, her considerable ability to "paint" an image with words, her cowgirl humor, her culinary skills and her dazzling talents as a photographer to capture this wonderful homespun country experience. I found my daughter-in-law's copy irresistable and had to have my own. It's more than a cookbook; it's a breath of country-fresh air. Incidentally I have the habit of marking the "must make" recipes in a newly purchased cookbook and I now have 29 post-its beckoning me to get cookin'. It's a winner!

I love cookbooks, but I must say that this one is my hands-down favorite. It is more than just a cookbook. It is a saga about the lives of an all-American family living and loving out on the farmland of Oklahoma. It is full of down-to-earth recipes that will fill your soul with delight. Men will love the no-nonsense food that is showcased here. Moreover, as an added bonus, Ree Drummond, the author, photographed each step of each recipe herself so you can see exactly how to prepare every wonderful dish. This is definitley a 5-Star cookbook. If you love to cook, this is a MUST cookbook!

Ree Drummond hit a home run with her book, "The Pioneer Woman Cooks". Her story telling ability and photography make this book a unique choice for any home cooks library. Her recipes look good, but what I like most is the way Ree walks you through each recipe with a step by step photo guide. I was so impressed that I quickly bought a copy for my granddaughter, a high school senior, who is just beginning to spread her wings in the kitchen. She loved it and has already pleased her family with several outstanding meals and deserts.

I really enjoy having The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummon amongst my coobooks. It's presentation is very unique and adds a lot more interest and fun when perusing the cookbook for recipes. It is fun to see how she has woven her new life and family into the cookbook and her photography is excellent. She has totally brought you into her new life on the ranch. And, I might add, the recipes I have tried so far were excellent. Some recipes which involved fried foods I probably will not try--just too much fat. I heard about this from my daughter-in-law. Excllent!

I found Ree's website through a friend and knew immediately I had to have this book. What I didn't expect was to enjoy it this much.

The book itself is beautiful; it functions just as nicely as a coffee table book as a cookbook. Her love of photography is evident throughout, in photos of the ranch and her family. The recipes are photographed step-by-step as well.

Her recipes use simple, easy-to find ingredients, which is always a plus as far as I'm concerned. My family has loved everything I've made from the book so far. If you are health-conscious in your cooking, this probably isn't your book. Ree loves butter, and she ain't afraid to use it!