Breaking free from a dead-end relationship, Ree Drummond left Los Angeles and made a pit stop at home in Oklahoma on the way to a new life in Chicago. This book tells how she learned to cope with the isolation and peculiarities of ranch life.

My name is Ree.

Some folks know me as The Pioneer Woman.

After years of living in Los Angeles, I made a pit stop in my hometown in Oklahoma on the way to a new, exciting life in Chicago. It was during my stay at home that I met Marlboro Man, a mysterious cowboy with steely blue eyes and a muscular, work-honed body. A strict vegetarian, I fell hard and fast, and before I knew it we were married and living on his ranch in the middle of nowhere, taking care of animals, and managing a brood of four young children. I had no idea how I'd wound up there, but I knew it was exactly where I belonged.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks is a homespun collection of photography, rural stories, and scrumptious recipes that have defined my experience in the country. I share many of the delicious cowboy-tested recipes I've learned to make during my years as an accidental ranch wife—including Rib-Eye Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce, Lasagna, Fried Chicken, Patsy's Blackberry Cobbler, and Cinnamon Rolls—not to mention several "cowgirl-friendly" dishes, such as Sherried Tomato Soup, Olive Cheese Bread, and Crème Brûlée. I show my recipes in full color, step-by-step detail, so it's as easy as pie to follow along.

You'll also find colorful images of rural life: cows, horses, country kids, and plenty of chaps-wearing cowboys.

I hope you get a kick out of this book of mine. I hope it makes you smile. I hope the recipes bring you recognition, accolades, and marriage proposals. And I hope it encourages even the most harried urban cook to slow down, relish the joys of family, nature, and great food, and enjoy life.

Breaking free from a dead-end relationship, Ree Drummond left Los Angeles and made a pit stop at home in Oklahoma on the way to a new life in Chicago. It was there she met 'Marlboro Man', a fourth-generation cattle rancher with steely blue eyes and a muscular work-honed body. Drummond fell hard and fast, and suddenly she was married, living on his ranch in the middle of nowhere, and managing a brood of four young children (also known as 'ranch hands'). In her folksy, wonderfully engaging voice, Drummond shares how she learned to cope with the isolation and peculiarities of ranch life, from chasing beavers out of the pond and saddling horses, to cooking for a man who believes the sun rises and sets in a steak and baked potato. Using only simple and widely available ingredients, Drummond shares many of her satisfying and delicious recipes - both for cowboys and cowgirls - including Cowboy Calzones, Pioneer Woman's Ribeye Steaks, Cheese Grits, fresh Blackberry Cobbler, Pico de Gallo, and Iny's Prune Cake. Bursting with the colours and flavours of country life and peppered with her wonderful homespun stories, "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" encourages even the most harried urban cook to slow down, relish the joys of family, nature, and great food, and keep it real.