(It’s a sunny Saturday morning here at the ranch and Ree’s signature sweet rolls will here in about fifteen minutes! More on our time here next week. In the meantime Arden, Elaine, and Christen are our winners! Congratulations!)
It was only two years ago when Maggy and Sharon said, “Mom, it’s time. You’ve got to start a food blog.” They were right.
As I was contemplating my identity as a food blogger, both girls were insistent: check out The Pioneer Woman. Once again, the girls were right. The woman who had charmed them was about to dramatically broaden my world
Maggy had discovered The Pioneer Woman as a young bride living outside London. At that point her cooking repertoire was limited to burgers, and Bolognese. She grew up around cooking, of course, and when she was in high school I tried to coax her, but hanging out at the mall was more interesting than learning to make meatloaf with me.
I dutifully sent her off to college with a set of my books that promptly got lost in all her moves. But then Maggy found Ree, the person she could check in with every few days and find a new recipe her man would love.
Sharon had always been drawn to the kitchen and didn’t need as much recipe inspiration. A hopeless romantic, she was drawn to Ree’s prose. During her two-year stint as Fine Cooking’s assistant web editor, she admits spending office hours reading Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. It was, after all, her job!
And then I started paying frequent visits to The Pioneer Woman site. Like my daughters I was attracted to Ree’s classy, warm, bumptious virtual ranch. I was thrilled that the daughter I thought would never take to the kitchen was calling home to say she had just made Olive-Cheese Bread, Ranch Dressing, or Marlborough Man-approved Crash Hot Potatoes.
I wanted to find a way to thank this woman who had entertained one daughter with heart-throbbing romance and lured the other into the kitchen with crowd-pleasing recipes. I did the only thing I knew to do. I sent her a couple of cookbooks and a note thanking her for all she’d done. When it comes to raising kids, it’s true: It takes a village.
And now I thank Ree for helping Three Many Cooks find our way into the food blogging community. We hope to show the same kindness to our friends and colleagues just starting out.
In anticipation of Maggy’s and my visit at the Ranch this weekend we’re giving away three sets of Ree’s three books: The Pioneer Woman Cooks, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, and Charlie The Ranch Dog. Deadline is 6:00 PM Friday, June 24 Central Time when the party starts. In the spirit of the weekend’s theme, tell us your go-to recipe for when you’re just havin’ people over.
P.S. Sharon, we know come July you’ll be mightily relieved to have your intensive Hebrew course behind you, but know that Three Many Cooks feels a little incomplete without you at the Ranch.
Here’s Ree’s Blackberry Cobbler to add to the fun!
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen), rinsed and pat dry
- Heat your oven to 350 degrees and butter a baking dish.
- Melt butter in a microwavable dish. Pour 1 cup of the sugar and flour into a mixing bowl and whisk in the milk. Mix well. Pour in melted butter and whisk it all together.
- Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries over the top of the batter; distributing evenly. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup sugar over the top.
- Bake until golden and bubbly, about an hour. If you’d like, sprinkle an additional teaspoon of sugar over the cobbler 10 minutes before it’s done.
Chicken tortilla soup and you add you own toppings
Fun giveaway! My go to recipe is Lemon Pepper Chicken in the Crockpot: Lemon Pepper Chicken in the Crockpot: http://fink-girl.livejournal.com/20997.html.
My go to recipe is monkey bread for a wonderful brunch treat!.
It’ll be hard to believe I’m not saying this given the content of your post, but it’s true. My go to recipe is PW’s pizza crust. I usually make one chicken ranch pizza and plain pepperoni with the other one. Though the latest topping success was prosciutto, caramelized onions and herbed goat cheese topped with a little mozzarella. So delicious!
My go to get-together must make is a yummy spinach salad with French dressing. Not only is it delicious, it’s my Mom’s recipe (which is very special to me).
Carne asada always goes over well!
These days Palestinian Breakfast is our go to recipe!
Cookies! and a main dish- white chili!
In cool weather, my go-to food is chili. In warm weather, I like to make oven bbq ribs with potato salad, baked beans and corn (on the cob). Last minute company? Pizza~
Chili no beans dip. Good any time of year!
Chickpea curry with cumin rice!!
Melissa Clark’s Roasted broccoli and shrimp. Quick, delicious and impressive and EVERYBODY loves it. It also makes plenty for the group.
I like to make roast beef with rice and gravy. Comfort food!
http://www.cooksewgrow.com/2011/06/nothing-says-sunday-dinner-to-me-quite.html
lavosh pizza – topped with havarti, proscuitto, olives……………whatever you like, toppings are endless and bake at 375 for 5 to 8 minutes until bubbly
Turkey meatloaf! I know, I know, but it really is awesome, and everyone requests it 🙂
It completely varies based on who I’m having over and how much I want to impress them and whether it’s desserts or “real” food that I want to serve. For breakfast though, the answer is most definitely Tyler Florence’s blueberry scones with lemon glaze.
In the summertime, it’s bbq spare ribs and potato salad with homemade chocolate chip ice cream for dessert. Definitely, a treat!
Homemade pasta with my husband’s tomato sauce with meatballs, Italian sausage, and boneless pork. We always have the sauce with meat in the freezer and make the pasta the night before. Add a salad, garlic bread and some red wine and everyone is happy!
I like to make a chicken and veggie stir-fry, usually have chicken in the freezer and can add any number of veggie combinations, all depends on what’s in the crisper!
I too stumbled upon Ree’s site and was instantly hooked! We always seem to have a chicken dish – except on Thanksgiving! Even when we are serving lobster or Leitao – Potuguese suckling roasted pig – chicken is always on our menu!
Always a favorite is corn, black bean salsa with a squirt of lime!
a recipe from one of the Mystic Seaport Cookbooks (can’t remember which one — and I’ve been making it so long I don’t need the book) for “Beach Wellington” — killer meatloaf in puff pastry.
Sour cream green chili chicken enchiladas from the recipe of the mother of my best friend in college. You should see the paper it’s written on! More smudges than the Shroud of Turin–and ALMOST as OLD!!!
Chicken fajitas are great for company, not only are they fun to make but with all the variety of toppings, everyone can have it their way.
My go to recipe is linguini with white clam sauce.
I always have big cans of clams on hand…quick and easy.
My go-to recipe is something in the crock pot, whether it’s chicken or pot roast! That way I spend less time fussing in the kitchen, and more time drinking wine with friends.
My go to recipe is a pasta dish with homemade tomato sauce and meatballs. Made it a million times, always a classic. I need to give the dish a name.
My go to recipe is lasagne, caesar salad, and garlic toast!
If I have planned ahead, honey-garlic ribs because all the prep is done the night before. If its last minute and I’m panicking, goat cheese stuffed chicken… Needless to say, I’m almost always panicking 🙂
Why, Pam, my go to company meal is your Chicken and Dumplings from your book – CookSmart. Simply love it (and all of your recipes!!)
Olive nut spread/dip…salty and wonderful!
My go-to is gumbo — chicken, fresh pork/beef sausage, a little andouille, and some tasso for added seasoning! Thank you so much for the entry …I feel the same way about Pioneer Woman as you and your daughters. 🙂
Fried rice, although lately I’ve been serving classic fried chicken by Pam Anderson which I discovered in a Fine Cooking magazine!!
I love your recipes, Pam! They are simple, easy to adapt, down-to-earth.
It’s Strawberry Summer Cake.
My favorite go-to recipe for having people over is Marinated Pork Tenderloin from the Junior League of Savannah cookbook. Amazing flavor and so tender! But next time I’m grilling out for friends I’m going to make your chicken foil packet with barbecue. Fast and delicious.
Chicken peanut pasta – Asian inspired and so good.
My go to meal when having people over is London Broil marinaded in my own special sauce and grilled, served with what we call ‘party potatoes’ aka cheesy potato casserole and caesar salad!
I love Ree! Such a great giveaway. My go to recipe for company seems to change on a monthly basis. Last month we had a panini party and let our guests make their own panini. We served them with a giant spinach salad.
I like to serve some kind of roast (usually beef) but I don’t really have a “to go to” dish. I like serving different things. For example, this coming Monday, I am having friends over for “Tenpura” because they have never had them and I am Japanese, I grew up eating them and wanted to share them with my friends.
I always go for ranch potatoes and anything off PW’s site.
I make fried tacos. I take corn tortillas and press raw hamburger meat onto 1/2 of it – 1 lb of meat makes about 12 tacos. I place them in medium-hot grease until I can fold them in half without the tortilla breaking. Cook for a few minutes, turn and cook for a few more minutes. Take them off the hot grease and throw some shredded cheese in them. That is how my family loves them, but you can add lettuce, tomatoes, etc to them when you are ready to eat! Not the healthiest but everyone always love them.
I make my Mom’s Special Spare Ribs with Twice Baked Potatoes or the Our Best Bites Asian Grilled Chicken with their Thai Peanut Noodles! Delish!
Cedar plank salmon on the grill.
my favorite summer recipe is gazpacho. everyone loves it!
oh what fun! i love Ree’s recipes. and what a wonderful post, i enjoyed reading your personal stories of inspiration very much 🙂 my go to recipe for when people come over would definitely be one given me as a wedding present, Favorite Chicken Casserole!!
funny how life has a way of playing itself out. I’ve had great success over the years to wrapping bacon around asparagus, always makes people smile:)
Have a great time at the Ranch this weekend!
summer quinoa salad with whatever veggie is lying around, splash of olive oil, gomasio, salt and pepper, it’s a great addition to any meal, and oh so easy!
I like to keep an extra frozen pizza crust in the freezer so I can just pull it out in the morning and throw on toppings I already have in my fridge, always a hit!
My go to recipe when company is coming is PDub’s stuffed shell recipe. It is quite impressive with not too much work!!
Pizza! In summer made on the grill and highly participatory!