The Pioneer Woman

You've heard me babble about this woman on my other site. You are tired of her. Frankly, so am I. She's got it too good. She cooks too much. There's no way she has time to do all she does. And yet...

I go back. Every day. I wait to see what she'll feature on that cooking site. I make the things she makes. I do, in fact, learn from her. Most of all, I appreciate her brand of cooking, which is regular with a little upgrade. She doesn't make over-fancy dishes. She cooks regular things, some of which I already make (which makes me feel good about myself - always a website plus) and some of which are things I can totally see wanting to make, and knowing that my husband will eat. The food usually has a touch of class, but she's not afraid to use common ingredients - ones she can find in her small hometown grocery store.

I think the way she organizes her recipes is totally useable, and the pictures - oh, the pictures, she takes of the process. My sister and I agree that our favorite is always her "cast of characters" post that is the first photo of every post. It features all of the ingredients, sort of piled up and stacked, ready to be used, and somehow it always has all this character and appeal, and I feel confident that what she's getting ready to make, I too, can make. Her writing is a little overmuch sometimes - I think she thinks she's quite cute. But it's not that distracting, and sometimes I do even chuckle a little despite myself. Don't let her writing get in your way; her cooking is still pretty freaking good.

If your computer is slow, this is not the site for you; those gorgeous pictures she stuffs her posts with take a minute to load.

From her site, I have made:

• Cheesy Olive Bread - most excellent and fattening glory, if you like olives, which, in fact, I do.
• Spicy Chicken Legs - good, but only so-so, and I even kicked up the "spicy" quite a bit from what she suggested.
• Cinammon Rolls - I'd say these are above average but not excellent. I think it's the fact that she uses baking powder AND baking soda in order to avoid kneading... it's just not my favorite taste. But that's just me; I think most people love em.
• Pumpkin Puree - It will probably turn out to be a good thing, but my instinct is that I should have buttered and salted the pumpkins before baking. Or something. It remains to be seen.
• Wings/Wing Sauce - perfect, but, like, how hard is that? It's a standard wing sauce recipe.
• Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich - you know what? It IS really good. And cheap and easy to make.
• Crash Potatoes - simple. fast. delicious.
• many, many more...

Generally speaking, it's a site for the everyday cook who wants delicious things to feed an entire family. The food is decidedly midwestern, which I find comforting, and it's usually at least a little bit fun.