Ree Drummond's Blog, page 12
January 11, 2016
Fried Goat Cheese by Ree
Once upon a time, I wanted to make fried goat cheese. I’ve made it a few times before as an appetizer, as a treat to put on salads (you heard me!), and as a tasty snack. I simply love the stuff.
And then I went to the pantry to fetch my breadcrumbs—an essential component of the crispy outer coating—and found I didn’t have any.
I cried.
And then I cried again.
And then…I glanced at another shelf in the pantry and saw a bag of pretzels. And my day got a whole lot brighter.
Throw the pretzels into the food processor…
And grind them up until they’re supah fine.
Pour the crumbs into a bowl and set ’em aside. Vow never to buy breadcrumbs again because pretzel crumbs are the cat’s meow.
In a separate bowl, mix a couple of eggs (also known as aigs) with a couple of tablespoons of water.
Then line up the pretzel crumbs and egg mixture with a bowl of all-purpose flour. This is your assembly line!
Now you need some goat cheese. Fortunately, I had a few packages in my fridge from when my sister Betsy visited, because she and I like to sit around and eat goat cheese together. It makes our sister bond stronger. And just a little tip: this works a little better if you throw the cheese into the freezer for about 20 minutes or so! Firms it up just enough to make slicing neater.
And speaking of slicing, you need to do just that! First, slice it in half…
Then slice each half in half to create four nice, thick slices. These result in pretty darn substantial goat cheese pieces, so if you want to go a little thinner, you can do five evenly spaced slices instead.
Drop a piece into the flour…
Turn it over to coat it…
Then shake off the excess and ignore whatever is going on with my hand in this highly unfortunate photo.
Quickly dip it in the egg mixture (you’ll need to turn it over a couple of times)…
(You can go ahead and ignore my hand in this photo as well. Thank you for your cooperation.)
Then drop it in the pretzel crumbs…
And turn it over to coat it completely!
Keep going until they’re all breaded.
I mean pretzeled.
Heat about half an inch of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat (you don’t want it too hot!) and place four of the goat cheese slices in the pan using a slotted spatula. See that gentle sizzle around each piece? That’s what you want. If it violently sizzles when you put it in the pan, it will brown too quickly!
Fry the slices on the first side for only about 45 seconds to 1 minute, until it gets light golden brown and crisp. Then use the spatula to carefully turn them to the other side, and fry for another 30 to 45 seconds (a little more if need be.)
Remove them to a paper towel, then fry the remaining four slices! I like to do them in small batches just to maintain control over how brown they get; if you see they’re getting brown, you can turn four a lot more quickly than you can turn eight.
It only took me 47 years to figure out these things out.
Serve the slices relatively soon, so the cheese is nice and warm and soft inside. I love them with a side of warmed marinara…or, of course, you can put them on top of a gorgeous arugula or spinach salad! (I have a recipe for this coming on a future Food Network episode. Great for guests. Yum!)
And the pretzel crust was perfect!
Fried Goat Cheese. I don’t know what to say, except if you haven’t ever tried it…well, you must.
Unless you hate goat cheese. And then it might not be your cup of tea.
I myself hate tea! But oh, do I love goat cheese.
And what’s not to love?
Here’s the handy dandy printable.



January 4, 2016
Killer Kale Salad by Ree
This is the kind of thing you make with your sister after Christmas is over and you look at each other after eating your nine hundredth cinnamon roll of the week and decide you’ve simply got to have something green and crunchy before you go berserk.
Or before you go ahead and eat your 901st cinnamon roll—whichever scenario fits.
First, slice up a few slices of bacon into bits…
And fry it up until it’s just beginning to crisp.
Remove it to a paper towel lined plate and set it aside.
Pour off most of the grease, then add a little bitta butter.
Oh no. Don’t get me started. Betty Botta bought some butter. “But,” she said, “This butter’s bitter! If I put it my batter, it will make my batter bitter…”
As I said, don’t get me started.
Turn the heat to medium-low, and when the butter melts, throw in some sliced red onion.
Cook ’em low and slow, stirring occasionally, until they’re nice and soft and slightly caramelized. This’ll take about 10-15 minutes, so hold yer horses!
Remove the onions to a plate…
Then throw in a bunch of sliced mushrooms! These will shrink quite a bit, so don’t be afraid to totally go for it.
Stir them around…
Then pour in some wine. White or red—whatever your preference, Maynard.
Sprinkle in salt and pepper…
Then just cook the heck out of them over medium to medium-high heat…
Until the mushrooms are nice and tender and the wine is mostly cooked off.
At that point, crank up the heat to high and let the mushrooms brown for 30-45 seconds before flipping them and letting them brown on the other side. Then remove the pan from the heat and set them aside. And whatever you do, don’t eat any! Unless you’re me and have no self control and eat a third of them before the salad’s even ready.
I have problems.
And speaking of salad, let’s make the dressing! Just a simple balsamic vinaigrette: 3 parts olive oil to 1 part balsamic…
Then salt, pepper, and some dried thyme leaves. Put on the lid, shake it up, and that be it!
Now, for the green, just strip the kale off the stalks, roll up a few leaves at a time, and slice them very thin.
You’ll end with a big, beautiful bowl of shaved kale! This is my favorite way to prep kale for salads, because the leaves are hearty and strong and don’t wither easily when tossed in dressing.
The first thing I do is pour in a little dressing and toss the greens to coat them.
Next (this is getting really exciting!), throw in the mushrooms (or what’s left of them after your little incident earlier)…
The bacon…
And the onions…
Then toss it all together.
And now. I have thing about kale salads.
I have to add huge chunks of goat cheese!
Pour in a little more dressing…
Then gently toss everything together. Yum!
Serve it up and dig in. So incredibly flavorful!
One of my favorite salads in the world.
Here’s the handy dandy printable!



December 31, 2015
I’m Making This Today! by Ree
I posted this recipe for pimento cheese almost exactly a year ago, and of all the New Year’s recipes in the universe, this is the one I woke up thinking about. It is absolutely, positively, 100% addictive, and while it’s appropriate for any year-round gatherings, there’s something about a bowl of this stuff paired with Castelvetrano olives (speaking of addictive) and simple crackers that says New Year’s Eve to me.
Super simple to whip up—give it a try! Here’s a link to the step-by-step and printable recipes:
The Best Pimento Cheese in the World
Have a happy, safe New Year’s Eve, everyone!



December 28, 2015
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup by Ree
My sister Betsy is visiting, which means my sides hurt from laughing and I haven’t stopped cooking for three days. Bets and I love to cook and eat together, and you never know what direction we’re going to head. Some visits we do nothing but bake cookies. Other visits we cook up weird stir fry dishes and appetizers. Other visits we try to master bread.
This visit has been all about the slow cooker. I have to point out that Bets and I did not grow up in a slow cooker house. Our mom was a great cook and made hearty, homey food, but she just didn’t routinely use a slow cooker. So it’s fun to figure out these things together!
Here’s a soup we made Saturday. It’s my favorite kind of slow cooker recipe in that it requires no pre-cooking or sauteing or browning. You literally throw everything in, turn it on, then go live your life until it’s done.
Dice an onion. Alternately, have your kid sister dice an onion.
While your at it, dice—or have your kid sister dice—a red bell pepper…
And a yellow one, too!
Now, for the chicken: Throw chicken breasts right into the slowcooker. (We used four, but I adjusted the recipe amount to three. That would be plenty!)
Season the chicken with whatever you’d like: I sprinkled on chili powder…
Cumin, salt, and pepper.
(Pssst. You can also sprinkle on a packet of taco seasoning if you wanna be particularly sassy.)
Then everything else goes on! Onions…
Red bell pepper…
Yellow bell pepper…
A big can o’ tomatoes…(I only had whole, but diced would be even better.)
And a can of Rotel! It adds zip and zest and zeal.
Zeal? Never mind.
To add a little more liquid to the mix, pour in chicken broth…
Then add a chipotle (or two or three, depending on how tough you are) for heat.
Next, rinse a can of black beans and add them in. You can use pinto if you have ’em—even kidney beans would be fine!
Then add salt and pepper, a little tomato paste, and give it all a stir.
Lid goes on, and set it on high for 4 to 5 hours!
This is 5 hours later. I stirred it once or twice during the cooking just for kicks, but you don’t have to.
Stick two forks in and shred the chicken as much as you want. We shredded ours pretty fine (and it fell apart very easily) but you can just break it apart if you prefer the chicken to be in larger chunks.
Before you serve it up, a little lime is nice! Pardon the not-good quality of this photo. It was getting dark and it was cloudy and my camera was tired.
Zee finished soup!
Smelled divine and looked divine—we were ready to dig in.
But of course…tortilla soup needs fixins! Sour cream (yum)…
Avocado (yum)…
Grated cheese (always yum)…
Cilantro leaves (don’t leave these out; they make the whole soup!)…
And finally, crushed up tortilla chips. Normally, tortilla soup would have strips of corn tortilla, but the chips give it the same corn flavor and they’re fun.
Dinner is served!
You will love this, friends!
Here’s the handy dandy printable.



December 23, 2015
Video: Chocolate Mint Mini-Bites by Ree
I posted this delightful little recipe in 2012, and I’ve made it several times since. It’s a perfect little treat for Christmastime, and because of the glaze over the top, they last several days if you keep ’em in a container!
Here’s the step-by-step post from my archives if you’d like to browse: Chocolate Mint Brownie Bites
The printable recipe is below!
And here’s the video of me making the bites on my Food Network show if you prefer to see it in action. Hope you’re all having a beautiful Christmas week!
(Note: If you’re having issues with viewing the video, please let me know your browser and operating system information! [Unfortunately, the video is not viewable outside the U.S.])



December 21, 2015
Pecan Pie Bites by Ree
I made all sorts of sweet and delightful treats over the weekend, and boy are my arms tired! And actually, they’re not tired from actually making all the sweet and delightful treats. They’re tired from washing all the dang dishes associated with making all the sweet and delightful treats.
Can I hear from my friends out there who DO NOT LIKE DOING DISHES? Well, hello. I am your soulmate.
Anyway, one of the treats I made was from a recipe I found on the Land O’ Lakes website, and they turned out to be so amazing, they didn’t even last half a day. So if you’re hoping to make these for neighbors or friends or Christmas cookie platters, I’d suggest you quadruple the amount OR put a little (decorative) duct tape over your and your family’s mouths. The fact that they’re small make them exceedingly pop-in-your-mouthable (mouthable?) and before you know it…you’ve eaten five! Or ten. Or…never mind.
As I’m wont to do, I snapped photos of the step-by-step process. They were a total cinch and again…so delightful!
Start with half a cup of brown sugar…
And 6 tablespoons beautiful, glorious butter. That there Land O’ Lakes variety. Of course!
Then add an egg yolk…
Half a teaspoon of vanilla…
Then cream it together until it’s all mixed, scraping the sides along the way.
Next comes a cup of flour…
(Plus 2 tablespoons flour, to be precise!)…
1/2 teaspoon baking powder…
And salt.
This is such a simple recipe!
Mix it on low speed until it all comes together. Now, I did wind up adding an additional tablespoon of butter, because my egg yolk was on the small side…and everything wound up just fine.
When the dough is ready, scoop up small portions…
Put it in mini muffin cups…
Then use your fingers to press the dough into the bottom of each cup.
Use your thumb to press a little impression in the middle.
The cups are ready! Next comes the filling, which is where the real craziness comes in.
It starts with a cup of chopped pecans, which is different from a cup of pecans, chopped. In this case, I threw some pecans into the food processor, chopped them, then measured a cup of them.
Add a half a cup of brown sugar to the pecans…
Stir it together…
Then…get ready…
Add some heavy cream.
Wow.
Last thing is a little vanilla…
Then stir it until it all comes together!
Now, add a teaspoon of the mixture on top of each muffin cup.
That’s all there is to it!
Then bake them at 350 for about 13 to 15 minutes.
Let them sit in the pan for about 5 minutes to set up…
Then carefully remove them from the pan. Oh my goodness!
These are utterly divine. They taste exactly like a pecan pie, but in little bite form. And I’ll repeat: Make at least a double batch! They disappear super fast.
Also, I monumentally apologize for my hand in this photo. My camera does not bring out the best in it. It’s better in real life! I promise. (I think.)
Here’s the printable recipe over at Land O’ Lakes! (There are also a bunch of beautiful Christmas cookie recipes on their home page if you’re looking for some new ideas. Yay for cookies!)
Pecan Pie Bites at Land O’ Lakes



December 17, 2015
Red Repeat (Winners!) by Ree
The winners are…
Natasha P!
Teresa E.G.
Regina
Lorett H.
Tammy S.
Congrats, winners! Contact prizes@thepioneerwoman.com to claim your prizes!
It’s been almost two months since my cookbook was released, and I have loved hearing from those of you who’ve been enjoying it! Along those lines, it’s been almost four months since my product line was released and that’s been a lot of fun, too. So to celebrate, I’m repeating this fun giveaway I had a few weeks ago!
There are five (5) prize packages, and each one includes:
One copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime! It’s chock full of my classic dinnertime recipes, each with lots of suggested variation and make-ahead tips. This is my favorite of my cookbooks so far, as it answers the daily question “What the heck am I going to make for dinner tonight?”
PW Cast Iron Cookbook Holder. (Pssst. Sorry about the butterfly. I can’t help myself.)
PW Timeless Beauty Dutch Oven. I’m showing it here with the plain black knob, but it comes with a butterfly, too! And more importantly, it matches my cookbook. Ha.
PW Batter Bowl! One of my favorite items in the whole line. There’s something about polka dots.
This set of four footed bowls. Use them for cereal, soup, ingredient prep, popcorn…anything goes!
Ahhhh, this butter dish. I love it, and I want you to have one!
And for fun (and cream), this PW Cow Creamer. Whether you actually use it for cream or you just park it on your windowsill, I promise it’ll make ya smile.
TO ENTER
1. Login below by using the Facebook OR Email links. (Note: If you have entered these giveaways recently, you are likely already logged in.)
2. Click on the question “Who will get this prize if you win?”
3. Select your answer, then click “Enter” in the lower right hand corner.
4. You should see a checkmark at the top of the giveaway box (many of you will see a message reading “You’re finished!”) That means you’re entered!
5. If you are having trouble with the giveaway tool, feel free to leave your answer in a comment below.
6. Five winners will be selected at random and announced Friday night.
Good luck!



Red Repeat! by Ree
It’s been almost two months since my cookbook was released, and I have loved hearing from those of you who’ve been enjoying it! Along those lines, it’s been almost four months since my product line was released and that’s been a lot of fun, too. So to celebrate, I’m repeating this fun giveaway I had a few weeks ago!
There are five (5) prize packages, and each one includes:
One copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime! It’s chock full of my classic dinnertime recipes, each with lots of suggested variation and make-ahead tips. This is my favorite of my cookbooks so far, as it answers the daily question “What the heck am I going to make for dinner tonight?”
PW Cast Iron Cookbook Holder. (Pssst. Sorry about the butterfly. I can’t help myself.)
PW Timeless Beauty Dutch Oven. I’m showing it here with the plain black knob, but it comes with a butterfly, too! And more importantly, it matches my cookbook. Ha.
PW Batter Bowl! One of my favorite items in the whole line. There’s something about polka dots.
This set of four footed bowls. Use them for cereal, soup, ingredient prep, popcorn…anything goes!
Ahhhh, this butter dish. I love it, and I want you to have one!
And for fun (and cream), this PW Cow Creamer. Whether you actually use it for cream or you just park it on your windowsill, I promise it’ll make ya smile.
TO ENTER
1. Login below by using the Facebook OR Email links. (Note: If you have entered these giveaways recently, you are likely already logged in.)
2. Click on the question “Who will get this prize if you win?”
3. Select your answer, then click “Enter” in the lower right hand corner.
4. You should see a checkmark at the top of the giveaway box (many of you will see a message reading “You’re finished!”) That means you’re entered!
5. If you are having trouble with the giveaway tool, feel free to leave your answer in a comment below.
6. Five winners will be selected at random and announced Friday night.
Good luck!



December 14, 2015
Pick Your Color (Winners!) by Ree
The winners of the KitchenAid mixers are… (Note: I added an additional winner because of the great response.)
Teri W.
Chris S.
Whitney H.
Kim W.
Yay, winners! Contact prizes@thepioneerwoman.com with the KitchenAid color of your choice. We’ll get them right in the mail to you!
More giveaways on the way!
There’s nothing like a KitchenAid mixer. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’ve had the same plain white KitchenAid since I got married in 1996 and I still use it almost daily. It’s a beast! I have had a couple of dalliances with different colors (and patterns!) here and there through the years…but my good ol’ original is my first love.
Photo: KitchenAid
Today, because it’s Christmastime, and because I love ya, I’m giving away three (3) KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer in the color of the winner’s choice! You can browse the colors on this page, and if you win…you get to pick it!
TO ENTER
1. Login below by using the Facebook OR Email links. (Note: If you have entered these giveaways recently, you are likely already logged in.)
2. Click on the question “Who will get this mixer if you win?”
3. Select your answer, then click “Enter” in the lower right hand corner.
4. You should see a checkmark at the top of the giveaway box (many of you will see a message reading “You’re finished!”) That means you’re entered!
5. If you are having trouble with the giveaway tool, feel free to leave your answer in a comment below.
6. Three winners will be selected at random and announced Wednesday night.
Good luck!
Giveaway sponsored by The Pioneer Woman.



Pick Your Color! by Ree
There’s nothing like a KitchenAid mixer. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’ve had the same plain white KitchenAid since I got married in 1996 and I still use it almost daily. It’s a beast! I have had a couple of dalliances with different colors (and patterns!) here and there through the years…but my good ol’ original is my first love.
Photo: KitchenAid
Today, because it’s Christmastime, and because I love ya, I’m giving away three (3) KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer in the color of the winner’s choice! You can browse the colors on this page, and if you win…you get to pick it!
TO ENTER
1. Login below by using the Facebook OR Email links. (Note: If you have entered these giveaways recently, you are likely already logged in.)
2. Click on the question “Who will get this mixer if you win?”
3. Select your answer, then click “Enter” in the lower right hand corner.
4. You should see a checkmark at the top of the giveaway box (many of you will see a message reading “You’re finished!”) That means you’re entered!
5. If you are having trouble with the giveaway tool, feel free to leave your answer in a comment below.
6. Three winners will be selected at random and announced Wednesday night.
Good luck!
Giveaway sponsored by The Pioneer Woman.



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