Ree Drummond's Blog, page 4

Perfect Iced Coffee Video by The Pioneer Woman

Here’s my latest video! It’s Perfect Iced Coffee, I’ve made it for years, and it’s life-changing.

This video was shot after you all gave me so much great advice for my recipe videos, and I tried to implement many of your suggestions such as prep time, serving size, and zooming out a bit. (I also threw in the Cast of Characters!) Lemme know what you think!

Here’s the video. Again: This stuff is lifechanging!

 

Pecan Pie Video by The Pioneer Woman

I’m shooting new videos today! I’m armed with your feedback and looking forward to sharing them with you in the coming weeks. I wanted to paint my nails all different colors for the videos, but that didn’t pan out—just like no plans to have nice nails ever pan out for me. But since “have nice nails” wasn’t on your list of suggestions for videos, I won’t worry about it!

So today I’m sharing one more video from the old batch (well…November! Ha.) It’s my favorite pecan pie ever, and in case you like to make pies for Christmas in your house, this is definitely one you should try

Hope you enjoy. See you soon with my naked nails!

 

Beautiful Brussels Sprouts Video by The Pioneer Woman

I wanted to thank you so much for watching my Creamy Mashed Potatoes video and weighing in last week! I read every comment and the feedback was so helpful as I plan the next several cooking videos. Great suggestions, guys—some of it I never would have thought of myself.

Your suggestions will be reflected in the next round of videos I shoot later this month. In the meantime, I wanted to share this video with you, because this happens to be one of my favorite side dishes of all time (and I think it’s one of the prettiest—look at the color!) I filmed this the same time I filmed the mashed potatoes, and it was lots of fun.

The printable recipe is on my original post if you like to print things out: Beautiful Brussels Sprouts post w/ printable recipe

And here it is in living color!

 

Creamy Mashed Potatoes Video! by The Pioneer Woman

I have been doing some more cooking videos and have been experimenting with the style. Before Thanksgiving, I shot a handful of videos like the one below, the idea being that I wanted them to look more like my cooking posts in terms of the angle.

Watch below and let me know what you think! I’m planning my food blog content for 2018 because I want to get back into the foodblogging swing of things, and I want to do more and more videos to keep things fun. Let me know what you like to see in a food video so I can make sure I’m going to have more than one viewer (me.) Ha!

So just let me know: Do you like the angle? The pace? The music? The sound effects? Anything you don’t like? Anything extra you’d like to see? Thank you for the feedback!

 

My Favorite Brine of All Time! by The Pioneer Woman

I wanted to bring this old post to the forefront, as it’s my favorite turkey brine recipe ever, and because it’s—gulp—the week before Thanksgiving! What just happened?

We still have Halloween candy in our house. (Not sure how that’s possible.)

Be sure to read through all the instructions in the link below…but here are the highlights (in case you’re a skimmer, which I most certainly am!)

* Check your turkey label. Many frozen turkeys are injected with a sodium solution (essentially pre-brined), and it’s best if you can use a turkey that has not been pre-brined. I usually try to find a fresh turkey or an organic frozen one. (Though if you rinse thoroughly, you’ll probably be fine no matter what!)

* Add enough water to the brining bag or vessel to submerge the turkey.

* After brining, thoroughly rinse the turkey then submerge it in clean cold water for 15-20 minutes, then rinse again.

* Your turkey is gonna be magificent!

My Favorite Turkey Brine of All Time

Nice Partay Idea by The Pioneer Woman

Here’s a good thing to throw together for a cocktail party, get together, bash, gathering, soirée…or night in front of the TV watching old movies! It can be as easy or complicated as you have time for, and you can use as fancy or un-fancy a platter (or board) as you’d like!

This is my favorite way to eat, where there is just no end to the little combinations you can put together.

I used a large 3/4 size sheet pan—this is in between a half-sheet pan and a full sheet pan, for those of you who, like me, are bad at math. Ha—with a large piece of parchment. But you can use any size you want! Or you can use any of the following:

Cutting boards

Serving trays

Wicker baskets

Ceramic/glass/metal platters

Different sizes of cake stands

Then here’s what I put on the board…though again, use your imagination!

Grilled half-slices of good sandwich bread (or you can use crackers, flatbread, pita wedges, baguette slices)

Melon wedges (or you can use pears, berries, grapes, the works)

Brie wedges (or whatever cheese suits your fancy)

Jarred pesto (I used storebought, but make yer own if you have time!)

Marinated mozzarella balls (just a little olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and seasoning)

Salami slices

Prosciutto slices (why do they look so pretty when they’re in piles like this?)

Basil leaves

Parsley

Dried cherries (or you can do dates, figs, cranberries, etc)

Raw almonds (or you can do pistachios, cashews, candied pecans, etc)

Roasted asparagus (olive oil, salt and pepper! Roasted at 425 for about 10 minutes)

Parmesan wedges (again, any hard cheese)

Marinated mushrooms (quartered buttom mushrooms boiled in salted water, then drained and marinated in oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning))

Marinated tomatoes and olives (same thing – a little oil/vinegar/seasoning)

Fig jam (or you can use plum preserves, anything jammy!)

Am I forgetting anything?

Party on, Wayne! (Party on, Garth.)

Grilled Peanut Chicken and Broccolini by The Pioneer Woman

I made this Saturday after throwing a fit (to myself, always to myself, ha) that because I’ve had a trip to the grocery store planned for this week, I had nothing to cook.

But I was hungry. And by golly, I was going to figure something out! Thank goodness for pantry staples. And that bag of broccolini that was languishing in my produce drawer.

Here’s how to make this plate of wonder.

 

First, make a special sauce/marinade! In a bowl, add olive oil…

 

 

Peanut butter (creamy or crunchy, whatever you have in yer pantry)…

 

 

Soy sauce…

(Yum.)

 

 

Honey…

(Sweet!)

 

 

Barbecue sauce…

(A little smoky.)

 

 

A few dashes of Worcestershire…

(Flavah.)

 

 

Lemon juice…

(If I’d had limes, I woulda used them.)

 

 

Cayenne…

(I need spice in my life. Chili paste would also be good.)

 

 

And garlic!

Whew. My arm is tired!

 

 

Whisk all of this together and then—this is important—give it a taste! Peanut sauce is kinda individual and you’ll want to adjust it to your liking. Add more soy, add more honey, add more cayenne, add more lemon—whatever floats your boat.

Now, before you do anything: Pour off 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the sauce into a container and reserve it in the fridge. You’ll need it for the noodles later.

 

 

Put the chicken breasts into the rest of the marinade…

 

 

Turning them to coat. (Note that I only used 2 chicken breasts when I made this Saturday, but you can use 4 if need be! There’s enough marinade.) Place the chicken in the fridge and let it marinate for at least 2 hours. (Note that I did not do this because I was very impatient and hungry. Bad combination…)

Then, when you’re ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge and heat up a grill pan over medium heat.

Things are about to get delicious up in here.

 

 

Drizzle olive oil on the broccolini…

 

 

Then sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss it to coat.

 

 

Slice an onion really thick. This is going on the grill, too!

 

 

And finally, cook and drain some thin spaghetti or angel hair.

You’re ready for the big leagues now!

 

 

Drizzle the grill pan with oil, then arrange the chicken and broccolini all over the surface.

 

 

I ran out of room on the long grill pan, so had to put the onions in a small square one. You can grill things in whatever combo or order you’d like! Chicken first, then veggies…or everything all together if you can fit it. (Or you can use the outdoor grill!) Lotsa options.

 

 

Grill the onions until they’re soft and brown. Yum!

 

 

And the important thing about cooking the broccolini is that you want to turn it regularly and check the color. You definitely want the broccolini to get nice and grilled with some brown/blackish areas, but you don’t want it to char. So don’t be afraid to pull it off while the chicken is still cooking to avoid burning it; or, you can wait until the chicken is halfway cooked before you put the broccolini on the grill pan.

 

 

Anyway…here’s what it should look like when everything’s cooked. Glorious!

(I am a HUGE fan of grilled or roasted broccolini. It is tremendously tasty.)

 

 

Chicken has great color, broccolini is bright green and gorgeous.

 

 

But before you serve: heat that reserved sauce in a little skillet until it’s just starting to bubble and caramelize.

 

 

Toss in the pasta. Gosh! Delicious.

 

 

Then serve the pasta on a plate…

 

 

With a piece of chicken…

 

 

The broccolini and grilled onion…

 

 

And some cilantro leaves!

 

 

Serve it with a little extra soy, and/or some lime wedges if you have ’em.

Happy Monday!

Fall-Off-the-Bone Slow Cooker Glazed Ribs by The Pioneer Woman

Hello, friends! You will never, ever experience more tender baby back ribs than the ones you make in a slow cooker. Some kind of crazy magic happens under that lid, I tell you!

A “mistake” (which you really can hardly call a mistake because they taste great no matter what) I can make when making ribs in a slow cooker is cooking the sauce along with the ribs for the entire time. The problem with this is that the ribs give off so much liquid as they cook that the sauce will wind up watery and won’t stick to the ribs. So I add the sauce after the ribs have cooked—works much better!

If you’re a fan of ribs that fall smooth off the bone . . . you’re in for a heavenly experience right here.

 

Cut the racks of ribs in half . . .

 

And place them in a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker.

 

Add the onions, garlic, salt, and pepper . . .

 

Then place the lid on the cooker and cook on low for 8 hours, making sure not to lift the lid or otherwise disturb the ribs.

 

This is what they look like after that time. Totally weird, but they’re about to get super delicious. Start by straining off all of the cooking liquid, making sure not to lose any of the garlic or onions. (Remove the ribs and pour the liquid through a mesh strainer if you want to be careful.)

 

Next, make the sauce. Combine plum preserves (or apricot!), ketchup, barbecue sauce, and hot sauce in a medium bowl. All the tangy, sticky, spicy good things in life.

 

And stir it until it’s all combined.

 

Pour the sauce over the ribs . . .

 

And use tongs to move the ribs around in the sauce as much as you can. Note that the ribs will be falling apart by this stage, so you won’t be able to be too rough with them.

 

I mean . . . look at how easily the bone comes out! It’s a world gone mad, I tell you.

 

Serve ’em on a plate, if they can travel that far without falling to pieces.

 

Succulent and delicious!

Here’s the handy dandy printable.

 

Grilled Veggie and Cream Cheese Sandwich (To-Go!) by The Pioneer Woman

There’s not much I love more than grilled vegetables. As delicious as a vegetable already is, something happens during the grilling process that makes me want to propose. And not to a man! To the grilled veggies themselves.

Grilled vegetables are a great sandwich filler, and you won’t even think about the fact that there’s no meat anywhere in sight. I love this make-ahead sandwich because . . . well . . . you can make it ahead of time. Ha ha! Actually, it’s best if you make it ahead of time and let it get more and more wonderful. By the time lunch rolls around, you’ve got a little miracle on your hands.

I mean in your hands.

I mean in your mouth!

 



Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and place the veggies on the surface.

 

Let the first side cook without oil, so it gets great grill marks on the surface. After that, turn them over . . .

 

And brush them with a little bit of olive oil.

 

Make sure everything has brownish/blackish bits.

 

That’s where the flavor is!

 

Remove the veggies to a plate and let them cool completely.

 

Toast a couple o’ pieces of bread…

 

And spread a heaping tablespoon of herby/chivey cream cheese on one piece…

 

Sprinkle on salt and black pepper to taste . . .

 

Then lay on one of each color of pepper . . .

 

Two slices of zucchini (trim them to fit the bread) . . .

 

And a slice of onion. (You won’t believe how good the onion is!)

 

Spread the other piece of bread with cream cheese . . .

 

And put it on top.

 

And now—this is the kicker! Wrap the sandwich in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a few hours (or overnight). Just the thing to grab on your way out the door in the morning.

 

Mmmm. This is many hours later. Great things have happened! I can feel it in my soul.

 

Time to dig in. (Again: The onions are absolutely miraculous.) Portable lunch has never tasted so good!

Change things up!

• Grill slices of eggplant to replace (or go alongside) the zucchini.

• Sliced poblano chilies are a delicious replacement for the bell peppers.

• Spread one of the slices of bread with pesto, Dijon, or any spread of your choice.

• Press some leaves of fresh basil on the cream cheese before you add the veggies.

Grilled Veggie and Cream Cheese Sandwich (To-Go!) by Ree

There’s not much I love more than grilled vegetables. As delicious as a vegetable already is, something happens during the grilling process that makes me want to propose. And not to a man! To the grilled veggies themselves.

Grilled vegetables are a great sandwich filler, and you won’t even think about the fact that there’s no meat anywhere in sight. I love this make-ahead sandwich because . . . well . . . you can make it ahead of time. Ha ha! Actually, it’s best if you make it ahead of time and let it get more and more wonderful. By the time lunch rolls around, you’ve got a little miracle on your hands.

I mean in your hands.

I mean in your mouth!

 



Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and place the veggies on the surface.

 

Let the first side cook without oil, so it gets great grill marks on the surface. After that, turn them over . . .

 

And brush them with a little bit of olive oil.

 

Make sure everything has brownish/blackish bits.

 

That’s where the flavor is!

 

Remove the veggies to a plate and let them cool completely.

 

Toast a couple o’ pieces of bread…

 

And spread a heaping tablespoon of herby/chivey cream cheese on one piece…

 

Sprinkle on salt and black pepper to taste . . .

 

Then lay on one of each color of pepper . . .

 

Two slices of zucchini (trim them to fit the bread) . . .

 

And a slice of onion. (You won’t believe how good the onion is!)

 

Spread the other piece of bread with cream cheese . . .

 

And put it on top.

 

And now—this is the kicker! Wrap the sandwich in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a few hours (or overnight). Just the thing to grab on your way out the door in the morning.

 

Mmmm. This is many hours later. Great things have happened! I can feel it in my soul.

 

Time to dig in. (Again: The onions are absolutely miraculous.) Portable lunch has never tasted so good!

Change things up!

• Grill slices of eggplant to replace (or go alongside) the zucchini.

• Sliced poblano chilies are a delicious replacement for the bell peppers.

• Spread one of the slices of bread with pesto, Dijon, or any spread of your choice.

• Press some leaves of fresh basil on the cream cheese before you add the veggies.