Ree Drummond's Blog, page 58

PW eCookbook + iPad Giveaway (Winners Announced!)

The winners of the iPads are:

#710 Anthony K. “I’d love to have dinner with my teenage self. Try and get him to understand a few things about how the world works and about how he’s going to have to work harder to navigate life successfully. I anticipate there will be much eye rolling.” (Note from PW: Great answer, Anthony!)

#27994 Jenn: “My dad. He is gone now but he was a man who appreciated good food!!!”

#33847 Lidian: “Jesus…I’ve got a lot of questions!”

Congrats, winners! Contact prizes@thepioneerwoman.com to claim your prizes.

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your ideal dinner dates!

Note: I’ve received good feeback on the Apple version of my new cookbook, so by popular demand, I’m repeating the giveaway from a couple of weeks ago!

THE CONTEST

If you are an iPad user, or are a soon-to-be iPad user, or you’re thinking of one day becoming an iPad user, or your mom’s sister’s husband’s brother’s wife is an iPad user, I am very happy to show you my new cookbook in ebook form.

I’ve played with the book. It is incredibly groovy.

Here are some features:

* You can easily swipe through the whole cookbook section by section, or page by page.

* The step-by-step photographic tutorials are included in a widget, which you can flip through with a simple swipe of your finger.

* You can also choose to enlarge the steps in the tutorial and see them each as a full-screen photo with the text for the step written below.

* You can tap on any photo in the book (food, family, cow, dog, or otherwise) and enlarge it to full screen mode.

* There are five cooking videos in the book.

* I also include a video of my favorite cooking tools.

* And a playlist of songs I like to listen to while I’m cooking. It’s weird, I’ll warn you.

* I also include a playlist of movies I like to watch while I’m cooking.

This particular ebook edition of the new cookbook is a multi-touch book (meaning you can use your fingers to navigate the book in lots of different ways) and was created using the incredibly sleek iBooksAuthor app. It’s amazingly simple to use, fun to play with, easy to browse, and features bonus recipes, playlists and a few videos of me cooking some of the recipes in the book.

Here are some brief peeks.

 

Here’s the main recipe page. If you were to tap on the photo of the quiche, it would expand to full screen mode.

 

 

 

On the next page are the step-by-step photos, with the instructions below each one.

 

 

 

You just use your finger to swipe through each step.

 

 

 

You can keep the step-by-steps this size, which is definitely nice and readable.

 

 

 

Or you can tap it once to enlarge, then swipe through the full-screen photos and text one by one.

 

 

 

Here’s a screenshot of the full-screen mode with the instructions below.

 

 

 

And another…

 

 

 

And another. To flip through the steps, just swipe through the photos. Easy!

I am so excited about how the cookbook looks (and acts!) on the iBookAuthor format. It’s totally interactive, incredibly user friendly, and I really do think it’ll make cooking fun for those of you who either prefer electronic devices to hardcover cookbooks OR who want to try your hand at the whole digital device realm.

 

 

So today, because I love ya, I’m giving away three (3) new iPads (winner’s choice of black or white), along with the new ebook version of The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier.

 

 

 

I’ll also include a Smart Cover (color of winner’s choice), which not only protects the screen, but also doubles as a stand (it folds backwards into a triangle–awesome) so that you can pop the iPad right on your counter and start cooking.

 

TO ENTER

To enter the iPad and PW eCookbook giveaway, just answer the following questions in the Comments section of this post:

“If you could have dinner with one person tonight, whom would it be?”

Which person, throughout the history of time, would you choose to dine with?

Just shout out your ideal dinner date and you’re automatically entered to win the iPad and ebook!

 

THE RULES

One entry per person, please.

Winners will be selected at random and posted Thursday night.

Good luck!

 

THE EBOOK

The Apple/ibook version of the cookbook (shown above) can be found here: Pioneer Woman on iTunes

Giveaway sponsored by Pioneer Woman.

Cuban Pork Chops + Recipe Contest Reminder!

The Bush’s Grillin’ Beans/Pioneer Woman Recipe Contest is well underway, and entries are still coming in! The recipes submitted so far are…oh my goodness. I can’t read them without getting hungry.

You still have plenty of time to enter your own recipes—here are the details!

DETAILS

Submit your very best recipe for grilled chicken, steak, chops, shrimp… you name it! Recipes need to be relatively easy to prepare, use accessible, widely-available ingredients, served with one of the sevenflavors of Bush’s Grillin’ Beans, and—–most of all—–taste delicious. Four winners will be chosen to travel to the ranch in June with a guest of their choice, prepare their recipes on camera and enjoy a country cookout. And remember: I’ll do the dishes!

To submit, enter your grilling recipe served with your favorite flavor of Bush’s Grillin’ Beans in the Comments section of this post.

SCHEDULE

April 2 – May 4: Submit your grilled entrée recipes! To submit, enter your grilling recipe and favorite flavor of Bush’s Grillin’ Beans in the Comments section of this post. See here for choices.

**IMPORTANT: Please read Recipe Requirements in the Official Rules before submitting.**

May 17: Four winners will be announced. Arrangements will be made for the four winners (and one guest each) to travel to the ranch for the video production and the cookout.

June 2: The cookout! Winners prepare their recipes on camera, and then we’ll all enjoy a cookout on the ranch.

June 2: We all have a blast.

June 2: We all ride horses.

June 2: Ree does the dishes.

Here’s my second contribution to this series. For obvious reasons (i.e. I live here) I’m ineligible to win the contest. Ha.

 

MY GRILLING RECIPE #2: Cuban Pork Chops

Man, oh man…are these good. Spicy, slightly sweet, and huge on flavor, these pork chops are out of this world. I’m serving these with Bush’s Black Bean Fiesta Grillin’ Beans—–the perfect combo, man.

 

First, make the marinade: Combine orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, and onion in a large zipper bag.

 

 

 

Squish it around to combine, then throw in the pork chops. Seal the bag and marinate them for several hours…overnight is better!

 

 

 

While the chops are marinating, make the chimichurri-ish sauce, which is absolutely easy and divine: Add cilantro and parsley leaves to a blender.

 

 

 

Add olive oil and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper…

 

 

 

Then transfer the mixture to a small container and keep in the fridge. (Or you can make it right before serving!)

 

 

 

Crack open a couple of cans of these beauties and warm them up in a saucepan or skillet.

 

 

 

Then grill the pork chops until they’re totally done, then spoon the sauce over the top of the chops…

 

 

 

Serve them with the yummy Bush’s Black Bean Fiesta Grillin’ Beans.

You’ll love this, guys. The chimichurri sauce sends it into outer space—very fresh!

(Check out my last recipe here: Simple Scrumptious Grilled Chicken)

Now run submit your own favorite grilling recipes served with one of the seven flavors of Bush’s Grillin’ Beans! I have a saddle here with your name on it.

Here are the official rules:

(Here are the Official Rules.)

And here’s the handy dandy printable:

 


Recipe: Cuban Pork Chops with Bush’s Black Bean Fiesta Grillin’ Beans

Prep Time: 6 Hours
 | 
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
 | 
Difficulty: Easy
 | 
Servings: 6

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Ingredients
FOR THE CHOPS:6 whole Bone-in Center Cut Pork Chops2 cups Orange Juice2 whole Limes, Juiced5 cloves Garlic, Minced2 teaspoons Cumin1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano1 whole Small Yellow Onion, Halved And Sliced Thin FOR THE SAUCE:1 bunch Cilantro1 bunch Parsley1 cup Olive Oil Salt And Pepper, to taste2 cans (15.8 Oz. Size) Bush’s Black Bean Fiesta Grillin’ Beans, To Serve Preparation Instructions

Combine orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, and onion in a large zipper bag. Squish it around to combine, then throw in the pork chops! Seal the bag and marinate them for several hours...but overnight is better!

While the chops are marinating, add cilantro and parsley leaves to a blender. Add olive oil and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer the mixture to a small container and keep in the fridge.

Remove the pork chops from the marinade (discard the bag). Grill the pork chops until they're totally done.

Spoon the sauce over the top of the chops and serve them with the yummy Bush's Black Bean Fiesta Grillin' Beans!

Posted by Ree on April 17 2012

It’s Eggs Benedict Day!

It’s Eggs Benedict Day! My favorite day of the year.

Okay, so it’s my 48th favorite day of the year. But who’s counting?

I first posted Eggs Benedict here back in 2007. Here’s that post if you’d like to reminisce or see some additional tips:

Eggs Benedict

For the purposes of my new cookbook, I remade and reshot the dish last summer. Here’s an updated tutorial, including a variation at the end.

Happy Hollandaise, everyone!

 

First, poach the eggs: Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a small splash of vinegar. Then you can crack the egg right on in…

 

 

 

Or, what I prefer to do, you can crack eggs into individual ramekins, and carefully pour them in one by one. This decreases the likelihood that the yolk will break and also keeps the eggs all together a little better.

Also: On the water, I take the approach my mom always took, which was to use a spoon to swirl the water into a cyclone right before adding in the eggs. This is considered a little unconventional, though, so if you like to do things by the book you can skip that step.

When the eggs are cooked (but yolks are still soft) remove them with a slotted spoon, dab the underside of the spoon on a kitchen towel to get rid of the excess water, and place the eggs on a plate.

 

 

 

Next up, add egg yolks to a blender. Pulse it a sec to blend them up.

 

 

 

Then, with the blender on, slowly pour in 2 sticks of hot melted butter in a steady stream. As it blends, the sauce will start to thicken and become magical.

 

 

 

Squeeze in the juice of a lemon and blend it well.

 

 

 

This is everything. This is life.

 

 

 

Sprinkle in a little cayenne pepper. You’d miss it if it wasn’t in there. Blend it up to combine.

 

 

 

Toast a bunch of English muffins spread with a little butter…

 

 

 

And top them with slices of Canadian bacon that you’ve lightly browned in a skillet with a little butter.

 

 

 

Lay on a poached egg…

 

 

 

Pour on a good amount of Hollandaise sauce…

 

 

 

Then sprinkle on a little paprika because it’s purty.

 

 

 

This is evil. And it must be destroyed.

 

 

 

I love Eggs Benedict!

 

 

 

You can also make Eggs Florentine! Just wilt a little spinach in a skillet with a little butter and lay it on the English muffin.

 

 

 

Then add the poached egg, Hollandaise, and paprika!

I’ll have one of each, please.

Have a wonderful Eggs Benedict Day, everyone!

 


Recipe: Eggs Benedict

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
 | 
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
 | 
Difficulty: Easy
 | 
Servings: 3

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Ingredients
3 whole English Muffins3 slices Canadian Bacon3 whole Eggs (plus 3 Egg Yolks)2 sticks Butter1 whole Lemon, Juiced Cayenne Pepper To Taste Preparation Instructions

First, bring a pot of water to a boil. While the water’s boiling, place a few English muffins halves and an equal number of Canadian bacon slices on a cookie sheet. Lightly butter the English muffins and place them under the broiler for just a few minutes, or until the English muffins are very lightly golden. Be careful not to dry out the Canadian bacon.

Now if you do not have an egg poacher you can poach your eggs by doing the following: With a spoon, begin stirring the boiling water in a large, circular motion. When the tornado’s really twisting crack in an egg. Or two. Or three. The reason for the swirling is so the egg will wrap around itself as it cook, keeping it together. Cook for about 2 ½ to 3 minutes.

In a small saucepan, melt 2 sticks of butter until sizzling. But don’t let it burn! Separate three eggs and place the yolks into a blender. Turn the blender on low to allow the yolks to combine, then begin pouring the very hot butter in a then stream into the blender. The blender should remain on the whole time, and you should be careful to pour in the butter very slowly. Keep pouring butter until it’s all gone, then immediately begin squeezing lemon juice into the blender. If you are going to add Cayenne pepper this is the point at which you would do that.

Place the English muffins on the plate, face up. Next, place a slice of Canadian bacon on each half. Vegetarian variation: you can omit the Canadian bacon altogether, or you can wilt fresh spinach and place it on the muffins for Eggs Florentine, which is divine in its own right. Place the egg on top of the bacon and then top with a generous helping of Hollandaise sauce.

Note: To ensure that everything is hot at the time when it’s ready to serve plunge the poached eggs back into the hot water just before serving, and make the Hollandaise at the very last minute.

Posted by Ree on June 29 2009

Oatmeal Whoopie Pies

I made these sweet little numbers over the weekend, and they were gone within twenty-four hours. I won't go into detail about who ate how many. The reason for this is that I don't want you to know how many I ate. It would shock the socks right off your feet.

Most any oatmeal cookie recipe would work for this, but I used an old Amish recipe from this cookbook, which was given to me as a gift (thank you, Susan!) when I visited Pennsylvania back in 2009. What I love about whoopie pies are the slightly poufy shape of the two cookie halves, as well as the slightly cakey nature of the cookies themselves; this cookie recipe fits the bill. It was designed specifically for a whoopie pie destiny.

For the filling, though, I went a different way and took two alternate approaches: one took about one second to whip up; the other took a little more time. Both were delicious.

If you wind up trying both, I'll be interested in hearing which you prefer.

 

THE COOKIES

 

Into a bowl of a mixer, measure brown sugar…

 

 

 

Butter…

 

 

 

And shortening. The original recipe actually called for all shortnening, but I wanted to butter it up a bit for flavor. I did leave some shortening, though, to ensure that the cookies didn't totally spread and flatten, and to make sure they remained on the soft side.

 

 

 

Violently cream the heck out of this until it's totally combined.

 

 

 

Then crack in a couple of eggs and mix well.

 

 

 

Next, add salt…

 

 

 

Baking powder…

 

 

 

And cinnamon. Mix it together well.

 

 

 

Then mix together a little boiling water with some baking soda and pour it into the bowl.

 

 

 

Add some flour…

 

 

 

And mix it well. Eat some dough. Do not feel ashamed.

 

 

 

Finally, add in the oats…

 

 

 

And mix it well to combine.

 

 

 

You can use one of these…or you can use parchment.

 

 

 

I used a cookie scoop (leveling it out as I went) to ensure that all the cookies were a consistent size.

 

 

 

Next, just bake 'em at 350 for about 10 minutes until they're nice and golden brown.

 

 

 

Poifect!

 

 

 

Next, just let them cool completely on a rack. I actually made the cookies Saturday and waited to fill them until Sunday. At this time I'll elect not to tell you whether I ate any cookies in the interim.

 

FILLING #1

For Filling #1, I took the easy route.

 

 

 

Is there anything more hopeful than a brand new jar of marshmallow fluff?

 

 

 

I thinketh not.

 

 

 

Just scoop on a small amount.

 

 

 

And press on the second half.

 

 

 

Yum! And lovely. Glossy and white and pure as the driven snow.

 

 

 

Now. Two things about this filling choice:

1. They make the whoopie pies taste exactly—I mean exactly—like Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies.

and

2. After filling them, you need to pop them straight into the freezer to keep the marshmallow creme from oozing. Either that, or just wait until the very last minute (as in, just before everyone's going to eat them) to fill the pies with the fluff. It's in marshmallow fluff's nature to ooze, and ooze it will unless you freeze them.

 

FILLING #2

For the second filling option, I whipped up a batch of That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had, also known as The Original Red Velvet Cake Frosting, which is really a bizarre and delicious cross between a buttercream frosting and a whipped topping. For whoopie pies, I tend to find straight-up frosting way too sweet and heavy. This light, whipped filling is the perfect consistency.

 

To make it, open up your flour bin and find that you've left a measuring cup and a spoon in there.

 

 

 

Measure out five tablespoons of flour…

 

 

 

Then leave the tablespoon in the bin so that the next time you open it, you'll find all three things in there. Repeat the cycle until your flour bin is filled with every metal implement in your kitchen. Vow to change.

 

 

 

Whisk the flour into some milk in a saucepan, then cook it over medium-low heat for a few minutes…

 

 

 

Until the consistency is very, very thick.

 

 

 

*IMPORTANT* Let the mixture cool completely. Then add a little vanilla…

 

 

 

And stir that in until it's all combined.

 

 

 

Beat the living daylights out of some sugar and butter, scraping a couple of times along the way.

 

 

 

Then scrape all the flour/milk mixture into the mixing bowl with the butter and sugar…

 

 

 

And, once again, beat the heck out of it until it's light and whipped and fluffy.

 

 

 

Use a scoop to add a little frosting to a cookie…

 

 

 

And press a second cookie on top. These are fine at room temperature or in the fridge, and they were my kids' faves.

As for me, I'm hard pressed to decide which filling option I preferred. I love the Best Frosting I've Ever Had option, but the marshmallow fluff really was yummy—not to mention extremely quick and easy. Its ooze factor is the only downside; in terms of taste, it's a Little Debbie clone!

Enjoy these, guys, whatever filling option you use! My kids, Marlboro Man, and I loved them.

Here's the printable:

 


Recipe: Oatmeal Whoopie Pies

Prep Time: 1 Hour
 | 
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
 | 
Difficulty: Easy
 | 
Servings: 18

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Ingredients
Cookies:2 cups Brown Sugar1/2 cup Butter, Softened1/4 cup Shortening (Crisco)2 whole Eggs1/2 teaspoon Salt1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon1 teaspoon Baking Powder3 Tablespoons Boiling Water1 teaspoon Baking Soda2-1/2 cups Flour2 cups Quick Oats FILLING OPTION #1 Marshmallow Creme FILLING OPTION #25 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour1 cup Milk1 teaspoon Vanilla1 cup Butter1 cup Granulated Sugar Preparation Instructions

*Cookie recipe adapted from The Best of Amish Cooking, by Phyllis Pellman Good.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream brown sugar, butter, and shortening. Add eggs and mix. Add salt, cinnamon, and baking powder and mix. Mix baking soda and boiling water, then add to the bowl and mix. Add flour and oatmeal and mix well.

Scoop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets so that you have rounded heaping teaspoons. Bake for 10 minutes, being careful not to burn. Remove from oven, transfer to a cooling rack, and let the cookies cool completely.

FILLING #1

Scoop small amounts of marshmallow fluff onto cookies, then press a second cookie on top. Freeze immediately if not serving right away, or serve right after filling (fluff will ooze.)

FILLING #2

(That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had, by MissyDew.)

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it's very thick. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You don't want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. If it looks separated, you haven't beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.

Scoop a small amount onto cookies, pressing a second cookie on top.

Posted by Ree on April 11 2012

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Happy Day-After-Easter! How was your weekend? Did you dye Easter eggs? Did you eat chocolate? Did you eat ham? What's your social security number?

Just kidding on that last part.

But speaking of Easter ham: they're scrumptious, aren't they? Whoever invented ham should be sainted. I mean canonized. And I don't really mean that; it's just a figure of speech. It's my own special way of saying this: I like ham.

The thing about Easter hams, though, is that they're enormous. And you often have a slew leftover.

This is one of my—but most definitely my kids'—favorite way to use up leftover ham. (Or any ham, for that matter.) They could eat this weekly for the rest of their lives.

 

Thoroughly wash, scrub, bathe, massage, and manicure three pounds of potatoes. Russets are best, but Yukon Golds work swimmingly as well.

Plus, they're purty.

 

 

 

Grab some of that there Easter ham.

Or any ham.

 

 

 

Cut it into strips…

 

 

 

Then dice it on up.

 

 

 

Dice up an onion, too. Have a good, cleansing cry while you're at it.

 

 

 

Then grab a couple of tablespoons of butter. It'll make everything all better.

 

 

 

Measure some half-and-half and heavy cream in a pitcher, then nuke it in the microwave (how else would you nuke something, Ree?) for a minute or so, just to warm it up a bit. Then add 1/4 cup of flour…

 

 

 

A little bit of salt (definitely go easy on the salt since there's both cheese and ham in the dish)…

 

 

 

And plenty of pepper.

 

 

 

Just whisk it together so it's all combined.

 

 

 

Grate up some cheese. I used regular and white cheddar, but cheddar and Monterey Jack is a great combination.

 

 

 

Melt the butter in a skillet, then throw in the chopped onions…

 

 

 

Stir it around and cook it for a minute or two…

 

 

 

Then throw in the diced ham…

 

 

 

And cook it around for another two or three minutes till it's all heated up. Remove it from heat and set it aside.

 

 

 

Meet My Monstrous Mandoline. (That should be a title of a horror movie.) I've had it since the dark ages. Well, the nineties anyway. If you have a mandoline, great…but you can also use a Japanese slicer (sold in lots of supermarkets these days) if you have access to one. The idea is to slice the potatoes as thinly as you can, so if you don't have a slicer, you'll definitely need a sharp knife.

 

 

 

Slice up the potatoes…

 

 

 

Till you have a bunch of 1/8-inch slices.

And now. A note. To help the potatoes along, you can plunge the slices into boiling water for a few minutes just to start the cooking process. Drain them, then go ahead with the assembly process.

And now. Another note. I'm too lazy to do this most of the time. I just try to bake the casserole long enough for the potatoes to bake on their own. But if you have the time, the motivation, the inclination, or the intestinal fortitude, go ahead and boil 'em first.

 

 

 

When you're ready to assemble the casserole, butter a big ol' baking dish.

 

 

 

Layer a third of the potato slices in the pan…

 

 

 

Followed by a third of the ham/onion mixture, a third of the cheese, and a third of the cream mixture.

 

 

 

Repeat with another layer of potatoes, another layer of ham…

 

 

 

Another layer of cheese, and another third of the cream mixture.

 

 

 

End with a final layer of potatoes…

 

 

 

A final layer of ham…

 

 

 

A final layer of cheese…

 

 

 

And the rest of the liquid!

Note that I went easy on the cheese amount in this recipe, so you shouldn't expect a thick layer of cheese each time. Same with the ham—just a sprinkling!

 

 

 

Sprinkle the top with a little more pepper…

 

 

 

Then cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake it at 350 for 40 minutes.

 

 

 

After that time, take off the foil and bake it for another 20 minutes or so, until it's nice and bubbly and hot and perfect.

 

 

 

Like this!

 

 

 

Cut it into squares to serve it up.

 

 

 

And sprinkle the top with chopped parsley.

Yum…and yum!

Enjoy this, guys. It's scrumptious.

 


Recipe: Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
 | 
Cook Time: 1 Hour
 | 
Difficulty: Easy
 | 
Servings: 12

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Ingredients
3 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes, Washed Thoroughly2 Tablespoons Butter1 whole Yellow Onion, Diced3 cups Diced Ham1-1/2 cup Half-and-half1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream1/4 cup Flour Black Pepper To Taste1 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese1 cup Grated Monterey Jack Cheese Chopped Parsley (optional) Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a large casserole dish.

Heat butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they start to turn translucent. Add ham and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine half-and-half and cream in a microwave-safe container and nuke for a minute or so, until no longer cold. Whisk in flour and black pepper until totally combined. Set aside. (You may add salt, but cheese and ham are salty, so add sparingly.)

Combine the two grated cheeses. Set aside.

Using a mandoline or slicer, slice potatoes into 1/8-inch slices (very thin.) Layer 1/3 of the potato slices in the buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle on 1/3 of the ham/onion mixture, then 1/3 of the cheese, then pour on 1/3 of the cream mixture.

Repeat this twice more, ending with a sprinkling of cheese and a pouring on of the rest of the cream mixture. Cover dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes at least, or until bubbly and hot.

Cut into squares and serve. Sprinkle on chopped parsley if you'd like!

(Note: To speed along the process a bit, you may boil sliced potatoes for 3 to 5 minutes before assembling the casserole. Just drain and slightly cool before assembling.)

Posted by Ree on April 8 2012

Happy Spring (Winners Announced!)

The winners of the KitchenAid mixers are:

#613 Isa: "I'll be celebrating Passover this evening with my family at my parent's house! They host it every year as a tradition. We have about 20 people coming, and since the weather is nice in Birmingham, we will be eating and having our Seder outside on the deck tonight!"

#16505 Melinda: "Tonight I'm making a white cake with Easter peeps allaround the base! Then we have an Easter Egg hunt in the morning with the kids, then we'll celebrate my nephew's birthday. Sunday we'll let the kids enjoy their baskets, then go to church, and then spend the afternoon with a large gathering of family eating and enjoying each other."

#20928 Lori: "Spending time with family and friends and enjoying nice weather."

Congrats, winners! Contact prizes@thepioneerwoman.com to claim your mixers.

See you tomorrow with a new recipe, guys! Hope you've had a great weekend.

-P-Dub

 

Today, because it's spring…

Because it's a holiday weekend…

And because I love ya, I'm giving away three of these KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixers in this pretty springy color.

You'll love this mixer. It'll take you far in life.

To enter the giveaway, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:

"What are your plans this weekend?"

Are you visiting family? Having family your house? Hosting a Seder? Dyeing Easter eggs? Spring cleaning? Gardening?

Just shout out your weekend plans and you're automatically entered to win the mixer.

THE RULES

One entry per person, pretty please.

Winners will be selected at random and announced Sunday night.

Good luck and have a wonderful weekend, guys!

Love,

P-Dub

Contest sponsored by Pioneer Woman with cooperation from CHEF'S Catalog.

Happy Spring

Today, because it's spring…

Because it's a holiday weekend…

And because I love ya, I'm giving away three of these KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixers in this pretty springy color.

You'll love this mixer. It'll take you far in life.

To enter the giveaway, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:

"What are your plans this weekend?"

Are you visiting family? Having family your house? Hosting a Seder? Dyeing Easter eggs? Spring cleaning? Gardening?

Just shout out your weekend plans and you're automatically entered to win the mixer.

THE RULES

One entry per person, pretty please.

Winners will be selected at random and announced Sunday night.

Good luck and have a wonderful weekend, guys!

Love,

P-Dub

Contest sponsored by Pioneer Woman with cooperation from CHEF'S Catalog.

Simple Scrumptious Grilled Chicken + Grillin’ Recipe Contest

I said it yesterday: Summer’s just around the corner. Time for me to work on my deep bronzy tan, fish my scuba suit out of the attic and go spearfishing for large mouth bass!

Wait. What?

Let me start over.

Summer’s just around the corner, and as I explained yesterday, I’m teaming up with Bush’s Grillin’ Beans again this year to host another big recipe contest and cookout on the ranch.

A reminder of the details:

 

CONTEST DETAILS

Now through May 4, submit your very best original recipe for grilled chicken, steak, chops, shrimp, etc. in the Comments section of this post. (Note: No burgers or hot dogs, please.) Recipes should be relatively easy to prepare and use accessible, widely-available ingredients, and be served with one of the seven flavors of Bush’s Grillin’ Beans (Note: Please mention which flavor should be served with your recipe.) Four winners will be chosen to travel to the ranch in June with the guest of their choice, prepare their recipes on camera, and enjoy a cookout in the Oklahoma countryside.

 

SCHEDULE

April 2 – May 4: Submit your grilled entrée recipes! To submit, enter your grilling recipe and favorite flavor of Bush’s Grillin’ Beans in the Comments section of this post. See here for choices.

**IMPORTANT: Please read Recipe Requirements in the Official Rules.**

May 17: Four winners will be announced. Arrangements will be made for the four winners (and one guest each) to travel to the ranch for the video production and the cookout.

June 2: The cookout! Winners prepare their recipes on camera, and then we’ll all enjoy a cookout on the ranch.

June 2: We all have a blast.

June 2: We all ride horses.

June 2: Ree does the dishes.

So if you’re able to spend a weekend in Oklahoma this June, share your favorite grilled entrée recipe for a chance to win!

Seriously awesome recipes have already been submitted. Check some of them out here.

 

GRILLING RECIPE #1: Simple, Scrumptious Grilled Chicken

And now…here’s my first grilling recipe submission. It goes without saying that I’m…um…not eligible to win the recipe contest. Ha. I sorta already live here! But I’m going for it anyway.

Grilled chicken is good and all, but it can be bland and boring and purposeless if you’re not careful. This chicken recipe turns the tables. Like, totally. The marinade is savory, and the sauce is sweet, spicy, savory, and divine.

Oh, and there’s bacon involved.

 

Begin by slicing chicken breasts into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide.

 

 

 

Throw the balsamic, olive oil, brown sugar, and steak seasoning into a large zipper bag.

 

 

 

Throw in the chicken strips…

 

 

 

Then seal the bag and marinate the chicken for at least three hours—overnight is best!

 

 

 

After the chicken has marinated, get a small skillet and throw in the bacon. Fry it until it’s nice and crisp, then remove it from the skillet and let it drain on paper towels.

Try with all your might not to eat the bacon once it’s fried. Thank you for your cooperation.

 

 

 

Pour off and discard all the fat, but do not clean the skillet. Then, while the pan is still hot, add the Worcestershire…

 

 

 

Hot sauce…

 

 

 

And honey.

 

 

 

Swirl it around and let the sauce heat up, and thicken just a bit…

 

 

 

Then throw in the bacon and stir it to combine. Remove the pan from heat and set aside.

 

 

 

Next, remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the bag) and grill the chicken until it’s done. Please note that when I made this recipe a few weeks ago, it was not summer. Therefore, I had to use the indoor grill. Don’t be like me.

 

 

 

After the chicken is cooked, throw it into a big bowl with the sauce and toss it all around. Totally scrumptious…and sorry about the quality of this photo. Holding a cast iron skillet in one hand and a camera in the other, it turns out, is slightly challenging.

 

 

 

To serve with the chicken: Bush’s Sweet Mesquite Grillin’ Beans.

 

 

 

Crack open a couple of cans and heat ‘em up in a pan. Muy bonita!

 

 

 

Serve up a small pile of chicken…

 

 

 

And serve with a heaping helping of beans.

Enjoy!

Love, P-Dub

Recipe: Simple, Scrumptious Grilled Chicken

Prep Time: 3 Hours
 | 
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
 | 
Difficulty: Easy
 | 
Servings: 6

Print Recipe
3"x5" Cards
4"x6" Cards
Full Page



Ingredients
6 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts MARINADE:1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar1 cup Olive Oil3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar2 Tablespoons Steak Seasoning (I Used Montreal) Sauce:1 cup Honey8 pieces Thick Cut Bacon, Diced3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce2 cans Bush’s Sweet Mesquite Grillin’ Beans Preparation Instructions

Slice the chicken breasts into thick strips diagonally. Combine marinade ingredients in a plastic zipper bag. Throw in chicken, seal bag, and marinate in fridge for at least 3 hours.

Make the sauce: Fry the diced bacon in a heavy skillet until slightly crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Pour off and discard grease but do not clean skillet. Set the skillet over medium-low heat and add honey, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Stir to combine and allow to bubble slightly. Stir in bacon, then remove from heat and set aside.

Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Grill chicken on both sides until completely done.

Place into a big heatproof bowl, then pour the sauce over the chicken. Toss to coat.

Serve with Bush’s Sweet Mesquite Grillin’ Beans!

Posted by Ree on April 3 2012

Now go share your favorite grilling recipes for a chance to win. The recipes so far are making me very, very hungry.

(Here are the Official Rules.)

Simple Scrumptious Grilled Chicken + Grillin' Recipe Contest

I said it yesterday: Summer's just around the corner. Time for me to work on my deep bronzy tan, fish my scuba suit out of the attic and go spearfishing for large mouth bass!

Wait. What?

Let me start over.

Summer's just around the corner, and as I explained yesterday, I'm teaming up with Bush's Grillin' Beans again this year to host another big recipe contest and cookout on the ranch.

A reminder of the details:

 

CONTEST DETAILS

Now through May 4, submit your very best original recipe for grilled chicken, steak, chops, shrimp, etc. in the Comments section of this post. (Note: No burgers or hot dogs, please.) Recipes should be relatively easy to prepare and use accessible, widely-available ingredients, and be served with one of the seven flavors of Bush's Grillin' Beans (Note: Please mention which flavor should be served with your recipe.) Four winners will be chosen to travel to the ranch in June with the guest of their choice, prepare their recipes on camera, and enjoy a cookout in the Oklahoma countryside.

 

SCHEDULE

April 2 – May 4: Submit your grilled entrée recipes! To submit, enter your grilling recipe and favorite flavor of Bush's Grillin' Beans in the Comments section of this post. See here for choices.

**IMPORTANT: Please read Recipe Requirements in the Official Rules.**

May 17: Four winners will be announced. Arrangements will be made for the four winners (and one guest each) to travel to the ranch for the video production and the cookout.

June 2: The cookout! Winners prepare their recipes on camera, and then we'll all enjoy a cookout on the ranch.

June 2: We all have a blast.

June 2: We all ride horses.

June 2: Ree does the dishes.

So if you're able to spend a weekend in Oklahoma this June, share your favorite grilled entrée recipe for a chance to win!

Seriously awesome recipes have already been submitted. Check some of them out here.

 

GRILLING RECIPE #1: Simple, Scrumptious Grilled Chicken

And now…here's my first grilling recipe submission. It goes without saying that I'm…um…not eligible to win the recipe contest. Ha. I sorta already live here! But I'm going for it anyway.

Grilled chicken is good and all, but it can be bland and boring and purposeless if you're not careful. This chicken recipe turns the tables. Like, totally. The marinade is savory, and the sauce is sweet, spicy, savory, and divine.

Oh, and there's bacon involved.

 

Begin by slicing chicken breasts into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide.

 

 

 

Throw the balsamic, olive oil, brown sugar, and steak seasoning into a large zipper bag.

 

 

 

Throw in the chicken strips…

 

 

 

Then seal the bag and marinate the chicken for at least three hours—overnight is best!

 

 

 

After the chicken has marinated, get a small skillet and throw in the bacon. Fry it until it's nice and crisp, then remove it from the skillet and let it drain on paper towels.

Try with all your might not to eat the bacon once it's fried. Thank you for your cooperation.

 

 

 

Pour off and discard all the fat, but do not clean the skillet. Then, while the pan is still hot, add the Worcestershire…

 

 

 

Hot sauce…

 

 

 

And honey.

 

 

 

Swirl it around and let the sauce heat up, and thicken just a bit…

 

 

 

Then throw in the bacon and stir it to combine. Remove the pan from heat and set aside.

 

 

 

Next, remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the bag) and grill the chicken until it's done. Please note that when I made this recipe a few weeks ago, it was not summer. Therefore, I had to use the indoor grill. Don't be like me.

 

 

 

After the chicken is cooked, throw it into a big bowl with the sauce and toss it all around. Totally scrumptious…and sorry about the quality of this photo. Holding a cast iron skillet in one hand and a camera in the other, it turns out, is slightly challenging.

 

 

 

To serve with the chicken: Bush's Sweet Mesquite Grillin' Beans.

 

 

 

Crack open a couple of cans and heat 'em up in a pan. Muy bonita!

 

 

 

Serve up a small pile of chicken…

 

 

 

And serve with a heaping helping of beans.

Enjoy!

Love, P-Dub

Recipe: Simple, Scrumptious Grilled Chicken

Prep Time: 3 Hours
 | 
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
 | 
Difficulty: Easy
 | 
Servings: 6

Print Recipe
3"x5" Cards
4"x6" Cards
Full Page



Ingredients
6 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts MARINADE:1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar1 cup Olive Oil3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar2 Tablespoons Steak Seasoning (I Used Montreal) Sauce:1 cup Honey8 pieces Thick Cut Bacon, Diced3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce2 cans Bush's Sweet Mesquite Grillin' Beans Preparation Instructions

Slice the chicken breasts into thick strips diagonally. Combine marinade ingredients in a plastic zipper bag. Throw in chicken, seal bag, and marinate in fridge for at least 3 hours.

Make the sauce: Fry the diced bacon in a heavy skillet until slightly crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Pour off and discard grease but do not clean skillet. Set the skillet over medium-low heat and add honey, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Stir to combine and allow to bubble slightly. Stir in bacon, then remove from heat and set aside.

Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Grill chicken on both sides until completely done.

Place into a big heatproof bowl, then pour the sauce over the chicken. Toss to coat.

Serve with Bush's Sweet Mesquite Grillin' Beans!

Posted by Ree on April 3 2012

Now go share your favorite grilling recipes for a chance to win. The recipes so far are making me very, very hungry.

(Here are the Official Rules.)

Big Recipe Contest + Cookout at the Ranch

The sun is shining, the grass is turning greener, and summer is just around the corner! I need to go wax my surfboard.

Except I live in Oklahoma.

Never mind.

Ahh…summer. To me it means gardening. Tomatoes. Sunflowers. Getting up at 4:00 to get the kids ready to work cattle…

Wait. Maybe I'm not ready for summer.

 

Summer also means it's time to fire up the grill! And after the great time we had last summer, I'm working with Bush's Grillin' Beans again on another awesome grilling recipe contest.

First, I'll be sharing a handful of new grilling recipes here on PW Cooks.

Second, and more exciting, I'm having a recipe contest to find four of the very best grilled entrée recipes in the west (or the east…or the north…or anywhere.) Winners of the recipe contest (along with a guest of their choice) will come to the ranch for a weekend this June, prepare their winning recipes on camera…then we'll all party together and throw a cookout on the ranch.

I'll do the dishes!

It'll be a total blast. We all had such a good time (and ate so much great food) last summer. Here's the link to the winning recipes and videos from last year's contest:

 

Summer 2010 Winning Recipes & Cookout Videos

It really was such a fun time.

I loved it.

 

CONTEST DETAILS

Starting today, submit your very best original recipe for grilled chicken, steak, chops, shrimp, etc. in the Comments section of this post. (Note: No burgers or hot dogs, please.) Recipes should be relatively easy to prepare and use accessible, widely-available ingredients, and be served with one of the seven flavors of Bush's Grillin' Beans (Note: Please mention which flavor should be served with your recipe.) Four winners will be chosen to travel to the ranch in June with the guest of their choice, prepare their recipes on camera, and enjoy a cookout in the Oklahoma countryside.

 

SCHEDULE

April 2 – May 4: Submit your grilled entrée recipes! To submit, enter your grilling recipe and favorite flavor of Bush's Grillin' Beans in the Comments section of this post. See here for choices.

**IMPORTANT: Please read Recipe Requirements in the Official Rules.**

May 17: Four winners will be announced. Arrangements will be made for the four winners (and one guest each) to travel to the ranch for the video production and the cookout.

June 2: The cookout! Winners prepare their recipes on camera, and then we'll all enjoy a cookout on the ranch.

June 2: We all have a blast.

June 2: We all ride horses.

June 2: Ree does the dishes.

So if you're able to spend a weekend in Oklahoma this June, share your favorite grilled entrée recipe for a chance to win!

I'll post a new recipe tomorrow…but to kick things off, here are a few tips before you fire up the grill.

 

10 GRILLIN' TIPS

1. Go Big, Baby! Grill thicker cuts of meat. If you need to grill a thinner cut (e.g., flank steak) be prepared to grill the meat for a very short time, around a minute or two per side.

2. Soak wooden skewers in water before threading chicken, steak, pork, veggies, or shrimp. This will help keep the skewers from totally disintegrating over the open flame!

3. Use long-handled tools and heavy duty gloves to protect your precious forearms from the blaze.

4. Lose the Fat: Trim meats of excess fat. Marbling throughout the meat is fine, of course, but cut off excess chunks of fat to avoid spattering. (My dogs love this tip.)

5. Use a meat thermometer to ensure your cuts of meat (especially chicken and pork) reach the right internal temperature. Say goodbye to the guesswork!

6. Don't Hate – Marinate. Marinate chicken, steak and chops ahead of time to ensure extra scrumptiousness. This'll ensure not only lots of flavor, but more moisture, too. (Be sure to refrigerate as they're marinating.)

7. Never leave your wingman. I mean grill. If you're grilling for a party, it's easy to get distracted and get swept up in conversation. But if you're manning the grill, man the grill, man. It'll ensure your food doesn't burn…but it'll also ensure any kids on the scene won't accidentally get hurt.

8. Dress in cool clothes and have a bottle of water nearby. In the heat of summer, standing over a hot grill is like standing in an inferno. If you fainted, it would be a total buzzkill.

9. Use the grill to heat up sides in a heavy, ovenproof pan. Take advantage of the indirect heat on the sides of the grill to heat up pots of beans to serve with your grilled main courses. Just make sure your pot can handle the heat!

10. Keep it clean, baby! Cleaning your grill regularly will ensure that your cuts of meat will always taste good and that your life—at least your grilling life—will run smoothly.

Feel free to start submitting your recipes now! Be sure to read the recipe requirements here.