My name is Ree. Some folks know me as 'The Pioneer Woman.' After years of living in Los Angeles I made a pit stop in my hometown in Oklahoma on the way to a new exciting life in Chicago. It was during my stay at home that I met Marlboro Man a mysterious cowboy with steely blue eyes and a muscular work-honed body. A strict vegetarian I fell hard and fast and before I knew it we were married and living on his ranch in the middle of nowhere taking care of animals and managing a brood of four young children. I had no idea how I'd wound up there but I knew it was exactly where I belonged. The Pioneer Woman Cooks is a homespun collection of photography rural stories and scrumptious recipes that have defined my experience in the country. I share many of the delicious cowboy-tested recipes I've learned to make during my years as an accidental ranch wife—including Rib-Eye Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce Lasagna Fried Chicken Patsy's Blackberry Cobbler and Cinnamon Rolls—not to mention several 'cowgirl-friendly' dishes such as Sherried Tomato Soup Olive Cheese Bread and CrÈme BrÛlÉe. I show my recipes in full color step-by-step detail so it's as easy as pie to follow along. You'll also find colorful images of rural life: cows horses country kids and plenty of chaps-wearing cowboys. I hope you get a kick out of this book of mine. I hope it makes you smile. I hope the recipes bring you recognition accolades and marriage proposals. And I hope it encourages even the most harried urban cook to slow down relish the joys of family nature and great food and enjoy life.