The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime - Ree Drummond - 400 pages
So, I don't usually read cookbooks cover to cover, but I like Ree's blogger style; that's were she started, so this isn't a book that's just page after page of recipe with no explanation or context. She tells the story of each recipe with humor, levity, and humility, plus a huge side of gorgeously rich photography. I only buy cookbooks with lots of pictures, but this one blew the holy cheddar cheese wheel out of pretty much everything else on my shelf. It is, in a trite and overused word: GORGEOUS! The layouts are fantastic and feature step-by-step photos, the recipes are doable for a home cook but rich and relatable, and mingled in between those recipes is the story of her family and their lives on the ranch. Little details make the relevant content pop: scrollwork borders, floral accents, nature photos and silly captions. The recipes are great, and the delivery is just as engaging as the food.
Included here are strategies for maximizing your pantry potential, plan-ahead components and meals that freeze for emergencies and sharing, side and main dishes offering a wide variety of culinary tastes (Asian to all-American), soups, salads, and suggestions at the end of each recipe for what recipes play nicely with it from the rest of the book. Between the authoring and editing, this book was really well thought out, and it's organized in a way that's simple and accessible. Yee haw, Ree!
