Tuesday, February 23, 2010

I'm psyched for the chicken-fried steak

Someone sent me this book a few weeks ago and I immediately sat down and read it cover-to-cover. It's a charming, scrapbooky volume that sucks you in with the gorgeous photography and anecdotal sidebars. I find even the recipes -- some of which are on the Pioneer Woman site, some of which aren't -- fun to read. When Isabel saw it she had the same response and told me I had to cook from it it next. She asks very little from me, so I agreed.

Yesterday, for my birthday, my mother bought me a copy of Michael Pollan's Food Rules. Rule rule #41: Eat more like the French. Or the Japanese. Or the Greeks. 

What he really meant, but was too polite to say: Don't eat like the Oklahomans. Under any circumstances. Ever. I have scoured Pioneer Woman Cooks, and it contains nary a recipe that doesn't break some food rule or another. Except maybe the salsa. Everything is swimming in heavy cream or fortified with ground beef or drenched in icing. Apparently, the Marlboro Man doesn't like vegetables or fish, so Ree Drummond simply doesn't cook them. They seem to have an unusually happy marriage. It makes a person think.

Last night, I served Drummond's meat loaf,  a mighty 12-inch ziggurat molded from ground chuck, milk-soaked bread and Parmesan cheese that is then wrapped in bacon and slathered in sweetened ketchup and baked. Fabulous. Owen ate an enormous wedge. My own Marlboro Man almost kissed my feet. It was very awkward.

I owe a final review of Moro. Coming soon.

16 comments:

  1. Yeah! My two fav bloggers cook off!

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  2. Her spring pasta ("for your women-friends only") has veggies and is awesome. As many veggies are in it I'm sure it breaks food rules too. But, YUM.

    This should be a fun break for you in a way. And I'll bet your husband and hers share a lot of food rules of their own!

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  3. I have to admit I compulsively check tipsybaker and pioneerwoman for updates. When I typed tipsy and up came pioneer, I did a double-take! I've only made one thing from Pioneer Woman - the chocolate cake. It had an INSANE amount of butter but it really was fantastic.

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  4. Tipsy Baker, did you know that Pioneer Woman is one of the most popular bloggers on the Internet?

    I wish someone would blog through a healthy cookbook, like this

    http://www.amazon.com/Food-You-Crave-Luscious-Recipes/dp/1600850219/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266975862&sr=1-9

    or this:

    http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Light-Desserts-Fabulous-Calories/dp/0060779292/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266976022&sr=1-23

    both of which I own).

    I'm currently following a blog circle that is cooking through Rose's Heavenly Cakes. I love reading it, but I swear I've been gaining weight by just reading the stuff.

    http://heavenlycakeplace.blogspot.com/

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  5. The meatloaf worked great in a sandwich the next day. Looking forward to the chocolate cake, and to taking up smoking in the great outdoors.

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  6. You mean PW's crash hot potatoes doesn't count as a vegetable :). My husband loves them!

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  7. I've been wondering about this book. I'm torn, because I hates a celebrity cookbook, but I guess since her celebrity is partly due to her recipes it's okay. Plus I've made a few of her recipes, and they have been smashing. Please examine it carefully for us! I'm mainly concerned that there will be a bunch of fake ingredients in there.

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  8. Hmmm... my husband doesn't like fish or vegetables either. Maybe I should give her another try.

    I've tried a few of her recipes from her blog, and while some are amazing (roasted acorn squash!), some are just too rich and heavy (personally, I didn't care for the chocolate cake).

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  9. Oh I would have been equally excited if the same had landed in my mailbox!

    I heard about your blog through a podcast ages ago and have loved it since. I've left an award for you at mine...all the way from Sydney Australia!

    http://areyouhungary.blogspot.com/2010/02/virtual-pass-parcel.html

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  10. Oh my gosh. You are probably one of the best food writers I have come across. I LOVE your style... so unique and full of wit and charm!! Plus, it seems to me that you have some mad cooking skills. Wanna be besties? :)

    I am going to love hanging around here...

    Blessings-
    Amanda

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