If you couldn’t tell, one of my self-soothing methods in Trump’s America is watching HGTV, The Cooking Channel and the Food Network. To be fair, I’ve always been able to calm myself and de-stress by watching cooking shows, no matter who is president. I just like it – there’s something therapeutic about watching a meal come together at the hands of a professional or amateur chef. As such, I do tend to defend my favorite TV chefs and I have very involved opinions about them. So what do I think of Ree Drummond, aka “The Pioneer Woman”? Not much. Her cooking show is okay but I never binge-watch the marathons, mostly because I don’t relate to her food (she mostly cooks for her enormous family) and I think she’s kind of annoying and sugary.
Ree lives in Oklahoma with her real cowboy husband and their pack of kids (all of whom are home-schooled). And in case you couldn’t tell, people are really trying to make Ree into the next big thing for that certain demographic, and that’s why she’s on the cover of People Mag. There are a lot of people who want The Pioneer Woman to become the next Duck Dynasty/Paula Deen/Fixer Upper/Duggar Family reality breakout, and I mean that in a “she’s super-conservative but not-in-your-face about it” way. Anyway, here are some highlights from Ree’s People Magazine cover exclusive:
Growing up in Oklahoma: “I always thought, ‘There’s a big, huge world out there beyond this.’ When I was young, I wanted to be an actress. I had no idea what that meant, but I just thought it sounded fun.”
She moved to LA for college: She went to USC in Los Angeles—a city that she says she “inhaled,” with nights out on Sunset Strip, tasting exotic cuisine and running through a string of boyfriends. “I would describe myself during that time as extremely fun-loving and not focused at all,” she says with a laugh. “I just wanted non-stop action when I was young. I just wanted to go, go, go.”
She met her husband, Ladd, in a Oklahoma bar: So when Drummond fell in love with a cowboy named Ladd, who she met in a smoky bar during a post-California pit stop back in her hometown, she surprised more than just herself. “I didn’t even know any cowboys growing up. When my friends heard that I was marrying a cattle rancher and moving to the country, they literally could not believe it,” she says. “They started calling me the Pioneer Woman as a joke.”
Rural Americans are not small-minded: “I think a common misconception about a small town in rural America is that everyone believes the same way, and nothing could be further from the truth. I remember living in Los Angeles and coming home and eating lunch with my grandmother and her friends and just thinking, ‘Oh! Their worlds are so small.’ After I moved back and actually started having regular lunches with them, I realized they were this amazing, dynamic group of women who got together and would debate issues.”
The gist of this is that she’s got a new cookbook coming out in a month and she’s just promoting it. But it certainly feels like people are really pushing her to be the Next Big Thing. Especially in the wake of Chip and Joanna Gaines leaving Fixer Upper/HGTV. I guess there’s a quiet hunger for reality programming that is seen as “family friendly” and “conservative.” Personally, I wish HGTV would invest more in Farmhouse Rules, which is quickly becoming my favorite after The Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten).
I’m also shocked that People Mag didn’t put Prince Harry & Meghan on the cover this week! They only got a sidebar. Hm.
Cover courtesy of People, photo courtesy of Instagram.
I’ve never heard of her and for a second I thought People decided to start a social movement and put non-celebrity people who are doing something amazing on the cover! You know, like surgeons and scientists? LoL
But she is just another TV star.
I can’t deal with her at all and her fake stepford farmlife. I was introduced to her blog many years ago by a cousin who thought it was just amazing and her living this ideal life, and all she was doing was exoticizing her stupid husband’s farm skillz and doing rich people rural life pRon. she’s icky and fake.
She keeps talking about her life like she’s Laura Ingalls but isn’t her husband super rich? Like, she wasn’t throwing bales of hay or anything which is what she pretends to be.
She terrifies me and I have no idea why.
She’s like a stepford wife. Happy gal who never stops smiling even when speaking, I mean never. Her food is basic but okay I guess. She describes everything she makes as yummy, a word that shouldn’t be overused, especially if you’re over ten. *I just looked up at her pic, and it’s not a full smile, people make liars outta you every time!!!!*
She is the kind of person who needs to stay far away from me in the morning. That peppy cheer makes me very willing to do jail time for assault.
Yep, a happy, peppy person. At night when the Marlboro Man goes to sleep and her perfect house on the prairie is calm and quiet, she probably runs to the cellar and has a bottle of Hennessy neatly hidden under the potato sack! Now we know why she’s so happpppy!!!!!
Yeah I don’t think she can help the fact that she’s incredibly perky and annoying.
I have friends like this on social media that drive me nuts. They post pics of family vacations or a pie they just baked and everything is #happyfamily #bakedwithlove #familyadventures #bestjobintheworld #lovemylife etc.
VOM.
Also, the food she makes is not healthy and not particularly creative, but I suppose her recipes appeal to busy moms.
Kitten
“Also, the food she makes is not healthy and not particularly creative, but I suppose her recipes appeal to busy moms.”
Oh god. I’m not a mom at all (unless we’re counting the animals – then I’m a busy mom of 2 cats a dog, and some fish that I struggle to keep alive) but give me something that just tastes GOOD, isn’t super hard to do, isn’t super time consuming, and I’ll probably love it. I’m not going to eat garbage food ALL the time – but some days you just want something kind of junky. I also grew up with a lot of great aunts, and a grandmother that could cook such AMAZING home cooked, huge, dinners – which is probably why I still feel like I need to eat like that at times. I kind of don’t want to look up her recipes because of that though – it sounds dangerous.
She seems really perky – kind of annoying, but like you I know quite a few people like that – and it’s not always an act. Sometimes people are just genuinely that perky and happy. Which I don’t really get – I’m much more of the sarcastic, realistic type, but whatever. I do appreciate that she sounds like she really enjoyed her more ‘wild’ days – at least in this interview she’s not saying ‘oh I hated that life’ or the usual shamey type statements. I don’t know about other things she’s said because this is the first I’ve heard of her.
Also – for anyone interested in something cool/amusing – Binging with Babish on youtube. Super interesting channels – recreating food from tv shows or movies. Any It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans out there will love the one he did with “rum ham”, “riot punch”, “fight milk”, “grilled Charlie”, and “milk steak”. He makes the gross – likely accurate version as well as an edible version of all of them.
@Erinn- Her food definitely fits the bill in terms of easy and tastes good. I was thinking “moms” mainly because she makes large volume recipes, geared for a family of 5 or 6.
I’ve made a couple of her pies and I made a savory stew thing that was pretty good. But yeah a lot of the stuff she makes I stay away from because it’s not good for me.
Not that there’s anything wrong with a treat or even several treats but I can’t be baking pies or cookies every week because I’ll just eat it all, even when I bake it for my BF, like that fucking banana bread I make for him. .\/.
@Kitten
I am not sure if you saw my post saying I was glad you liked the restaurant. It made me hungry to go. I hope you had fun.
@Nancy
That is the thing. Women like her are usually hiding something naughty and shocking behind those smiles. I don’t trust them.
I can’t relate to women whose entire reason for living is to be the perfect Mom and only like hanging around with the Mommy Mafia. Every FB post is #perfect, and they are Stepford Moms and judgy as hell. If you aren’t a Mom, you can’t be part of the Mommy Mafia and feel superior to women who aren’t Moms or worse they are “bad” Moms. She seems like she would be a judgy passive-aggressive leader of the Mommy Mafia/Mean Girls.
True confession. I watched her show once 6 or 7 years ago with my kids. I think her daughter was having a sleepover and it was all cheerful country perfection and baked French toast etc. I kid you not, my 4-year-old said absentmindedly, “I wish she was my mom.”
My kid adores me! But all that syrupy sweetness was irresistible.
@Magnolia-It was sooo good! For whatever reason we had a bit of trouble finding it (I blame the beerfest lol) but when we found it we were the happiest people ever. So freaking good.
And now I want some too!
My dad calls her Smiley, lol. She is creepy.
There are people in the world who are just like that. Part of it may be an act, but I’ve known several people who are just as sickeningly cheerful as she is. It’s almost nauseating and you can’t quite believe they’re real but they are.
I’ve used some of her recipes, or at least bits of them, when I’m looking to make yummy comfort food that I’m not super familiar with preparing. I always skip the rambling intro and go straight to the pictures and instructions because it’s always. so. much. cheerful.
@Wren – now see one of my favorite parts of her recipes is it feels like she’s right there walking you through it and having a conversation! I think that personal touch is cute and different.
Birdix, Aw, lol. I know I would have felt a comment like that, no matter how idle, right in the gut when my kiddos were that age. Of course he was enamored with all the trappings of the fancy TV-perfect sleepover and not her, I’m sure.
wren, I always skip over that stuff and get straight to the recipe, too. Sometimes I get annoyed at how long I have to scroll just to get to it.
@ Awww
Birdix that hurt me a little for you. The lack of editing skills kids have can make them too honest sometimes. lol
@Erinn Furry babies are our children too, so you are a mother. I dare anyone to tell me my cats and dogs aren’t my kids.
I am a health nut(ish), but I convert recipes, and it isn’t so hard, but a comfort splurge is a must, and I don’t want my kids to feel deprived. Desserts are life. I am going to skip being sugar bombed and take a look at her baked goods.
So funny @kitten, I’m a mom with big eaters and I’m always wondering why they make recipes so small. Have to double the feeds 5-6 recipes! Maybe I should get my butt over to Pioneer Women! I actually used to look at her Photoshop stuff years ago…
@Tiffany27: LMAO. Same.
@MagnoliaRose: I think we’re kindred spirits. I am a mom yet I cannot stand other moms whose lives revolve entirely around their kids. And I have a t-shirt that says, “A good thing to do in the morning is not talk to me.” 🙂
I’m glad I ditched this awful magazine as soon as it started putting Duggars on the cover every other week.
i feel shame quite often that i don’t want my life to revolve around my kids. i sort of envy those moms, like “what chip am i missing???”…my kids are a huge part of my world, but i often feel like blowing up the world so i reckon i missed something somewhere on the mom path…lol.
There’s this detached, rapturous expression some women get when talking about their kids that makes me really uncomfortable. They have zero identity outside of their offspring and I find it very alarming.
We had friends like that we really avoided going out with. We had kids the same age: but that was ALL they talked about. Bragging about their accomplishments and/or issues they were having. So boring.
Kindred spirits. lol
My favorite mother friends are the women I personally like spending time with, so we can get together, and the kids have fun, but we do too. We talk about adult things, and my childless friends appreciate it too.
I’ve been a mom since I was way too young to be a mom. I cannot imagine my life being only about my kids. Yes, they are important and I would give anything for them but giving up who I am is not an option. What kind of mom would I be if I had raised my daughter to believe that putting someone else before herself all the time was the way life worked? My kids come before a lot of things, for sure, but my time with my friends and my time with my hubby are also important. My time for me, alone, is the most important thing I can do for all of us. A (relatively) well adjust mom is a good thing.
My mom was, and is, a great mom. In her case, I think a lot of women would have been the type to put her kids before her, but she did not. I am an only, not by choice. She lost 2 before and one after me (one of which was stillborn at 8 months) and I was (still am, I think, ha) a huge deal in her world. My parents were always there for me but I remember spending a lot of time with my grandparents, aunts & uncles and friends while mom and dad went out for a night or away for a small trip. They still made time for themselves while never making me feel like I was alone or suffering. Parents need to step back and remember that they were people before they had kids and they will be people after. You can be proud and tell people their accomplishments but there are other things in life.
Sorry, I will stop rambling now…….
@Eden75
I was a semi young mother by today’s standards, so I understand the positives and negatives that come with that.
I decided to stay home because it was the right thing for my family but it didn’t mean I had to become something I am not or try to impress other people. There are different ways to be a good wife/partner/mother than pulling a Stepford and smugly make sure everyone sees you being perfect.
I want my children to look back and have a lot of happy memories and stories to tell to their kids one day and think highly of me like I do my mother. I grew up in a home with a lot of laughter and humor, and I wanted that too.
My childless friends are important to me; I didn’t want to become one of those insufferable women who brag and talk about their kids all the time I think it is a recipe for becoming overbearing and controlling since the mother has no identity separate from her children.
So we do what we do, and Pioneer lady can pretend to be cotton candy perfect.
You don’t have to apologize, sometimes a good ramble is what we need, and I like reading them anyway. 😉
There is nothing creepier than people who can’t stop talking about how great their life is. But that’s just one introvert’s opinion.
I can’t quite get on board with her brand of country/Americana…it just seems so…made up.
Has anyone tried her recipes? There are many that I have been tempted to try back in the day when I used to read her blog, but never got around to it.
I have used her recipe for “Sunday Night Stew” so many times. My husband ADORES it. I have never admitted this before. I can’t quite explain the shame.
I’ve used that stew one a lot. My son was a picky eater and that was one of things he would eat. It adjusts well for a slow cooker, just as a note 🙂
I have tried some of her recipes. They are pretty good. Like Kaiser, I can’t watch episode after episode. One is enough for me. I guess the sugar she gives off is too much after awhile. And I can’t pull off what she does with only two kids and job so that may make me not want to watch more to create mothering issues for myself. That said, she seems very much like a cowboy stepford wife. I sometimes expect Nicole Kidman to step in like it’s a movie or something 😜
Honestly, I’ve found her recipes to be really solid. A friend introduced me to her watermelon salsa, and I’ve tried multiple recipes since.
Her recipes pop up when I am Googling for food ideas, but I have never made one because they all seem to include a stick of butter and a cup of cream cheese.
You say that like it’s a bad thing, Megan😁
I really just started cooking this year and am really starting with the basics, so I use a lot of her recipes. They turn out well and her commentary is helpful.
Is she uber conservative? I’ve never seen her show and her website never touches on politics.
She has never talked about her politics or beliefs so we don’t really know. She may be or she may not be… she and her family are involved in a mainline Christian church. Those are the left of center to very progressive ones. That doesn’t really mean anything about their family one way or the other as mainline Christian churches tend to welcome all people.
She homeschools. In my experience, 95% of homeschoolers are fundies who are homeschooling to keep their children from coming into contact with any non-fundy worldview.
@Chaine I suggest you expand your homeschool sample population then, because contrary to your findings of “95%” it is actually a very diverse group. My parents were two liberal, gay, non religious (well, my mother is Buddhist) medical doctors who decided to homeschool me because they were disgusted with the subpar educational system and private schools that focused more on social ranking and status versus actual quality education. Our family was involved with other homeschool groups that volunteered at local political events, showed support at Pride parade and socialized with other people who weren’t a part of our usual social circle. In all of the groups I met, there were various types of backgrounds (kids who left traditional school because of chronic health issues and absences, kids who moved a lot, military families, kids whose parents had to travel for work doing research, and kids whose parents didn’t like the curriculum taught or the ratings schools in their areas had…) So yes, while the most notorious types of homeschoolers are ‘fundies’, it’s actually an extremely diverse group if you’d take the time to look instead of just relying on your lazy assumptions and stereotypes of homeschoolers. They’re not one homogenous blob of religious intolerance and conservatism. 95% of who you personally have encountered is not the same thing as 95% of a population of people.
Chaine-that may have been true 20 years ago-but it’s not the case anymore. There’s a huge spectrum of people who homeschool.
@chaine. She homeschools because they live in the middle of nowhere on a 1000+ acre ranch. She’s obviously a smart educated woman and probably thought it was the practical decision given where they live and their lifestyle. The kids would have a long commute going to a likely sub-par school.
Chaine….if you have a fundie public school system you homeschool to give them the worldview. Homeschooling today is amazing! Not like the stereotypes.
Neva d……yes!
Back it up with that “homeschooling is super diverse” nonsense. Not so much.
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/nonpublic/statistics.html
And her husband’s family are some of the largest landowners in the COUNTRY. They’ve sued the heck out of smaller groups. They’re Oklahomans. My guess is they’re pretty dang conservative.
@LT – America’s Test Kitchen, Cooks Country, Marion Cunningham and Rick Rodgers!
I tried a few PW recipes back in the infancy of her blog (2007/2008) and they were truly gag-worthy. I haven’t wasted the effort since.
Ree can cook, I won’t lie, and her blog was so polished, and she has an engaging voice in her blog posts, but nooooo. Her story makes me flinch. The liberal woman brought to heel by loving a cowboy and having a passel of children in a red state, and going straight conservative. Noooo
Seriously, eek.
I have used a couple of her recipes that a friend forwarded to me and they were really good. My Mom’s Muffins were a staple at our house for while. I found the tone of her blog to be a bit too determinedly cheerful so I never read anything beyond the couple recipes I used. I didn’t even know she had a show. It’s funny where and how these “stars” get discovered.
I have never watched her more than once, and I didn’t see anything I could convert to vegan, and her wholesome story is too much for me. My southern relatives contain a few different versions of her they scare me. They say things like I worry about my daughter; she will never catch a man if she doesn’t learn how to cook. AND THEN THEY AGREE WITH EACH OTHER. It takes all the strength I have not to snark.
They always look me up and down at my “city girl clothes.” But it somehow sounds like a half insult.
Nope she triggers me, and then I am outraged, and then I clutch my pearls, and then I feel as if she has invaded my safe space. I am too fragile for her.
Well……that’s not completely fair. My former in laws are from OK (like….generations) and they are hard core Democrats. I’ve spent a lot of time in OK and the wide open spaces are very appealing and the people truly are the nicest I have ever met. Again, I don’t know her politics, but I’m not sure that is the narrative that she is telling.
@magnoliarose: we were at my parents’ 50th anniversary party and one of their older friends started telling my 17 year old that she needed to cook to keep a man. She just laughed. As if. Luckily, she’s in college and her boyfriend cooks for her.
@cynicalann and @magnoliarose – no one needs to catch a man or, if they wish to, to cook in order to do so, but it sure is an important life skill!
@CynicalAnn and Betsy
I teach my boys how to cook as well as my daughters because it is a useful life skill for themselves. Someone showed CA’s daughter’s bf to cook, and I think that is great! How about boys need to cook to catch a wife. lol
I tried her chicken cacciatore recipe years ago. It was pretty good, but someone with a small kitchen (like mine) should never attempt that recipe. I was cleaning FOREVER afterward.
Never read her blog. But on one episode i saw she put deli meats in a wrap, and cut them into pinwheels. Thats not even cooking, thats just preparing. Ive been watching cooking shows since I was a kid, odd kid I guess, I was not impressed by her brand.
She uses processed foods and her favorite food is butter. I don’t think she has any culinary training at all. She makes what her husband likes and is pretty much alive to please him and the kids. Very 50’s. I’m sure her constant state of elation brings in a lot of her audience who finds her “refreshing.” Prozac anyone? On a positive note, my twin sister who loves to cook, but isn’t as peppy, lol, made her brownies and these are no ordinary brownies. Knock your socks off good.
Her recipes are basically church recipes. If you or your mother ever had a church cookbook (where all the women submit recipes), that’s what Ree cooks. She says things like “this will knock your socks off!” and then you make it and its good (butter, heavy cream etc all help!) but she is definitely not a trained chef.
She annoys me but everything I’ve made of hers has been good. I was gifted one of her cookbooks and I make her restaurant salsa regularly–it’s super fresh and just the way I like it. To me a lot of her recipes are similar to the ones my mom and MIL have passed on to me–ones you’d find in a church cookbook with maybe a little bit of a twist.
Can’t stand her show though. It’s cloying as hell and she always seems vaguely self-congratulatory. Give me Barefoot Contessa any day.
I literally just watched Ina while rocking my babee! She had roasted vegetables and an amazing corn and avocado salad. There is nothing Ina makes I wouldn’t eat. Lemon chicken my favorite of all which I make on a regular. Ina is a pro, she’s been around forever and is the polar opposite of Ree Drummond. Not going see any kids on her show, which bothers me not in the least and I am a mom. Ina For Queen of the Food Network…….can’t understand how Valerie Bertinelli got her own show, it’s almost embarrassing…..just a random thought.
Nancy, I totally agree about Valerie Bertinelli! Now SHE is fake perky and annoying. Even my husband, who used to lover her back when, finds her incredibly annoying on her show. She comes on Food Network after The Kitchen, which I love, and now I have to change the channel right away.
I don’t generally do perky, but Ree actually doesn’t bother me, I really think that is just her personality. She’s just one of those naturally nice and cheerful people. Her food is actually pretty good, especially as I’m feeding a family with teenage boys and need recipes that are quick, make a lot and don’t cost a fortune. I don’t follow most recipes exactly, but do get good ideas from watching cooking shows.
Another Anne: I came back for my afternoon roundup. I think I pay too much attention to the cook instead of the food sometimes. Pioneer Women gives me a cavity watching her, but like you, I have made a couple of her recipes with my own touch. Valerie’s food doesn’t appeal to me at all, and I’m married to an Italian. She rolls her eyes and makes faces after every bite. Ick. The lowest on the chain (of woman, don’t have time to critique the dudes) is Giada. Now if we wanted porn, I guess we would rent it. I am no prude, but I don’t want to see her boobs on every damn show. I could almost take it if she didn’t over annunciate all of her words, although I did make her drumete recipe. There you have it, Ina for the win. For the amateurs, I will give it to Trisha Yearwood. Happy Weekend!
Me too, I am a big Barefoot Contessa fan, and I love Jeffrey, I also love her house and the way she puts up food, its not too fancy but still very tasty, and I think she has got class about the way she does things, I love watching her lifestyle and friends around the Hamptons, what a beautiful part of America to live in, I would love to visit there. I am watching the new series at the moment on the food network on sky here in Ireland, it is really good. I have watched the pioneer woman before, but never really became a big fan, I cant stand her accent.
I’ve made her Onion Strings which the entire family loves. I’ve also made her Hot Wings and her Ranch Dressing. I don’t watch her show a lot, but the recipes I’ve tried have all gotten a thumbs up from the family.
Her Sunday night pot roast and short ribs recipes are my go to for those dishes. SO easy & delicious!!
I’ve tried several from her blog and they usually turn out pretty well. Nothing too crazy and no weird ingredients that I can’t easily get. I live in the country too and thus don’t have access to specialty food stores so whatever the supermarket has is what I’ve got. It’s all pretty basic and you can often customize the recipe to suit your own tastes.
I always scroll past her rambling intros and family vignettes and get right to the instructions. Her pictures are really polished and pretty and she explains the steps pretty well.
Her recipes are amazing, but definitely like holiday food. Not healthy at all, but good for comfort foods, big get togethers, etc.
But I cannot watch her show. One time she and her daughters went on a girls trip and she made food for her husband and sons for the rest of the week. Um. If that’s what we’re supposed to do I have failed at life.
I am not a cook, although I do a lot more of it now than I use to.
One of the things that I do (this goes back to the comments about parents being all about their kids and nothing else) is prepare 20-30 meals and then freeze them, once a month. Since my slow cooker is my most important appliance, I spend about 7 hours on a Sunday and prep everything, bag it with instructions if needed, and chuck it in the freezer. The kid or I go down in the morning, grab one, throw it in the slow cooker and done. This way, I don’t have to worry about feeling guilty that him and the hubby aren’t having a home cooked meal while I am at the gym after work. Works great. I know it sounds like a ton of work, but it’s worth it. I either set up my laptop with Netflix and watch while I prep or bring out the tunes and sing horribly and loudly for 7 hours 🙂
This is something I started doing in the last year. My job has times where it requires me to work 3 weeks straight with insane hours, so I decided to do this before one of those periods once. Best thing ever. The lazy person in me rejoices because I only have to be energetic once a month!
My SIL has made a few of them; the ones I’ve tried have all been delicious. Fattening as anything, but SO good.
I’m sure people have said this, but the cowboy is actually an executive with his family’s oil company. She annoyed me greatly at first, what I saw of her, but she’s not terrible.
Her show is really bland and really white. She’s one of those people I’ll watch if literally nothing else is on. And I have streaming services and OnDemand, so if I’m tuning into her, it’s a SLOW day.
I got to know her through her blog which, frankly, is a lot more entertaining than her show. Her voice rattles me for some reason. But I’d rather see someone like her in the media as the next big thing than more coverage of the Kartrashians. Seriously, are their 15 minutes ever going to be up?
I can’t watch more than one recipe at a time. Her voice and manner absolutely grate on me.
same here, I really liked her blog and recipes but can’t watch the show, something about her onscreen personality turns me off. it’s been awhile since I’ve seen the show, but at least the first year or two it wasn’t great.
Me too Bazoo!! Love love LOVE the blog, but she’s pretty boring on tv. Super monotone and in slow motion.
Yeeeaaaahhhh, no thanks People. I’m not interested in the narrative of someone who claims to have led a wild blue state life, then came to her senses and went full red state. Nope.
I never heard of her either. But nope.
I thought she had worked in PR? Actually not that Becky Home Ec-y? No?
Her Wikipedia says she was headed to law school after graduating USC (major:Gerentology) but then met the cowboy. Is she downplaying her education to appeal to a certain segment of consumers?
Whoever she really is, she bores me.
I think she wrote a book about her romance, and Reece Witherspoon bought the rights to it some time ago. I do remember reading it on her blog (she was doing it as a series), before she took it down and flogged it as a book.
Yes-she grew up in an affluent suburban area, then went to USC. She’s not a churchy-rural person. Her husband’s family owns half of Oklahoma.
She’s a very smart businesswoman, actually. She has her blog and cooking show, merchandise lines, owns property, retail space, etc. I don’t think she plays dumb by any means. But she has carefully built a very specific, marketable persona that was not fully served in the marketplace.
I found her website by chance one day years ago, and liked how all her recipes had step by step pictures. I still have a few favorites from her, but find in general they’re a little bland for our tastes.
If you’re looking for a quick easy dessert, her pots de creme is fabulous! And her ranch style chicken is a constant request from my boy!
She’s all of what’s been mentioned above, but kind of insanely mesmerizing, at the same time. She definitely can be passive aggressive in some of her comments about friends and family.
Someone mentioned yesterday that she wouldn’t be surprised if she heard that Christie Brinkley was a serial killer. I get that vibe from Rhee, too.
Yes. and that little town. It’s like something out of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.”
i watched her show (it’s on the cooking channel in UK too) when i was on maternity leave and I was sucked in for a while, but yes she’s too Stepford for me now. And there was an episode where she literally said her son Bryce was her favourite out of her four children…!
The Lottery started me on a life-long love of horror stories. Cannot thank Shirley Jackson enough. It was required reading in grade six.
I find her shtick really disingenuous and annoying. It’s like this country mouse/city mouse love story–city girl meets rugged, handsome cowboy (she calls him Marlboro Man)–but she grew up down the road from her husband and only moved to Cali to study for a few years.
She also used to get a kick out of calling her mentally disabled brother the ‘R’ word, but I think she’s since cleaned up her blog.
Yup, it’s not like she was Carrie Bradshaw or anything. She went to college, married rich dude and moved back.
There was a blog a while back that used to rag on other blogs, forgot it’s name or if it exists anymore, but they used to call her shizz out hard.
Parigo, was the blog you’re thinking of GOMI?
My sister lived In the same dorm with her in college. She says she was neither “sweet” nor “sugary” back then.
There are Pioneer Woman truther blogs and articles out there, btw. Same sister told me about them. Do with that information what you will.
She is a businesswoman at her core, and she is selling a product. I personally find her show annoying because the family scenes are staged and stilted.
Oh my god, that “r” word stuff was horrible.
She is the blandest and whitest person ever. Her food is ok, but it’s literally church cookbook recipes that have been slightly updated. Her whole persona feels like deliberate faux nostalgia for some “simpler” age which is a total myth. Plus, she makes everything into this weirdly fixed gender role thing. Where the menfolk are real cowboys and never touch a kitchen pot, and the women are li’l ladies who take proper care of their menfolk. She infantilizes her husband with food, too. Like “I’m just gonna sneak these here healthy veggies into this casserole because lord knows he’d never eat a piece is kale to save his life! Men, amirite?! Just don’t tell him!” It’s so gross to me.
I sneak kale and vegetables into my husband’s meals, too. Because he would never eat kale without sneakery. Doesn’t mean he’s an infant, it means he doesn’t like veggies too well. And hates kale.
@aenflex, okay, but the reason your husband hates kale is because he’s got his head screwed on right and kale is awful. It’s not because he’s “a man” who doesn’t “understand” the concept of veggies because he’s a rancher.
I don’t sneak veggies in, but I sneak veggies in. I try to add veggies to dishes whenever possible but I tell him what I’ve put in and I try to make things he likes. For example, he hates carrots but will eat them if they’re cooked and cut into small enough pieces so that’s what I do. If left to himself he’d never touch a carrot but he’s okay with me putting them in dishes if I prepare them the right way.
You took the words out of my mouth! I just replied above before I saw your comment how the recipes are church cookbook-y and I wanted to say something about the gender roles but I couldn’t articulate how it annoyed me, just that it did. You said it way better than I could.
Omg, YES to the whole infantilizing thing. LIke when she talks abt salad and how her husband won’t eat it, so it’s “chick food.” Or if something doesn’t have meat in it on her blog, so her husband “won’t understand it.”
The real story behind “I fell in love with a cowboy” is that her husband is from a ranching family worth many millions, theirs is a huge business. Not that there is anything wrong with that, so much as the reality doesn’t really jive with the tale spun of simple farm life. The reason Ree could get such a great website going (she started as a blogger) and get the traffic and then get the contracts for her fame is because they had the money to invest in it all. It also makes me mad that they sell this simple American country story, but her dishes and things are made in China. That is a sell out right there…
Yep. I have friends from OK and they said his family pretty much owns the state.
I”ll have to find the article but I’m under the impression that the ranch doesn’t make that much money raising cattle, it’s for show. Their money making scheme is getting federal dollars for taking care of wild horses.
https://rtfitchauthor.com/2015/01/30/multi-millionaire-cowpoke-ladd-drummond-whose-little-missus-is-ree-drummond-the-pioneer-woman-rakes-in-taxpayer-dollars/
Ha! What a sham. Thanks for the interesting link..
They aren’t very wealthy. Their worth is tied up in land ownership, and since it is in Oklahoma, the chances of major development are slim it can be deceptive. However, they are rich enough to make her schtick a little less than sincere.
Yup. The family is like the 2nd largest land owners in the country.
At first, I’ll admit I fell into her spell, back when it was just a blog… Then all the sudden you have the realizations, like, “Wait… when they got married they picked from 5 different houses to live in? And then they built this gorgeous lodge? ” I mean, I don’t hate people for their wealth, but I do find it disingenuous to be all, “We’re just simple folk, living a simple life.” When the reality is they’re living a pretty cushy life.
Simple life doesn’t mean poor. Many ranch families have inherited land, sometimes being in the family for 100+ years. Having 5 houses on the land is pretty normal.
Oh wow, I had no idea. I assumed her blog was an individual wordpress-type start up that grew but now it makes sense, lol, that her posts are so polished and have higher production values, so to speak.
I thought the same thing. I used to read her blog a few years ago before she got on tv and I just was under the impression that she was a stay-at-home mom/wife and started her blog from nothing.
So he can’t be a cowboy and a multimillionaire at the same time? Because he absolutely rides horses and works his own land. That sounds like a cowboy to me…
My fiancee’s cousin is a garbage man. He also owns the company and is worth millions. Doesn’t mean he’s not still a garbage man.
@Erica_V, I don’t think anyone is out here insinuating that cowboys can’t be wealthy. But let’s be real, the whole shtick re how much they hustle gets the wind taken out of its sails when you realize that they’re not exactly hardscrabble folks doing their best to run a family farm. It’s a huge, enormous enterprise, not the sort of homely cowboy stuff that she makes it seem like.
I’m not knocking people in agriculture at all, I think it’s a huge huge undertaking. But people are insistent on giving them this old-timey perspective that doesn’t match what the truth of today is, and I don’t think that’s fair. Especially when you’re making money off of it.
They own a TON of land so they have assets but I’m not sure how much “wealth” they have. I think Ladd’s brother raises very expensive horses though.
My mom is kind of a fan. We’re going to OK in October, lol.
Can’t stand this woman and her dopey so-called “Marlboro Man” husband.
Why are you insulting him? The man is a rancher. Ranchers are dopey? Guess you never met one.
Where did I say ALL ranchers are mopey? HIS characteristics his, not applicable to everyone.
People Magazine might want to do a little research on the Internet about Ree. Her BS has been called out for YEARS. She is not what she pretends to be on her blog–which honestly could be said about most bloggers.
I like making her recipes because they are simple and easy, and I think she is for the most part, inoffensive. But yeah, she can come off as annoying real quick on the show.
Maybe it’s because I’m into cooking/baking but she was a thing in the food blog world before the tv deal. And this is cookbook #3? 4? It’s the homeschooling/red state stuff that bugs. The blog is far superior.
we have several of her recipes in rotation-some of them are boring but the Texas sheet cake? Yum yum.
I love that Texas sheet cake recipe too. I’ve used it for over 20 years.
As someone who is not a very good cook, I love her cookbooks! They give step by step instructions along with pictures – very helpful for this struggling cook.
She doesn’t bother me – takes all types of people to make the world go round! My mother was from Oklahoma and I have the best memories of going there in the summer to visit my grandmother – the nicest people in the world 🙂
Read her blog for a time a couple years back but found her a bit creepy. Too fake, to me.
She is a bit fake in my opinion, some of her recipes are good, but a lot of them (especially the older ones) are taken (and maybe reworked a bit) from church cookbooks. There is a really good cooking blog out there called Smitten Kitchen (and she has 1 cookbook out and another coming out soon) and sometimes it feels like Pioneer Woman poaches off this blog and she gets called out for it and then the comments are quickly erased. It’s very spooky. I do like her dogs though, they are the best part of the show.
OMG yes I love Smitten Kitchen! One of my favorite food blogs. I haven’t been reading them as much as I used to, but I still check this one out for recipes.
Smitten Kitchen is my jam!! I still make the pumpkin muffin recipe I got from there and have several others on my “to try” list. Since it’s almost October I think it may be time to bust that one out again 🙂
I first heard about Pioneer Woman because Smitten Kitchen went to visit and blogged about it. Looked at PW’s recipes and they’re not for me for all the reasons everyone else has said, same with her TV show. But I love Trisha Yearwood’s show — has anyone else seen it? She comes across as so down-to-earth and really nice. Let’s make her into the next hot home-cookin’ queen!
Since I eat, I’m pro farmer.
Eh…I think there’s an argument to be made there.
Because what about in say, Iowa where all the farmers grow monocrops like soybean and corn? The corn is for feed and ethanol, not human consumption. The soy is for a variety of things, of course, from veggie burgers to soy candles.
But these farmers are growing crops on huge farms, degrading the soil, for large government subsidies. I don’t begrudge them per se, but I do think that we should make a distinction between local small farms that grow a variety of vegetables/raise a handful of cattle and large government-supported farms focused on mono/duocrops and giant commercial cattle farms. The former is far safer for the environment and beneficial to all of us while the latter serves primarily to maximize profit for Big Food, Big Oil, and Big Pharma.
Have you talked to a real farmer? Most farms are family owned, even the big ones, and they are allowed to make a profit along with the smaller, boutique farmers (who also rely on government subsidies). Even the “Big Food” farmers cut back what hurts their bottom line, which includes pesticide and fuel use. If your family is farming and you want to pass that way of life to your children, you do what you can to preserve it, which means protecting topsoil and using good environmental practices.
I’m really not sure what your point is here–if you’re arguing with me or not…
…because I was specifically making the distinction between what you describe as smaller boutique farms and larger commercial farms, which doesn’t contradict anything in your comment.
And I never said a farmer wasn’t “allowed” to make subsidies, in fact I thought I was very clear when I said “I don’t begrudge them” but the majority of agricultural subsidies nationwide go to commercial farms with average incomes of $200,000 and net worth of nearly $2 million, NOT to small or even large family-owned farms.
In the past 20 years, at least $11.3 million in farm subsidies went to 50 billionaires — including Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, Charles Schwab and the Chick-fil-A founder.
The point I was making is that insinuating that anyone who eats food should be “pro-farm” ignores the flaws and complexities of a broken govt subsidy system, one that rewards the already rich and thriving commercial farms and punishes the smaller ones.
“The former is far safer for the environment and beneficial to all of us while the latter serves primarily to maximize profit for Big Food, Big Oil, and Big Pharma.” This statement shows that your understanding of agriculture is not from actual experience in agriculture, but internet-based. You are painting big farms as bad, small farms as good, which makes no sense. If a “big” farm is using more sustainable methods and growing food more efficiently, then it’s a win-win for everyone who likes to eat.
I guess you conveniently glossed over this part of my reply to you:
“at least $11.3 million in farm subsidies went to 50 billionaires — including Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, Charles Schwab and the Chick-fil-A founder”.
So yes, I 100% stand by my statement that subsidies most directly benefit large corporations. Sorry if you don’t like that, but that’s the truth.
And no, my research isn’t based solely on the “internet” but on actual stories from actual farmers, like my Iowan boyfriend’s aunt and his cousin who bust their asses on small-to-medium sized farms and barely get by while large commercial farms make millions in subsidies.
They have PLENTY to say about farm subsidy inequalities and who it benefits most.
And because I don’t care for your condescending and frankly, rude replies to me, I’m done engaging with you. Have a nice day, dude.
The whole concept of “conventional” agriculture is inherently flawed and honestly we’re just counting down to the days until it’s simply not going to work anymore. It doesn’t take an expert to determine that any business that has more inputs than outputs isn’t going to last forever.
Modern farming has fallen into a trap of needing more and more inputs (fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, etc) for an increasingly less nutritious and viable crop. If we purposefully designed a system that breeds disease and waste, we probably wouldn’t come up with anything much different than what we’re currently doing. There’s a hell of a lot of corporate profits tied up in making people, including farmers, believe that the current way is the only way, and we are all losing, including farmers.
Fortunately, the idea of sustainable farming is really taking hold, and the ability of dedicated farmers to turn around depleted soils and eventually break free from costly inputs is astounding. Food is not cheap, you either pay for it now or you pay for it later, with your health, the health of the soils, and the ability of future generations to farm.
I read an article two years ago that stated if everyone became a vegetarian we could end world hunger within 3 years. The amount of food grown to feed meat animals is astronomical and could benefit people far more, especially with less and less viable farm land available.
Yeah Lady D, but vegetarians are evil. At least that’s what this vegetarian tends to hear. Why end world hunger when you enjoy your juicy steaks so much?
Commercial farms are owned by investors and run by agricultural managers – I wouldn’t really call them farmers in the traditional sense.
But plenty of family farms also grow the crops you describe. It’s economically feasible for them to do so. It’s not an easy business, but it is a business and people have to make money to live, they don’t run fantasies for urban folk. Even the family farms that are sustainable and grow a variety of crops make concessions to running the business that I have a feeling some here would find distasteful. It ain’t a saintly enterprise by any means.
I don’t know her at all but that sounds like a carefully crafted image right there. Wild college girl, LA time under her belt, educated, but then – as if it was destiny – she met a cowboy (REALLY???) and ended up where she always belonged. Among open-minded rural folks in the heart of America, where they discuss important topics and live the dream of the American country cliché? Did I forget something? As Stefon would say, this has everything. I may have to youtube her.
– Are you a real cowboy?
– Depends on what you think a real cowboy is.
Couldn’t resist quoting Urban Cowboy, which seems à propos here.
Not buying what she’s selling.
‘Pioneer Woman’ Under Fire For Racist Segment About Asian Wings
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ree-drummond-pioneer-woman-racist-wing_us_58c33bd5e4b054a0ea6ace09
Thanks for posting link – I was going to do the same. This seems to have been forgotten about.
She does NOT need to be the next big thing. There is enough cultural insensitivity and racism in this world.
What’s interesting to me is why anyone would pull the trigger on Ree’s big push now after the multiple gossip blogs about Ladd and her have been sitting on the internet for years.
I guess she’s not super scandalous (I think the only notably heelish thing she’s done is referring to her special needs brother as a r*tard in her old blog before doing some whitewashing), but there are plenty of bloggers who’ve complained about her ranch tour weekends and how sketchy they were.
As far as her “I was just a free spirit who was blown by the winds of fate to my cowboy”, not exactly. She grew up on a country club in Bartlesville, and she was pretty privileged even through her LA years. The Drummonds also do more than okay as the conservators for Oklahoma’s wild horses (loooots of government subsidies) and they have lots of good investments plus her blogging/TV money on top of their huge ranching business. They’re savvy people, and what they’re best at is selling the idea they’re simple people just workin’ hard and gettin’ by in this crazy world of ours.
That said, her recipes are usually pretty awesome, even if they’re not original. If I’m cooking a basic crowd pleaser meal for friends/family I check to see if she has a recipe first.
Agreed on all counts!
PW doesn’t need to be the next big thing — she’s already a big thing. Ree has been raking in millions for more than a decade between her blog, books and show. Her story is definitely romanticized, but I wouldn’t say it’s deceitful, just selectively edited to appeal to the masses, like most social media.
I dunno. I think she’s stiff on her show, and her crazy stans disturb me, but I can’t hate on her. I think her perky attitude is authentic, and I find it interesting that so many people are put off by that. (Same on the Fixer Upper post.) These people aren’t perfect, but I’ll take them over the Kardashian or Trump clans any day.
Plus, her recipes are reliable and great for large gatherings.
I was thinking that too. Next big thing? Her stuff is all over the local Wallmart. Hell, I’ve even got a few of her branded place mats. Isn’t she already a thing and hasn’t she been for some time? I guess HGTV needs someone else to focus on and make their special darling, but it seems a bit strange.
I’ve never seen her show and I don’t know anything about her as a person. The only reason I even recognize the name is because I’ve pinned a few of her recipes, on Pinterest I never really pay any attention to who made the recipe, just if it sounds tasty – I’ll pin it. I haven’t actually tried any of her recipes yet, so I don’t know if they’re any good. Some of her recipes do seem a bit bland, I think they need more spices…although I usually think most recipes need more spices. Bland food is the worst.
She makes her life sound like a Harlequin romance, very fake.
Why? Because she loves her husband? I know the town she lives in and raises her family in. Nothing fake about her. That’s her life.
Really can’t believe she’s still on TV. Monotone voice and zero personality on camera. Recipes are bland & for the most part uninspired. That being said, my husband is an Okie & my in laws think she’s the cat’s meow.
I have a feeling the “certain demographic” she appeals to are the same folks who take offense to Kim K magazine covers when they have to stand in line at the grocery store.
I take offense to Kim K covers, but probably not for the same reasons. : P
She’s Paula Deen 2.0 but only in the amount of whipped cream, heavy cream, butter, oil, and sugar she uses.
Hard to believe she had a string of bfs in L.A.
Her?! Really?
IKR?
Watched one episode of her show and hated it. Not perky at all but kind of sedated and creepy. Plus she made the saddest looking doughnuts I’d ever seen.
I live in Oklahoma and my only exposure to this poorly dressed, crazy smiling person is rolling my eyes at her junk products sitting on Walmart’s shelves. Never heard of her husband or his family, which means they aren’t newsworthy and don’t participate in the many humanitarian projects my husband organizes.
They aren’t in that strata to be philanthropists. I think of them as big fish in a small town type. Nothing is wrong with that but her wealth seems to be overstated by some.
Poorly dressed? She’s all about jeans and an Anthropologie top-not exactly a denim jumper. For her lifestyle (homeschooling ranch wife) she’s well dressed.
Let’s just say I have a more refined aesthetic, and I’ve actually worked cattle with my husband, whose family owns several working farms and ranches in western Oklahoma. Didn’t even know she lived in this state, so she doesn’t do a lot for her community or her family would be known to mine.
That IS poorly dressed.
Then you are being willfully ignorant as that family owns half the state of Oklahoma. I haven’t lived there in 20 years and know exactly who they are…and so do you.
No they don’t. They are known in north east rural ok. The town nearest them is pawhuska . And it’s not that close. Not okc…not lawton ft sill. They most def do not own half the state.
LoL, right? These people are LOADED and extremely very well known outside of Ree. People doing the absolute most in this post… Girlfriend isn’t even at the top of her game yet, there are going to be quite a few pressed commenters as her empire continues to grow and grow.
Huh. I used to read her blog and found it pretty charming, though the schtick could get old. She does have some good recipes. I have only seen the show once or twice and I don’t care for it. It is very fake/ staged and I just don’t like cooking shows in general.
For a while, her blog had an advice column sort of feature where people wrote to her for life advice. She didn’t strike me as particularly conservative in those columns, though she never talked politics directly. I mean, she wasn’t quoting bible verses and telling girls to save themselves for marriage. I wouldn’t particularly look to her for an insightful discussion of treatment of minorities in this country, but i never saw anything that struck me as racist or anything.
I also think youd have to be pretty dim to read that blog and not know they were rich. That kitchen is huge and they take annual ski trips and talked about an old building in town they bought to fix up.
I did a deep dive on TPW after posting this this morning and apparently there is some anti-diversity stuff on the homeschooling section of her site. I never read any of the homeschooling posts so never saw it. Yikes.
I used to read it years back; I fell for the shtick until they redid the lode kitchen. Holy heck – that cleared things up.
I didn’t realize all this good gossip about her until I read this thread. I’ve been missing out.
Honestly, I’ve only seen one episode of her show and she made some sort of pot roast that took hours. I need a show with someone who cooks like… 30 minute meals, including prep. Bonus points if it makes leftovers. As a mom, you would think she’d know that’s a bit more realistic.
A mom with nannies and private tutors and housekeepers…lol!
Not happening. People mag is late to the game here. Her blog/TV show have been around for quite a while. Around me (deep South), years ago, she was being laughed at for taking a traditional recipe and throwing a can of Dr. Pepper in it. *whispers* I do use her recipe for mac and cheese though.
Thanks for the link about the wild horses…the hypocrisy of the red-staters who are the biggest recipients of federal payouts never fails to astound me.
The Pioneer Woman is on the cover of People ,because she is starting a home goods line at Walmart and opening a boutique hotel near her ranch for all her fans. This People cover definitely corresponds with all this.
Her crap has been at Walmart for a couple years now.
I like Ree and Ladd and family well enough. Their youngest son cracks me up, and Ree is always cooking up something that looks tasty. Never tried any recipes, but get inspiration from her sometimes…
Farmhouse Rules? That woman’s voice grates me, but her food looks divine.
lol, my husband can’t stand the Farmhouse Rules lady’s voice – the way her voice goes up at the end of a sentence in that sing-songy way.
Wow, i’m surprised By all the Ree hate! I quite enjoy her blog and recipes. I’ve never found her show terribly political, although I guess If you think everyone who goes to church is a die hard Trump fan, it could be.
Everyone in OK knows the Drummonds are rich as hell. They’ve never pretended otherwise. Most TV chefs are rich as hell.
And Ina Garten? Really???? Remember that time she blew off a make-a-wish kid TWICE? But Ree Drummond is the annoying one? Oooooookay 🙄
There’s plenty to dislike about Ree…read my comment below. She’s awful.
Ina Garten is wonderful. And she is not racist or homophobic.
I don’t watch her show very often, but it’s a last resort/ on in the background type of thing. But I’ve noticed her husband always appears super reluctant to even be around her and she’s practically climbing him like a tree. I don’t enjoy her faux humble, down to earth persona when we all know she’s swimming in money. I find her annoying but her recipes are always pretty good.
I don’t really watch the show, but I own all of her cookbooks and I love her cooking. My husband REALLY loves her food. I don’t make it every night, and I usually half a lot of her recipes, since I’m not cooking for an army, unless we have friends over or something. I love the step-by-step pictures..
Since I don’t watch the show, I don’t know much about her personally (I admit I’ve never actually read the story in the cookbooks either) but a lot of the moms on base seem obsessed with her. One of her daughters is in my sorority (but obviously I graduated long before she got there), so that’s about as personal as me and Ree get.
Her restaurant salsa recipe is so easy and my daughter LOVES it. I make it by the gallon practically. She wants salsa every day in her lunchbox for school, and she’d put it on everything, if I’d let her.
She built her “empire” on a pack of lies. She married a millionaire “cowboy”, she wasn’t just some housewife stuck in OK with nothing to do so she started a blog. She started a company with a lot of help. Homeschool? LOL. More like private tutors and nannies. Ree ain’t schooling anybody.
There are many, many snark sites on her. One of most repugnant things from her early days of blogging, is that she referred to her learning disabled brother as the “retard”. Yes, she’s just a peach…UGH.
She doesn’t ever say she home schools them herself tho. On the show they show the kids teachers all the time – she’s never said she’s the one that does it. What a weird comment to make.
Not weird at all…when she started her blog she wasn’t exactly transparent about her circumstances…she tried actively to hide her wealth.
LMAO, I know Ree extremely well and I am obsessed with this comment because you really do put in a whole lot of effort to drag her yet failed so miserably. It’s called a Homeschool Co-Op, sweaty. Her entire brand is about being the opposite of a southern housewife and then having to learn as she goes to assimilate. Have fun on those message boards obsessing <3
Yeah, sweaty! I just got home from a long run, so this is making me laugh.
Check out this story. https://rtfitchauthor.com/2015/01/30/multi-millionaire-cowpoke-ladd-drummond-whose-little-missus-is-ree-drummond-the-pioneer-woman-rakes-in-taxpayer-dollars/
Thanks for sharing!! She’s been around for years now, I knew there was something (or a couple things) shady about her, just couldn’t remember exactly what!
I feel like I got in on the ground floor with Pioneer Woman. I stumbled onto her blog years ago, back when she had the whole story of how she met her husband written in serial-form blog posts, along with recipes. I always got the vibe from her back then that she was a cool, liberal free-spirit who happened to fall in love with a cowboy. (Sounds like a Harlequin romance novel).
It was kind of weird to read this post and hear her described as “conservative,” but I realize that that seems to be her thing now. Maybe she’s just gotten older, and had kids that she decided to homeschool. Or maybe she is milking this demographic because it’s getting louder and louder. I used to like her, based on her early days. Now, not so much.
Yes, the Drummonds are multi-millionaires. They own 433,000 acres of OK. 17th largest ranch in the USA. Still, they work hard.
Her voice whines like a sewing machine.
Okay. Full disclosure. I actually read her blog. Quite often in fact. And I do like her recipes. Look, I know they’re not for everyone, and yeah, the amounts of butter and cream and sugar are off the charts. But I appreciate that she’s always somewhat self-deprecating when she writes about that, and like. It’s not as if she’s marketing herself as some sort of healthy lifestyle blog anyway, so I don’t see what’s so wrong with it. And I’m super surprised by the comments here because she’s not a Stepford wife at all. Corny and SUPER cringe oversharer for sure. But a perfectionist Stepford wife? That’s laughable.
With that being said–the one thing that put me off about the whole thing is the lurking-beneath-the-surface conservatism. I mean. I don’t think her story is the whole “liberal blue stater brought to heel by her loving but conservative cowboy husband.” But it’s the other things, like how she talks about the natives who used to live in Oklahoma who owned the land before her husband’s family got their hands on it. And the fact that her father is well-off, and her husband is rich, and now she’s made bank with the stuff she’s got going on, so she’s likely the whole “social liberal but wants all the tax breaks” sort of conservative. And the whole “live and let live” conservative, even when what she’s “letting live” is probably a slew of discrimination.
And one last thing–yeah she homeschools & goes to church, but like. Why are some of you assuming that she’s a fundie? You realize that she has a blog where she shares (a lot more than she needs to) where you can actually read about why she homeschools right? IIRC, her oldest kid did go to a conventional school, but she literally does live out in the country where it takes an hour and a half for a school bus to go and come back. Again, she’s corny and cheesy (quite literally) and super cringey oversharer, but like. A fundie? Lol.
It all just depends on whose the norm. we ‘independently learn’ so that our kids could excel at their own rate and not be held back……but also because we are not into the Christian churchy homophobic mindset as are the majority of teachers, and others here. I won’t have an ignorant person telling my child what to think.
Yeah, I agree. I know at least one other person who wrote an article about homeschooling their teenage daughter. She has ADHD and she didn’t want to take medication for it, but the conventional schooling wasn’t working for her all that well (don’t remember why). She’s doing just fine from what I could gather. I think people disparage homeschooling because they likely couldn’t do it justice (I know I couldn’t!), but they don’t want to admit it. Not that there aren’t downsides to it, obviously a lot of fundies do it as well, but if the curriculum is good, and you have the time and ability or the resources, why not. (Also, didn’t Ree’s kid go to college? So hardly the standard homeschooling fare, right?)
Sorry, but what exactly are you saying about her comments on native Americans? I’m not sure how to parse the sentence “But it’s the other things, like how she talks about the natives who used to live in Oklahoma who owned the land before her husband’s family got their hands on it.”
You seem sympathetic to her, but I have no idea why one should be sympathetic to her in this respect.
@Tina, sorry, I don’t think I was very clear in my comment. I meant that, in terms of the personality she’s peddling, I don’t think she’s exactly going for the whole “liberal brought to heel by a cowboy” type of shtick. But what does put me off enormously is how she comments on the natives who used to live in Oklahoma who “sold” (or leased, I’m not exactly sure of the details) the land that her husband’s family now considers as theirs. She had a blog post abt it that I read once that was disconcerting to me (amongst a ton of others).
Personally, I consider the fact that her husband’s family (or anyone else’s for that matter) profiteering off that land to be theft. I’m not exactly sympathetic, but I do think that some of the comments people are making aren’t actually pinpointing her brand. Maybe that’s just me splitting hairs. But she’s hardly the crazy Christian fundamentalist type that people thing. She’s a polished, well-educated woman who knows whats what, including the value of building an enormously popular brand, which panders to conservatives juuuuuuust enough but hides her proclivities from liberals sufficiently for her to rake in money from both groups. But there’s no mistake about the fact that she’s a conservative underneath all of that. It’s a different brand of it though.
After reading the comments I just want to say that there are a few of us here in ok that are not right wing christians. I grew up here and my family is from here… I’m trying to not run for the hills…but to stay and be the difference I want to see. We homeschool our kids (but hate the word homeschool). It’s more independent learning, natural learning, life learning, unschooling. Read john holt teach your own for more info. We did it so that our kids could excel at their own rate, and they have. Also my eldest daughter is transgender. Which we didn’t know until later so that wasn’t a reason. We eat organic food, try to both homestead and be technologically on the cutting edge. (My kids all are extremely computer savvy etc…and very connected). Their friends are from all over the world,not just locally. I’m into Buddhism, and living mindfully….meditate daily to practice that. Would really appreciate cannabis being legalized here as I’m into preventative and gentle medicine / healthcare….. the point is not all of us here are the general stereotype of ppl from Oklahoma. Plenty are…but there are a few that aren’t. This past election has been a nightmare for us as even my own family (parents siblings ..etc) are busy making America great again. Ugh!
We live in the country. It’s beautiful here we just need more like minded people. So please remember those true pioneers still here.. sticking it out and trying to make a difference with our kindness and open mindedness….even while surrounded by the worst ignorance you’ll ever see….. hoping maybe it will make things better for others. Not being able to get good care for my trans kid has made me want to move elsewhere, as it is so stressful…but we are managing and she is doing great. But if everyone like me left it would just let them win. We’re fourth generation and have as much a right to be here as the next guy. ….anyhoo….just thought I’d post something from another point of view. There are a lot of pioneer women here in ok…and they aren’t all rednecks. Please remember those like us when thinking of Oklahoma. We need allllllllllll the support we can get!
You sound a 1,000 times more interesting and genuinely pioneering than the ‘down-homey’, saccharine-coated, made-for-cynical-tv subject of this thread.
Love your comment and the insight into your life and hope you and your family continue to thrive and see the change you deserve.
Thank you for sharing your story!
Hi from someone who grew up in Kansas! Love our farm there. Sounds like you have a great philosophy and family. I’ve sometimes watched Ree and used her recipes–she’s a go-getter, for sure. I wonder if you saw her episode where she did the lunch for her girlfriends in one of their pastures, up on a beautiful hill? I remember thinking–wow, this is going to be good–what about the wind? And, indeed, as soon as they drove out there and got out of the car, their hair about flew off! I figured the episode was thought up by someone at Food Network, who doesn’t know much about the Great Plains. I mean, it’s so beautiful, but a little hard to pull off al fresco dining sometimes!
I think that stereotype gets applied to any rural setting, and especially to the midwest. I grew up in hippy central and moved out to the country and I admit, at first I thought everyone was this close minded churchy conservative judging anyone who doesn’t have a “praise Jesus” bumper sticker. Well, turns out there’s plenty of people who are exactly like that but there’s also plenty who are absolutely not. It made me think, really, that even though everyone where I came from liked to pat themselves on the back for being so liberal and open minded (including me), oftentimes they simply worshiped at a different alter so to speak and weren’t really any different from those they chose to despise.
Funny…the only hate I’ve really seen comes from the right. Maybe it’s just that that’s mostly who I’m surrounded by. When I think liberal…..I think someone who doesn’t despise others. I personally get small minded people because I’ve been raised by them, surrounded by them. I get that that’s as far as they can go intellectually. I also get that you have to be the bigger person and know when a person has limitations. So I don’t despise ignorant close minded people. I feel sorry for them. The liberals I’ve personally known were just so much kinder, open minded , and wise….. Its hard to imagine hippy central being full of hate after living in the Bible Belt.
I think comparing a person who is upset with someone for refusing to acknowledge the environment, or another persons basic rights to exist….with a person who hates someone because of their skin color, sexuality, gender etc.. is wrong. They may both despise each other….. but the ignorance and hate is clearly stemming from one side. A woman whose husband beats her despises her husband, and he clearly despises her too….. but are they the same?
^ I think you hit the nail on the head. I am very forgiving, and I have lived / know a lot of people who live in a very rural area. I always go out of my way to be nice to them. But it’s hard to hear them demonizing poor people, or the LGBT community, even if it’s out of ignorance. The stances they take can lead to people dying. It sounds hyperbolic, but it’s true. I wouldn’t ever be mean to someone out of the blue, or assume about them, but I can’t bring myself to be understanding of people who would rather see me and those who I love continue to suffer. Even if they are just ignorant.
Oh, there’s plenty of hate all right, they just call it something different. And, of course, it’s directed at different things, but it all stems from “what I believe (or am) is right and what you believe (or are) is wrong”. There’s an arrogant disdain and scornful condescension that I do NOT associate with true open mindedness. It’s based in fear and the desire to be included in the “right” group, the refusal to understand or even acknowledge that someone else may have different values than you. That’s not to say that there aren’t tons of wise, kind, open people who really do practice what they preach. There are. But there’s an awful lot of people who simply use the ideology as a shield to attack others for not believing the same things they do, which to my mind fosters no dialog, solves no problems, and isn’t any better/different than the “because Jesus” people.
I’m probably going to get yelled at, but that’s my experience.
Wren…..yeah that groupthink is never good. Nor is fear.
I remember reading something ages ago about why blue states were getting bluer and red states were getting redder, and in part it was because we as individuals naturally gravitate to people and places where we feel comfortable. This means over time we become less likely to regularly encounter people that have dramatically different political or ideological beliefs, and the need for us to have open minds and tolerate other viewpoints diminishes because everyone we encounter mostly agrees with us.
What was most interesting about this trend was that the polarization increased over time but the shift couldn’t be directly attributed to any outside forces, it just sort of happened. Conservatives who only lived/worked/socialized with conservatives actually became more conservative, and liberals who only encountered liberals became more liberal. I must have read about this trend almost a decade ago, and it certainly seems to be even more true today. I wonder how much longer it can continue without it ripping our country apart.
Jetlagged….it’s hard to not jump ship I’ll be honest. The idea of starting up somewhere new from scratch is scary but sometimes appealing. I know that while we’re here we just try to be happy and kind and find a common ground. Maybe someone will decide that LGBT people are okay because they know us firsthand, and it’s not just some idea. Maybe they will decide that the environment is worth saving because they know me and respect me and that’s something I’m into…. or maybe not. It seems that diversity is important to people seeing the other point of view. I just know that I’ve been surrounded by the worst conservatism with a narcissistic religious parent who was oppressive…is oppressive….my whole life. And it’s sent me in the other direction. And now I’m still physically here , but mentally there. Odd spot to be in… to be honest. I’m sure I’m not the only one…. and that’s a comfort. I’m at the point though where I’m observing that the conservative anti this and anti that mindset seems to oppress more people … than the liberal mindset. At some point we have to not be selfish. You don’t have to personally use cannabis, but why should it be illegal. You don’t have to be LGBT for them to have rights. But these right sided people seem to think they should have a say over everyone else’s lives, instead of live and let live. I don’t know if that mindset will ever be able to get along with others. The ones I’m in contact with are very righteous, and will stop taking anything about you seriously if they find out you are for this and this…. and facts and science don’t seem to matter to them.
You are in a tough spot and I admire your fortitude, I’m not sure I could be as brave as you in the same circumstances. Sometimes when I’m daydreaming, I wonder what kind of difference I could make if I made a new home somewhere more conservative. I’m not talking about becoming some kind of in-your-face-activist. Could I make a difference simply by living my same life, by the same guiding principles, just in a different place?
You and others are like you might be pioneers in your own right, and I think its important to know you are not alone. I caught this documentary on television not long ago and it gave me hope, at least on the environtmental front. http://rancherfarmerfisherman.com/
Jetlagged…… thank you. I will take a look at that. I definitely think we need more forward thinkers here. I saw where Amazon was looking to add a second headquarters and thought how some large business like that with progressive values could have such a positive impact here. Even if they hired and brought everyone in from elsewhere if would have to have a positive effect. Next to us, Texas is the most conservative state and they have big businesses that put their foot down and can threaten to leave…so it makes a difference. Think about election time….Oklahoma is always republican. I think money and industry would influence those ppl to get with it. Would love to have someone like you here. You sound very worldly and good. Take care.
Along with an unnecessary laundry list of identities, she also calls herself an accidental country girl. Accidental? Girl, not with an accent like that! She was born in Oklahoma!
Yeah accidental as in she didn’t plan on living in the middle of OK on a 430K acre cattle ranch!
Just because she was born in OK doesn’t mean she’s automatically a country girl…
But to me, an accidental country girl is more like a transplant. Like she’s a city girl married to a country boy, moved her life out there, and now she’s living like a pioneer. I know Oklahoma isn’t all Okies from Muskogees, but it’s not like she’s never known rural life.
But rural life like the level of rural/country life that comes with living on a 430K acre cattle ranch? No I disagree I don’t think she knew that life at all and I don’t think she ever planned to live that life so yes I think that persona is valid.
She’s been on tv a long time now so I doubt she will have her break-out moment. She has a solid fan base but I don’t see it getting much bigger. I can’t stand her voice, her sugary sweet way of talking nor her food. Just not my cup of tea but I can see why she is liked. She’s homey and welcoming and harmless, I suppose.
All her recipes are calorie bombs for the F of it and not necessarily for flavor. I prefer Trisha Yearwoods “country ” approach to cooking because she doesn’t seem so fake About it! Seriously this woman has to throw in before each cooking demonstration, “after herding cows and riding horses my family loves to eat whole sticks of butter and bisquits!!” Ok we get it :-/
Nope. Wrong. I eat healthy the majority of the time and would NOT make her recipes if they were “calorie bombs” as you call them. This woman is not Paul Deen. She often makes vegetarian meals for one of her vegetarian kids, tons of light versions, great grain recipes, etc.
I know her recipes are probably calorie bombs but like, I appreciate the lack of pretense. There are a ton of blogs out there that try to peddle “healthy” recipes but when you make them they never quite hit the spot. I balance my diet as much a possible, but I’m not going to go out of my way to substitute for something like potatoes when that’s what I’m craving, just for the sake of being “low fat” or whatever. I’d rather just eat what I would like every once in a while and take an extra walk if I have to.
I like her recipes but I don’t really like her. I’ve only seen her show once or twice, but I even find the “conversational” tone of her recipes obnoxious. The food is good, though. I use her recipes a lot.
So I will say first and foremost that I didn’t know about the land issues so I’ll look into that more but I really love Ree! She’s the only Food network star I can tolerate – I either watch or DVR her show every Saturday morning. I think it’s cute!
I cook a lot and her recipes are delicious and mostly really easy. Her cook books (this is her 3rd or 4th I think – I have 2 of them) are personal & easy to follow along with step by step pictures. I made her short ribs at least once a month. She’s had a few seasons of products at Walmart (not Kohl’s like all other Food Network stars) and the quality is actually pretty nice albeit a bit too floral patterned for my personal taste. Better priced than say Rachel Ray’s stuff too.
Yes she grew up in Oklahoma but I don’t think the environment where she grew up is quite the same as living on a 430,000 acre cattle ranch! That’s REAL country as far as I’m concerned! Also yeah the kids are home schooled but not by her (nor have I ever heard her make that claim) and I always assumed that was more out of necessity vs choice because the main school is so far away from their ranch. They show the kids teachers on TV all the time and they go to school with other kids, not just their siblings so it’s not like they hide it.
So again I don’t know anything about the land/horses issues so I’ll look into that but I really don’t think her gimmick is that far from the truth. I don’t think she ever has pretended they didn’t have money or multiple houses (she does the filming of her show in the Lodge and has been very vocal about how the family renovated several building in the main town for their own business/offices which obviously wasn’t cheap!). I’ve never gotten a “ho hum our life is so simple and quaint” vibe so I’m not sure where people are getting that from as a criticism.
I mean to each their own preference but yeah I don’t get all the negative comments about her! And so many from people who say they don’t cook, use her recipes and/or watch her show soo……
I don’t buy her “aw shucks” schtick. Her recipes may be good, but I wish she would credit the church cookbooks she takes them from. She obviously has business acumen and her stuff sells, so there must be people out there that like it.
But that’s what I’m saying – I watch her every weekend and I just do not get an “Aw Shucks – I’m just a simple down home country gal” vibe from her at all.
Admittedly I don’t read her blog so I could be missing a big chunk of her gimmick but yeah when it comes to the show I don’t get that vibe.
Wait, you mean SHE HAS A GOVERNESS FOR HER CHILDREN? Heavens, how posh.
My goal is to follow Ina Garten around when I’m i the Hamptons and make her my friend. I saw her once at a farmstand and hid behind a pile of hay bales and watched her shop. Yet I have no shame for that. I was also introduced to her at several fundraisers and found her to be really nice, smart, and engaging.
Farmhouse Rules? Nancy Fuller? No thanks. Ree Drummond is OK, but she is over the top peppy
Love love love ina garten. Loved her show. Have her books.
I found her blog before she got her FN show, and the tone was more of a balance of folksy/snarky that I kind of liked, and I’m from the midwest so her food was right up my alley for cheat days or winter comfort food. I was really surprised/disappointed by how syrupy and dead-eyed she came across when her show came out. I thought where’s the dry humor? Where’s that wry “can you believe I’m out here?” pov? I do still put on her show sometimes b/c my kids like it, and they are picky eaters and seem to find some of her recipes interesting. For instance we make “eggs in the hole” on weekends b/c of her show, once of the first combined foods my kids would eat. Anything that moves my marble forward in inch in terms of getting my kids to eat anything remotely normal is a “yes” in my house. I do wish she would bring more spark to her comments/point of view.
I should add that if it turns out she is a racist, or trump supporter, or any other form of repugnant conservatism off she goes. Even if guilty by association. We will find out soon enough.
I Guarantee she’s a trump supporter.
I should add that Republicans here vote republican no matter what. And ranchers don’t ever vote for the environment….rules and regulations you know. They support Monsanto big time. I live amongst them and am related to them….I know. My family thinks I’m a crazy lunatic for caring for the environment. They refuse to acknowledge global warming or their potential part in it. They hate the poor because they are lazy. They vote against Obamacare. They hate my family for being on Obamacare and say we’re ruining it for the rest of them. These are well educated and very successful in the community people, not to mention my parents and siblings. Ugh!
So when I see Ladd Drummond ……I know……..because i know a lot of men just like him. Probably Very nice …..but homophobic, antienvironment, anti animal rights, anti immigration, and very very republican.
..says, thanks for that. Pretty much what I suspected.
Minx….. i asked someone near and dear to me ( republican) how they could vote for the Donald ….just trying to wrap my head around it……and they replied that they didn’t care who it was….they did it for the Supreme Court justices. To keep the majority. And under the bus we all went.
Things that make you go hmmmm. http://www.thepioneerwomansux.com/2011/05/did-pioneer-woman-lift-your-blog-post-too/comment-page-1/#comment-16068
WOW. That suuuuuucks.
Wow. I’m bummed after reading through the comments and learning more about her. I never really did more than surface glances at her – used to read her blog way back when mommy blogs first became a thing and watched episodes of her cooking show for the ranch views. But maybe I need to take it out of the DVR queue. Oy.
That link should be posted every time someone says she is wonderful. Julia Child called out Martha Stewart for lifting other people’s ideas and recipes but it was from professionals not other Mom bloggers. She’s horrible.
I have watched her show…..even have a cpl of her books. I live in ok…
But after this past election I realize I must vote daily with who and what I support. I can’t support anyone who is a racist, anti environmentalist, homophobe. Etc etc. I can’t support those who don’t support everyone’s right to exist. So I’m afraid people magazine will have to go elsewhere for the next big thing….the Gaines’ are homophobic or go to a very homophobic church which is the same thing and they’re on the way out. Wanting to be a public figure while dissing half the public just isn’t going to work. Even if the diss is secret and private. It’s still their belief.
Ree seems fine….but I know too many people here who think they are openminded and for everyone’s rights etc then they turn around and vote against that. There are so many people here in ok that are ‘great’ with the LGBT community, and no they’re not racist or against the poor…but then contradict that at the polling booth. The results are the same as if they’d just been honest in the first place. If ree isn’t going to vote in favor of the LGBT community…then the LGBT community shouldn’t support her show.
“But there’s an awful lot of people who simply use the ideology as a shield to attack others for not believing the same things they do, which to my mind fosters no dialog, solves no problems, and isn’t any better/different than the “because Jesus” people.”
Well as a parent of a trans kid…it’s because of the Jesus ppl…or because of (insert whomever) people…that are literally assaulting and killing those they disagree with. We now have to worry about what toilets we’ll use when we go to town. I have to be prepared to literally physically defend my family because of hate from the right. It’s not the liberals that are violent or unaccepting of those that are different.
About that pioneerin’, roundin’ up the little dogies, not to mention the home schoolin’ and Jesus is my Lord and Savior in Oklahoma. I’ll never forget that time watching CNN somewhere in Oklahoma after a natural disaster, an earthquake (fracking?) or tornado, a CNN correspondent interviewing a woman holding a baby in her arms, and he trotted out the old “thoughts and prayers” line and she said (standing by the rubble of her and the neighbors’ homes) said “I’m an atheist.”
Noooooo – she’s a cooker, not a chef. Boring. I’m a former east coast kid, so Barefoot Contessa is more my speed – although every time she says, “Look how simple this is . . .” and then, 20 steps later, like, lady, I actually work for a living . . .
I also soothe myself with HGTV, Food Network, etc. I’m in to the Tiny House stuff right now, it might be my only hope of ever owning . . .. .
About that pioneerin’, roundin’ up the little dogies, not to mention the home schoolin’ and Jesus is my Lord and Savior in Oklahoma. I’ll never forget that time watching CNN somewhere in Oklahoma after a natural disaster, an earthquake (fracking y’all( or tornado, a CNN correspondent interviewing a woman holding a baby in her arms, and he trotted out the old “thoughts and prayers” line and she said (standing by the rubble of her and the neighbors’ homes) said “I’m an atheist.”
OH, I love that SO MUCH.
I remember that. EPIC.
She is fake, fake, fake as the day is long. None of the recipes I’ve seen from her are very creative at all, and she cultivated this little house on the prairie bootstrap persona. I’ve never seen the appeal.
I’ve been following her since she was “just a blogger” way back in the day and I really liked her. I loved to read her website and I do like to watch her show even though most recipes are food I don’t eat but I just like seeing the life on the ranch tidbits.
Editing my original comment after reading through some of the information shared here. ugh. So disappointed now.
Her show makes me want to vomit and throw things. Her whole persona (and I’m sure it is a persona) is just too syrupy and ‘good little woman’ for my taste.
Man, just buy The Joy of Cooking and Julia Child book and stop watching these stupid shows. I’m not watching someone cook and run their mouth unless I can smell and taste the food. Watching cooking shows is like a blind man listening to porn; how do you know what’s really going on?
Also, what’s the deal with lifestyle and mom blogs? I tell you what. I’ll read your mom blog when you’re a grandmaw who has successfully raised children who made straight A’s, never snuck out, and still visits you on the holidays. Lifestyle blogs are pointless to me because I do what I want and I don’t care if society doesn’t like it. Too old to care.
Oopsie double post.
Who says you need to be attractive to be on tv? I once saw an old pic of this woman when she had brown hair and she needs to ditch this cheap Ronald McDonald hair color and go back to that.
She’s so charisma-free! I can’t believe this post has this many comments (but if I’m bored later I’ll scroll back and read them).
I agree with everything in your article. She’s got no particular personality, she’s got no particular cooking style (other than eight hundred servings for all the invisible farmhands who have no names because servants don’t have names), she’s not even funny.
I was excited to see a show called Pioneer Woman because I thought it would have permaculture tips, back to the land kind of stuff. I tuned in to her show late the first day and caught her saying, “I just melted this in the microwave” and realized my mistake. Most of the rest of the show was just video of her kids feeding a bunch of calves.
Also, cosigned that Farmhouse Rules is an awesome show. From my Canadian perspective, it’s everything good about Americana, and nothing that’s not. And hot damn that woman can cook! I learn something every time I watch that show.