Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Tasty Tuesday: PW Cooks and a Giveaway

CONTEST HAS ENDED!  WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SATURDAY (11/14) MORNING!
Thanks to everyone who commented and shared what you are thankful for.  It was truly a blessing to read them all!



Well, it's been a while since I've done a Tasty Tuesday...oh how I have missed you.  What better to place to gather and bond over luscious culinary creations?  Miss Jen has created the perfect haven for such a thing and I can't wait to see what everyone has come up with this week.  I'm sure Thanksgiving menus are in for a tweaking after today!  So if you like the sounds of it, hop on over to Balancing Beauty and Bedlam to feast on the mother load of recipes!  Welcome to Tasty Tuesday!

However, having said all that, there will be no recipe here today.

Sorry.

Instead I want to go into some detail about what arrived on my doorstep yesterday afternoon.  I had been anxiously awaiting it's arrival, but because I was cheap and chose free standard shipping, it took several days too many to arrive in my opinion.  My heart did somersaults when I saw it on our stoop and I immediately unloaded the baby and briefcase, threw the chicken in the oven and then ripped into the box.

There it sat in all it's colorful wonder.  A gem of all gems.  A staple in any girl's collection of cookbooks.




The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl
by Ree Drummond

And if you don't know who Ree Drummond is: 1) where have you been living? & 2) stop reading this blog right now and head on over to The Pioneer Woman this second!

I have been reading PW's blog for some time now, so it was never a doubt in my mind that I would own her cookbook.  Seeing as I have already attempted  several of the recipes from her site I was ready for more.  Yet, I wondered how she could take the charm of her site and put it into a book that not only captured the readers attention, but kept it.  Now before you all start booing from that last comment....what I mean is, I've read about Ree and her life on the ranch for a long time.  I felt certain, cookbook or no, I had read all there is to know about this woman, her family and her cooking.  But such was not the case.

PW really delivered in this fun collection of not only mouthwatering creations, but also in the colors, the pictures, and the overall layout of the book.  It was captivating.

I have to admit...I do all my reading in the tub.  This was the first time I took a cookbook to the bath with me.  But really, when you're not examining the extremely detailed picture tutorials accompanying the recipes, you're reading little tid bits here and there, anecdotes and family stories sprinkled all throughout the pages.

Some things I had read before, but even those few stories or recipes I had found on her website once before, were retold and shared with a new spunk in Drummond's book.  This was her baby for the longest time and though I don't know what it takes to produce a book of any kind, I can only imagine it was a labor of love for her.  So new life was breathed into even the familiar things.  Her passion for this project was obvious as I flipped from page to page.

Consider this a picture book.  All photos are from Drummon's own camera (she's a brilliant photographer as well) and though you'll find shots of Charlie and a few Herefords here and there, the real spice of life is the detail Drummond put into literally teaching us to cook this cowboy food.  It almost feels like she's in the kitchen with you...almost.  PW took what she has done on her blog with the step by step pictorial instructions, thrown in some new recipes along with even some funny wine sipping shots and created the cookbook women have been dreaming of since the Betty Crocker Cookbook Binder.  Let's face it girls, it just makes things easier if we have pictures to refer to and there is no shortage of that in this book.  

An by the way, an hour long bath allowed me to go from cover to cover several times, dog-earring pages along the way, re-reading and laughing hysterically.

Ree Drummond is no doubt a Renaissance Woman what will all she manages to accomplish and I hold her in the highest regard, as I'm sure most blogger/fans do.  I don't know her, but I feel like her cookbook is the perfect expression of her personality and were I ever to meet her, I'd feel like we were old friends.  That's pretty special when you as an author have captured the essence of that relationship for your readers.  And though she's been building this relationship for years on her blog, the cookbook, opens up a whole different side of her character.

Bravo, Ree!

If you haven't gotten The Pioneer Woman Cooks, I highly encourage you to do so.  Seriously, why are you still reading!?!  =)

I, of course, recommend it to any and everyone so that more people can enjoy the beauty, wit and sheer genius that is this book and it's author.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks is available at most major book retailers and also on Amazon.

Now....

With that, I'd like to host a giveaway.  And though I'm not giving away a copy of PW Cooks (hey, get your own) I am giving away something that will make the perfect companion.



In light of the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday I'm giving away one of my handmade aprons.  This one in particular will be just the ticket in cooking to your heart's content over Thanksgiving and everyday as well.
Retailed at $22, all of my aprons feature an attached towel and side pocket for your convenience.  You can find even more in My Etsy Shop or the link on my right sidebar.

TO ENTER: Just tell me in a comment, "What are you Thankful for?"

I'm thankful for God's grace and love most importantly.  I'm thankful for my family and all the many blessings, big and small, that we experience day in and day out.  I'm thankful for PW's cookbook!  I'm thankful for this blog and how it allows me to share freely.  And last but certainly not least, I'm thankful for all my readers be it many or few~ Thank you all for your love and support.

I'll be accepting entries until Friday @ 9:00 pm EST, then a winner will be picked at random and announced on Saturday morning.  Good luck and I look forward to hearing what you're thankful for.

Again, for more on Tasty Tuesday, head over to Jen's and pitch in!!  See you there!

Be blessed friends, be blessed.

 


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22 comments:

glenna said...

Glad I found your site through SITS!

What am I thankful for? Seriously this sounds cheesy.....but...it would be thankful for my mental, physical and spiritual health for me and my family.

What else is there really? Hmmmm? the smell of pumpkin pie baking is nice too! :-)

I'm trying to follow you on the networked blogs but can't get it to work !

Anonymous said...

Oh how fun Kelli, I LOVE your aprons...checking out your shop now!! I am thankful for family and friends but who isn't, tee hee? I am also thankful for crafting, and all the cute shops on Etsy. Oh, and I'm thankful for having a chance at winning that cute apron too...wheeeeee!

Jamie :)

Anonymous said...

I am so glad I found your blog! Your aprons are beautiful.

What am I thankful for?

Well, I could certainly write a novel. But, I am thankful for my family. After having lost my first pregnancy...it helps me to remember how precious the life of my daughter, Meredith is. At times we can take things for granted, and forget just how blessed we are.

I am truly blessed for such a wonderful husband, and daughter!!!

Stephanie said...

I am so thankful that God has allowed me to have a season of rest. I have been on the potters wheel for 3 years, which I love being molded and shaped for Him, but rest, oh rest feels SOOO good right now!

Anonymous said...

I am thankful for friendship and what it teaches me day in and day out. Friendship is such a special thing because it is something we choose. There are many other blessings I am thankful for too!

-Abby

Quincifer said...

Foudn your post through SITS...I think I need that book!
It sounds weird but I am thankful for myself. I have made some right decisions and some wrong decisions in my life...but I have always followed my heart and been myself. So I thank myself for being true to me! :)
Hope you've had a great day!

amariaf2000 said...

Stupid or not - I'm thankful for an "exercise" that I love - cycling. I took my bike into the shop today to get pink bike grips - I'm going to start riding again this weekend. Silly huh?! But I guess it goes deeper - I'm healthy, I'm whole, and I have the cabilities to ride. Luv ya!
~angela @ peonypatch

Lisa said...

Hi Kelli! I'm so glad you stopped by! I love your blog and I'm grabbin' your button. I have not gotten PW's cookbook but it is on my oldest daughter Christmas list. Guess I need to buy 2.:) Now on to that darling apron give-away...I'm grateful for blogging. I have met so many wonderful, supportive Kindred Spirits and while we may never meet face to face, I feel I know them just the same.

Holly Lefevre said...

Hey there! I was reading PW when figuring out what I was going to do for my blog, and then in all the craziness of starting my own forgot all about it, but I am going over there after I finish and subscribing. I loved her blog. Too much to remember!

Your aprons are adorable! I have a new "thing" for aprons!

I am thankful for my kids and my husband (I know, a cop out). They rock! (sometimes they rock the house!)

Holly @ 504 Main

Lynne in NC said...

Found your blog from Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. So glad I stopped by!
I love PW's blog - the confessios, the cooking, photography, homeschooling and her humor.
Thanks for the giveaway. I am thankful for the rain. Yes! it's raining a lot this week, but we need it!
Peace.

Anonymous said...

I am so thankkful that in the times that we are in we always of someone to count on. No matter what our circumstances are we can always count on Jesus to be there by our side. I am also incredibly thankful for my family.

AngiDe said...

What a great giveaway!! I am thankful that I only have 2 weeks left of my pregnancy!! ;)

Visiting from SITS!

Angie
"Nana's Box"

Anonymous said...

i am thankful for great church family and the work we are starting in Union Count, NC

Christy Setliff said...

What not to be thankful for is probably an easier question to answer. I am thankful for the Lord, God Almighty for giving us his Son to be our eternal savior. I am thankful for my wonderful, supportive family especially my husband and precious baby girl, Grace. I am thankful to have a job that impacts the lives of hundreds of children and their families every day. I am thankful to just have a job. I am thankful to have been blessed with a house and the amenities that support my family and I. I am thankful for praise music that puts my life into perspective each and every day. I am thankful for all of the military troops that are protecting all I have to be thankful for, here and abroad. I am thankful for Kelli's blog that helps me be a better mommy, better woman and lets me know that Im not all by myself in this world of Mommyhood. And I could go on and on. Praise be to God that I have all of this to be thankful for!!! Amen!

Anonymous said...

I love your aprons.....I use mine all the time :0)

I am thankful for so much.....Jesus, my husband, my kids, our health, smiles, sunshine, family, friends....I could go on and on!

Hannah said...

First thankful thought that comes to mind is my mother. My sister and I never went hungry, we were never dirty and we were told every-single-day that we were not only beautiful but PERFECT.

She's just the best!

Carma Sez said...

I am thankful for my sweet son and husband, and that we are able to live in a pleasant area

Lana said...

Too FUN!!! I want that cookbook!!! YUMMY!

I'm thankful for my sweet kids, my cutie of a hubby, and housework. Yep, housework - with housework - I would have no place to live.

Blessings to you!
Lana @ www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

jaquelyn {mama thoughts} said...

Stopping in from SITS...glad I found ya! :) Cute apron, and I need one pretty badly.

What am I thankful for? Oh, tough one. I'm thankful for a lot. Here lately, I'm especially thankful for my sweetheart. He sticks by me no matter what, and it means so much to me. :)

Jenn Erickson said...

I've been hearing so much about PW from many amazing women. Guess I need to check her out! Since I've been having a rough time with my athsma lately, what I'm most thankful for at the moment is living in an age of modern medicine. Had I been born only decades earlier, I probably would have been a child mortality statistic.

momto5minnies said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog to check out my Pioneer Woman post.

I'm thankful for a whole lot, but especially for NEW DAYS. We all have good and bad days, but our God gives us a new day EVERYDAY to live in the best way we can.

The Park Wife said...

I am thankful for so many things, I lead a blessed, charmed life. Here are just a few: that I am a child of God, a wonderful husband that cherishes me, two healthy smart boys, that I live on a state park, faithful friends, Ree statin on her blog that I am an old internet friend of hers, creative outlets.

Your aprons are precious!!!!