Hi, friends! I hope you've been able to look around the new website. Some of you might know that I started Confessions of a Pioneer Woman as a new blogger back in 2006. When I started the site, I was still in my thirties (!), my four kids were small (and so was my waist, but that's another story for another time), and blogging was a relatively new frontier.
For visual context, here's a photo of my third child, Bryce, around the time I started my blog:
And this is Bryce today:
Excuse me while I go cry. Okay, I'm back. The point is, this website has been a part of my and my family's life for years and years, and is the keeper of some of my most precious photos, memories, and (often weird and wacky) stories.
It also holds some of my most beloved recipes. This may surprise you, but way back when, I never set out to become a food-blogger (almost a nonexistent term at the time!) But one evening, a few months after I had started my personal blog, I decided to take photos of the process of cooking my husband, Ladd, a steak, and post the step by step instructions. Here's the steak I shared online that fateful day (haha):
My food photography skills left a little to be desired back then (ahem), but that didn't seem to thwart me. From there, a beast was unleashed, and I kept sharing recipes for years, which eventually led to a cookbook and (gulp) my show on Food Network! Life is very funny sometimes.
Blogging has always been my first love, but as my kids have gotten older and life has gotten busier, it has become harder and harder for me to pull this off by myself. So I'm very happy (ecstatic!) that this new version of The Pioneer Woman is here.
(Just wanted to throw in a photo of Ladd in case you needed to see a cowboy today. 😎)
The biggest change is that there's going to be soooo much content! I'll still be here writing stories and sharing recipes, but I'll also be behind the scenes with my small-but-mighty team, working on ideas for articles, quizzes, shopping tips, recipe galleries, clothing, gift ideas, movie discussions...there's no limit to the topics we're going to cover, and the updates will come daily—sometimes several times a day! I'm so looking forward to reconnecting with this website, and with all of you.
On a personal note, I hope you're all doing okay. My gosh, our world is so unpredictable right now. What a year 2020 has been; it's overwhelming to think about how many people have lost and suffered. There has been so much upheaval and sadness—first, the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting shutdown, and now, the tragic, senseless death of George Floyd.
On social media, I've read the phrase "2020 is cancelled!" over and over, but I'm not sure that's the right idea. I saw a follow-up post a few days ago, in the wake of the protests and the increased conversations over racial inequality and injustice in our country. I'm paraphrasing the post, but it basically suggested that instead of "cancelling" 2020, perhaps we should learn from it: This could actually turn out to be one of the most important years of our lifetime, when real growth, progress, and change begin to happen. To me, it feels very different now, this collective desire to make things better. I know I want to do what I can do to grow and learn so I can be a part of that change, and I'm hearing that same sentiment from so many people. I can't help but feel hopeful.
Thank you for being here, friends. I'm so looking forward to what's ahead.
Ree Drummond is the founder of The Pioneer Woman and a lover of butter, basset hounds and life on the ranch! Ree started her blog in 2006, and now millions visit ThePioneerWoman.com every month for her trusted recipes and fun family stories. Here’s what she has been up to since it all began:
New York Times Bestselling Author
Ree has written two memoirs (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, and Frontier Follies) plus nine bestselling cookbooks:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (2009)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier (2012)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays (2013)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime (2015)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! (2017)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier (2019)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy (2021)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinner’s Ready! (2023)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes (2025)
Food Network Host
Since 2011, Ree has been sharing simple, family-friendly recipes—and the occasional kitchen prank!—on her award-winning show The Pioneer Woman, filmed right on Drummond Ranch. Ree is also a regular judge on Food Network competitions, including Christmas Cookie Challenge.
Founder, The Pioneer Woman Collection
Ree has been creating and selling kitchen and home products at Walmart since 2015 and she’s involved in designing every piece and pattern. The line now includes best-selling appliances (you have to see the floral blender!), plus hundreds of pieces of cookware, tableware, and more. Ree doesn’t like to play favorites but the Agatha print has a special place in her heart.
Restaurant and Hotel Owner
Together with her husband Ladd, Ree has opened several bustling businesses in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, including The Pioneer Woman Mercantile—a bakery, restaurant, and general store that draws visitors from across the country (many come for the biscuits alone!), P-Town Pizza, Charlie’s Ice Cream Shop, and The Boarding House, a charming hotel with eight different rooms decorated by Ree and Ladd.
Media Personality
Ree appears regularly on national TV shows like Today, Good Morning America and more—all while managing to keep flour off her shirt.
Wife, Mom and…Grandma!
Ree’s kids (daughters Alex and Paige and sons Bryce and Todd) are all grown up, and as of December 2024, Ree is the proud grandma of the cutest baby ever, Sofia Scott, born to Alex and her husband Mauricio. Ree still cooks for Ladd (and the kids when they’re home), and she also looks after a few mischievous ranch dogs.
