First of all…
Luke’s photo is the winner of the Instagram contest!
Congratulations, Luke.
Matt, your horse photo was awesome. You were a very worthy opponent!
So was your grill photo, Mike!
I’ll stop shouting now!
Sheesh, Ree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry.
Anyway, the guys will all be hightailing it back to England soon.
I’ll miss the ol’ chaps.
But I’m going to be happy not to wear a mic for awhile. I’d like to go to the bathroom without unplugging first.
Sometimes I get stage fright.
You don’t want to know any more than that.
Yesterday I shot an entire show in one day, which is unusual. Typically, episodes take 1 1/2 to 2 days to shoot, but this one was basically shoot-as-it-happens. It was a freezer meal theme: I filled the freezer with lots of yummy food for busy days in my house, which is every day, and man, am I excited to have all this grub.
*Burp*
Here, Mike is rigging the freezer door so it won’t keep hitting me on the bottom as I stand and describe some of the things I’d stocked the freezer with.
It was getting a little embarrassing.
“This is a great freezer casserole. Really great flavor…” WHAP! The door hit me on the bottom.
“One thing I like to do is store grilled chicken breasts in airtight bags…” WHAP! The door hit me on the bottom.
“This is one of my favorite freezer soups. To make it, you…” WHAP! The door hit me on the bottom.
This is just another behind-the-scenes wrinkle you never think about when you watch cooking shows on TV: Freezer doors hitting the person on the bottom every time they try to talk.
It’s one of those things no one ever talks about.
This is my precious firstborn son. He makes my heart leap. I’ve been making him and his brother come hang out in my dressing room so I can listen to them talk about football and accuse them of eating all my snacks.
Man, can they polish off some snacks. Like, whole packages. Gone. Poof. As if the snacks ever existed.
I make Charlie come hang out in my dressing room, too.
It’s nice to walk in there and get a nice whiff of hound funk anytime I need a little pick-me-up.
Really keeps me going.
Or…not.
Have a happy Tuesday, everyone!
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.
