The world famous Pioneer Woman, Ree Drumond, was in Utah this week to promote her new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Ree’s blog is extremely popular, she has millions of fans. She is loved for her recipes, sense of humor, stellar photography, down to earth personality, beauty, and stories. (I could go on and on, but you all know she is amazing.)
I was fortunate enough to hear Ree speak at the Blogher Food Conference in San Francisco. She was one of the main presenters and I loved hearing about her life and blogging experiences. I even got to meet her after one of the sessions. Gaby and I went up to say hi and she was so sweet to us. So when I heard she was coming to Utah, I knew I couldn’t miss out.
Ree was busy while she was in Utah. Everyone wanted a piece of her:) I watched her live cooking segment on Studio 5, the same show I made my banana cinnamon cake on a few months ago. She showcased her flat apple pie. Of course she was stunning and the pie looked amazing! Can’t wait to make this one.
While we were waiting in line we met some new friends. One of the girls behind us even was a regular reader of my blog. How fun!
We were the first ones to get our books signed. I am so glad we got the golden A tickets. Ree was so nice and posed for a few photos. We were also able to chat for a few minutes. She remembered me from Blogher Food and even talked about a few of my tweets:) She said she loves Utah and wants to come back. I really hope she does.
When we left the bookstore the crowds were even thicker. There were people everywhere. I am glad Utah showed Ree how much we love her!
Skillet Cornbread
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
1 cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup milk
1 large egg
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp. shortening
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt and baking powder & whisk together.
Measure buttermilk and milk in a measuring cup. Stir in the egg with a fork. Add baking soda and stir. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until combined.
In a small bowl, melt ¼ cup shortening in the microwave. Slowly add melted shortening to the batter, stirring just until combined. In an iron skillet over high heat, melt the remaining 2 Tbsp. shortening. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and spread to even out the surface. Cook on the stovetop for about a minute, then bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. The edges should be crispy.
*NOTE* I don’t have a cast iron skillet, so I just sprayed a 9 inch round cake pan and baked the cornbread in the oven. I didn’t melt the 2 T. of shortening or cook it on the stove. Those were my only changes. I baked it for 20 minutes.
