Pioneer Woman Cooks

So the consensus is that we need to do a cookbook every year.

Oh my stars in heaven was this amazing! Ree Drummond is a genius! Tara & Randy are the perfect hosts with the ideal location for a book of this genre! And the company was stellar!

(Kris if ever we have had a good idea this ranks at the top!)

For those of you who couldn't make it we missed you so much and can't wait to see you next month- or sooner.

We were glad that Stacey Selle could join us too. She has read Ree's book about her love story and I think that maybe she should pick that for us to read- wink, wink.

(Ree also has a book for kids and is working on her next cookbook as well as a new Food Network Television show. What a busy gal- oh and she home schools. )

For those who couldn't make it we had great conversations about the recipes, TREK, picking up roadkill(you will have to ask Tara & Randy about their awesome stories),

ranch life, kids, and FOOD! We discussed PWs (Pioneer Woman's) Photography skills and her obvious joy for her life.

(Just to top the night off I hit two raccoons on the way to see The Help. It was hilarious considering the prior conversation. (Poor coons)

To conclude here is a bit of what we did/ate

Julie made the stuffed mushrooms. (No one can eat just one.)

She also made the raspberry pie. De-lish!

Stacey made the peach crisp w/ maple cream sauce

Jill made the BBQ meatballs. I gotta make me some of these.

Carol made the Pistachio Cake. She even improved on it with icing and sprinkles!

Kris made the French breakfast puffs & the Tomato-Basil pizza

Tara (& Randy) provided non alcoholic sangria, Potato Skins & Rolls w/ homemade

raspberry jam. Drool!

I (Katie) made the Beans & Cornbread.

Now if I only could get to her ranch next weekend, she is doing a pie making day at the ranch.

A Joyful Mother of Children

Julie Allen will be leading the discussion for September on the 15th. We will meet at Jill Moyer's home. Below is how Julie came to choose this book.

Hey there, Ladies! For the past few months I have had a topic on my mind which has influenced my book choice for September. I have really been reevaluating our families goals & priorities and pondering how much each daily decision & action affects my children. A phrase I like to use is "Deliberate Mothering." Sooo I have looked at a lot of books on parenting that I thought would bring up some good discussion - "A Tiger Mother," "Teaching Your Children Values," "The Parenting Trap," "I Didn't Plan on Being a Witch," etc. But the book I keep coming back to is one I read years ago and loved: "A Joyful Mother of Children" by Linda Eyre. You may be familiar with Richard and Linda Eyre. They raised 9 children, have written a number of books on parenting, been on committees to strengthen the family, won numerous awards, appeared on Oprah, the Today Show, etc. This is one of her books that seems to strengthen mothers at ALL stages (even empty-nesters!) and anyone who nurtures children (aunts, friends, etc). It is funny and uplifting. I've found it easiest to read a chapter here and there when I have a minute, because I like to ponder her experiences and down to earth advice. One of her daughters, Shawni, has a blog that has been inspirational also. Feel free to check it out. http://www.71toes.com/ Shawni's fifth child has a genetic disorder that gave her 11 toes (and causes blindness :( ), hence the name 71 Toes. She recently won National Young Mother of the Year and is an inspiration to many. Friday Q&A is my favorite. Anyway...I thought we could each bring the piece of advice/the experience that affected us the most and share why and how. You can find it cheap on Amazon (I paid $4) - it's definitely one to add to the collection. You are also welcome to borrow mine - I just need it back a few days before book club. Julie