Pioneer Woman

I need to talk about one of my favoite blogs. I have absolutely no idea how I ran into it one day, but that was a fateful day. Ya know, I think it was through "Stumble Upon" - in fact, now that I think about it, I'm sure that's how I found her. Well anyway, Confessions of a Pioneer Woman is a blog that I love - love love love!!

She also maintains her cooking blog The Pioneer Woman Cooks and soon to be her photography blog. I know nothing about Photoshop or photography and I am already excited beyond belief about her new site. It is all things Ree all the time, well her and her husband and children AND lets not forget her love story - High Heels to Tractor Wheels. That addictive saga has been a 30 chapter, painful, exhilarating, beautiful & at times hysterical story. We just got to the proposal in her last posting and I am just anxious as can be to read the next entry.

Ree decided before Thanksgiving this past year to help out all of us who were a little bit skittish about making Thanksgiving dinner for a crowd or just for the family. She cooked up and photographed each step of making Thanksgiving dinner. I decided right then and there that I was going to follow that woman's advice and make a turkey the way she was showing us. She said that the first thing I wanted to do was to brine the turkey. I thought it was a cool idea, so I purchased a $15 turkey and $37 in brining spices and brining bags!! I'll tell you right now, it was the best turkey I've ever had in my entire life. It was possibly the best $50 I'd ever spent on food. Yum! (The Turkey stock I made and stashed in the freezer is incredible as well. )

My husband was in Michigan for Thanksgiving 2007 & I was in Florida, so I decided to invite my tenants over for the day & then I invited a few other people that we had met through Mayo. I ended up with 7 people for dinner and it was lovely. My Mother decided on a lark to come stay with me for a few days, so she was here to witness and taste the best turkey ever. I was so glad she came down for no other reason than I was a tad nervous about hosting Thanksgiving by myself. My husband usually is in charge of all meat prep and cooking that doesn't involve just tossing it into a pan and stiring it around real quick.

So that is a real life example of what Pioneer Woman has done for me. If you have a moment, go check out her blog. If you have a few hours, go check out her love story. If you have a need for some really great recipes that are so incredibly delicious and that toss calories out the window, then please go to her cooking blog. If you want a step by step photo blog on how to brine a turkey, go check it out.

You all have a great day!
Kristin