So I have been a fan of the Food Network for the past several years. I find their shows comforting and easy to watch. I don’t have to pay close attention to follow a complicated plot - the plot is they are making food that always turns out great. And I actually have learned a lot of helpful cooking tips and tricks. There’s also a sense of inspiration and aspirational ideas that I find encouraging even if I don’t make that dish, I possibly could. One of my favorites is “The Pioneer Woman.” I get that she might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I find her comforting and delightful. During the pandemic and until the most recent episodes, her children have shot the show for her, and I find her to be even more charming and personable. She thinks she’s funny and laughs at her own jokes which I do too. And her food is fairly simple, not too fussy, but just different enough that you feel like you are making something a little different than your everyday dishes. I have two of her cookbooks “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays” and “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy!” And I bookmark many of her recipes from her shows on the Food Network app. I highly recommend to follow along with the recently aired shows, save your recipes to boards (which of course I have curated and organized which you can read about here), and search for dishes for which you don’t have a recipe yet.

I have made so many of her dishes over the last two years and have been keeping track of what I’ve been making (which you can read about here).

(If no reference is listed, it’s from the Food Network website/app.)

-Pimento cheese

-One-pot sausage pasta “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy!”

-Roasted garlic mashed potatoes & Brussels sprouts with cranberries “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays” cookbook