Ree Drummond Hides Her Nutella Like The Rest Of Us
Since marrying into a ranching family and launching her blog 10 years ago, Ree Drummond (perhaps better known as the "Pioneer Woman")has turned her unexpected lifestyle into an empire. In addition to her still-running blog, she has a highly popular TV show on the Food Network, has released a series of cookbooks, and has launched a restaurant and retail space called The Mercantile, all while raising four children and cooking for cowboys on her ranch.
Yeah, she's a little bit busy.
Though it may have seemed like her plate was full, Drummond has now launched her first magazine, fittingly titled The Pioneer Woman Magazine. At a celebration honoring the publication's launch, we caught up with Drummond, where she dished on her (maybe unpopular) warm-weather entertaining tips, how to hide food from hungry teenage boys, and where she finds the inspiration for her party menus.
The Daily Meal: With summertime right on the horizon, what are your top tips for summer entertaining?
Ree Drummond: First of all, relax. It is hot and sweaty and dirty. If you worry about housekeeping and the garden being weeded, you're never going to have anybody over. So, take it easy on yourself. My tips for summer entertaining are the same as my tips all year. Do as much as you can in the days leading up instead of trying to get up at three in the morning and doing it all that day. It's the same as Thanksgiving. Start with a list and check off what you can do five days ahead, four days ahead, three days ahead, and so on. Turn on the A/C colder than you think you need it before your guests show up. The more people are moving around and laughing, the hotter and hotter the house is going to get. Can you tell I live in a hot place? It's probably not going to be a popular tip when it comes to your bills, but...
I know you're very in to keeping a well-stocked pantry. What's something that you stock that may surprise people?
The things that I have that no one else eats are the pickled items and the spicy hot sauces and things like that. I always have a jar of Nutella, and I hide it well — because if I keep it on the counter, it's gone in 12 hours. My boys will eat it up. I have hiding spots in my own pantry. I'll put jars of Nutella inside pickling pots.
Do you have any other hiding spots for boys? I know my mom had that problem and many other moms do too.
Yeah, I mean, I'll pull out a row of cans to make it look like the pantry is full, but there will be another row behind it. That's the thing about teenage boys, they'll eat you out of house and home.
Where do you find the inspiration for your recipes and party menus?
I always say my two greatest cooking inspirations are my two mothers, my mother-in-law and my mother. They're both really amazing cooks and they both cook differently. I also cook for cowboys, so I see what they enjoy the most on the ranch and cook more of that. I would also say that my inspirations come from eating out. If I have a really great crispy taco, I'll do a twist of it on my own at home. So those are my three biggest inspirations: the moms, the cowboys, and what I've eaten.
Your fans have really fallen in love with you because of your relatable voice on your blog and TV show. How do you hope to translate that to print with the launch of your magazine?
I wanted to feel like it's actually my magazine. I didn't want to just slap my name on it. So when I read through each article, I made sure that each story had some humor in it or something relevant to my world. Everything I've done, I've been a part of and had my hands on — not in a controlling way — just because I want it to be me.