#1: Macaroni and Cheese

"And I hope it encourages even the most harried urban cooks to slow down, relish the joys of family, nature, and great food, and enjoy life."  Ree Drummond, jacket cover of The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl.



After talking to the kids about what I was planning on doing, my oldest son, Bret, asked if he could pick the first recipe.  He paged through my well-loved cookbook and settled on Macaroni and Cheese for our dinner this evening.  I was a bit surprised that he asked to pick the first recipe.  He usually doesn't have very strong opinions on what I make for dinner, he's so easy going and pretty much likes everything I make.  I loved that he wanted to share in this little adventure with me. 

And then out of the blue, my youngest son, Lucas, asked if he could help make dinner.  He hasn't asked to make dinner in months.  He kept commenting on how fun it was to make dinner together and I enjoyed spending this time with him.

Could it be that already this challenge is bringing our family closer together?

I think as a family we all decided that we are not Macaroni and Cheese people?  Sorry Ree, I know that you love Macaroni and Cheese.  I think we would have loved it more, if I would have added bacon or some more seasonings to it besides what the original recipe calls for.   

My Idea

For some time, I've been thinking of an idea...something that would let me be creative and tie in my 1) love of cooking, 2) sharing great meals with others and 3) using my favorite cookbooks.  I've always loved the movie, "Julie and Julia".   If you haven't watched it before, here is a brief synopsis:

"Frustrated with a soul-killing job, New Yorker Julie Powell (Amy Adams) embarks on a daring project: she vows to prepare all 524 recipes in Julia Childs' landmark cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Intertwined with Julie's story is the true tale of how Julia Child (Meryl Streep) herself conquered French cuisine with passion, fearlessness, and plenty of butter." (info from a google search)

Did you read that last line?  BUTTER??? My favorite cookbooks use a lot of butter....

And so with that movie in mind, I have decided to start a blog embarking on a daring project that will challenge me to prepare a recipe or two each week from Ree Drummond's "The Pioneer Woman Cooks Cookbooks".

 My movie synopsis would go something like this:

Frustrated with her ho-hum cooking style, Washingtonian Darlene VanderVeen (played by herself) embarks on a daring project: she vows to prepare 63 recipes before years end from Ree Drummonds' landmark cookbook, "The Pioneer Woman Cooks:Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl." Intertwined with Darlene's story is the true tale of how her family and friends respond to her conquered Ranch-style cuisine with passion, fearlessness, and plenty of butter.

Okay, I'm setting a little smaller goal than Julie Powell did with only 63 recipes compared to her 524.  But who knows, maybe I'll be moving on to cookbook #2 before year's end.  

I'll begin with her first cookbook called "The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl." Are you ready to join me in this adventure?  Maybe you'll find a recipe or two that your family will enjoy!  Oh I'm so excited!!