Kind of has a Paula Deen thing going on.
http://bit.ly/2gD8Sx1
I REALLY find it tacky when people open a restaurant that involves a full gift shop.
I personally would never go to such a restaurant as Ree Drummond is just a good home cook, as far as Iâm concerned. Nothing she does is so mind blowing.
Prototype for a chain, maybe?
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She is popular around the country, but in that part of the world she is a phenomenon. If she builds it, they will comeâŚ
By the way, some of her recipes weâve tried here on the East Coast were quite good.
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Iâve tried a couple of her recipes and have been pleased. Her Cajun Chicken Pasta is a a favorite with my kids. I like that sheâs heavy handed with the spices â sheâs not afraid to add a punch to her food. Of course, sheâs from LA, so that probably influences her cooking style as well.
She posted previously on Instagram (I think) that she styled the Mercantile around the old fashioned Mercantiles, where people could pick up groceries and eat a meal before returning home. In her case, she did a bakery/cafe, and then the gift shop sells the plates and stuff she uses in the cafe (her own line). I canât fault her for that. Itâs not like sheâs selling birthday cards and magnets.
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You know I read about her and all the fanfare back on Chowhound so I actually sought out her show to see what all the fuss was about. This particular episode was about âroast beef sandwichesâ for her sonâs and husbands lunch. Literally an entire episode surrounding how to make a roast beef sandwich, I kid you not. The most in-depth portion of the episode was the horseradish spread she put on the sandwich. SPOILER ALERT ((it was horseradish and sour cream))
I was dumbfounded. I agree completely she seems to be a great âhome cookâ and from what they are proposing it seems like a Cracker Barrel competitor, which there is probably room for some competition.
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Hmm⌠I just googled this because I remembered seeing a roast beef sandwich episode and I remember her making multiple things. I found two episodes. I saw the football camp one, but not the other one. But in both, sheâs making other things besides the sandwiches.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/the-pioneer-woman/600-series/football-camp.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/the-pioneer-woman/600-series/make-ahead-marvels.html
Football Fruit. She made little baggies of Football Fruit.
She grew up in Oklahoma. She moved to Los Angeles to go to USC.
Her food is nice for people that want to cook and feed their families, but donât know how, or are disinclined, or are stuck in a rural/suburban/Good Housekeeping rut. I understand her appeal. This is America and not everyone has a taco truck on every corner, yet. 
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For little kids to have as a snack at their football game. Not for adults. It was Food Networkâs choice to add it to the website as a ârecipeâ though.
I used to make little bags of fruit for my kidsâ soccer games too. We arenât allowed to bring junk food â had to be a healthy snack. Everyone usually brought fruit and some string cheese.
My apologies if it wasnât the entire episode however it was and incredibly long storyline on how to make a sandwich. After watching it I probably just changed the channel after seeing enough of what the show offered.
Itâs not that Iâm suggesting the food wouldnât be good.
When I go out to eat, I want to get something I couldnât/wouldnât make for myself. Her food sounds like something Iâd jot down off Pinterest after work to throw together for dinner by 1830.
I certainly wouldnât be standing in line for two hours for it.
Okay, that makes sense. What brilliant assistant at FN thought Football Fruit is a recipe? Too funny.
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I believe you are missing her point. In her part of the country, rural Oklahoma, work in the kitchen is a bit simpler. It is their sensibility. No foam, no deconstructed stuff, no molecular gastronomyâŚjust straightforward good food.
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Yah, I always got annoyed when Mario Batali or Bobby Flay pull out the iSi whipper.
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Iâd kindaâ like to see Bobby Flay throwdown
out of his element . Rural Oklahoma might bring a bit of humility and humanity to the guy. Onion burgers at 10 paces.
He did a âthrow downâ locally to me and he actually lost to a local chef. I think it was either crab cakes or gumbo I donât remember which. FWIW I have no use for Flay.
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I donât read her blog, but I can easily understand why itâs so popular. Sheâs a photographer and there are a lot of pictures - I think she was one of the first to use that many photos on a food blog. Also her writing is quite funny and she comes across as down to earth, unpretentious and likeable. The food is everyday home cooking and again did I mention the photos? Step by step starting with all the ingredients.
Her TV show on the other hand baffles me because it is dull and hard to watch. Sheâs not a natural on camera, whoever is doing the writing is not as funny as Ree herself, and that giant TV house and kitchen kind of display some of the realities of her life that her blog doesnât mention - that sheâs married to a millionaire who owns quite a chunk of Oklahoma, thus not quite an everyday Oklahoma farm wife.
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Sheâs a very nice, rich lady, but she became dead to me the moment I saw her use Campbellâs Pork and Beans in a baked bean recipe. Nothing against Campbellâs Pork and Beans, but just no, not in a baked bean dish.
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While Iâm a food lover and love to cook myself, I stop short of nitrogen-enriched foam and tweasered flowers. I donât find Ree Drummondâs cooking to be exciting, or even interesting, but think the vast majority of Americans are just âordinary folkâ who eat âordinaryâ food. What she cooks is what Iâd think most people watching her show eat. I didnât need to witness the past few weeks in the US to understand that the vast majority of people in this country are not like my neighbors in the LA area⌠on most levels.
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