cover image The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime; Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-Minute Meals, and Other Delicious Ways to Solve Supper!

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime; Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-Minute Meals, and Other Delicious Ways to Solve Supper!

Ree Drummond. Morrow, $29.99 (380p) ISBN 978-0-06-222524-5

The indomitable blogger's ninth cookbook offers what has become her signature blend of folksy humor and easy recipes. This volume is aimed squarely at home cooks looking to get dinner on the table: "Not a cocktail hour I'm hosting on the fifth of never. But dinner. Tonight. Tonight, tonight, tonight!" A chapter on 16-minute meals promises to accomplish this task fast with supremely simple recipes such as pan-fried pork chops and veggie stir-fry. Those who plan ahead will delight in the sizable "Freezer Food" chapter, with family-friendly basics like ready-to-go beef taco filling and individual chicken pot pies. The "Breakfast for Dinner" chapter makes a harried weeknight fun with recipes such as Greek yogurt pancakes and croissant French toast. And the "Pasta Pronto" chapter presents a few of the dishes Drummond relies on to please her own busy family, such as Cajun chicken pasta. Visual learners will appreciate the full-color step-by-step shots that accompany each recipe, and anyone yearning for country life will adore the images of Drummond's gorgeous ranch. The recipes aren't going to win any accolades for innovation, but that's hardly the point. Just like the stories she shares on her Pioneer Woman blog, the recipes in Drummond's latest book are exactly what her readers want: simple, honest and true to life. (Oct.)