Ree Drummond was simply a mom who loved to cook when she began blogging in May 2006. She has always been The Pioneer Woman but has since turned that name into a food empire known for her hearty, flavorful, recipes and her bubbly personality.
Drummond began her blog writing about what she knew and often covered topics involving her four kids and life on their Oklahoma ranch. A year into her blog, Drummond posted her first recipe. She then posted a step by step instructions on how to cook a steak and her idea was born.
Drummond's picture by picture guide alongside her recipes proved popular with readers because it made cooking seem so easy and you can see what you're supposed to be doing. Her use of food photography is highly detailed and was highly successful. Three years after starting her blog, Drummond expanded it to be full of down-home comfort food recipes along with personal, family tidbits that 13 million people a day read.
Food Network hired her and she let us all into her life with her show, aptly called The Pioneer Woman. Drummond has no formal culinary experience making her rise even more impressive.
She's a wife and a mom who loves to cook and keep a family fed. In addition to a thriving website and blog, she still films her show, manages a store, opened a bed and breakfast, and has an entire line of cookware and small appliance products that's are extremely feminine and classic.
Here are some fun facts about the one and only Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond!
1. She Really is a Pioneer Woman
Drummond's husband, Ladd Drummond is a 4th generation cattle rancher from rural Osage County in Oklahoma. While Drummond is also from Oklahoma, she grew up in a home near a county club in a larger city. The couple raised their kids on their 8-acre ranch near Pawhuska, Oklahoma, a city of 3,500. Cooking for kids on the ranch would make anyone feel like a pioneer woman!
2. She Didn't Always Want to be a Chef or Live on a Ranch
Before meeting her husband, Drummond had left Oklahoma for the big city. She attended college at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She majored in journalism and then switched to gerontology. After graduation, Rummond planned to go to law school in Chicago, but then plans changed. She met her husband and headed back to Oklahoma.
3. She's a Mom of Four
With four kids, Drummond has her hands full. Her kids are older now making her career easier but just starting out, she was keeping it all going at home as a mom. Her oldest daughter Alex has graduated from college and lives on her own. Paige is a student at the University of Arkansas and will be starting her junior year. Bryce is going into his senior year of high school and Todd into his junior year of high school.
4. Her Daughter Just Got Engaged
The Pioneer Woman has been on the air since 2011 and her kids have grown so much since the beginning. They're moving on to the next stage of life. Oldest Drummond child, Alex, 23, just got engaged and Ree couldn't be more excited. Alex and her new fiance Mauricio have been spending some time on the ranch this summer.
5. She Worth a Lot of (Well-Earned) Money
And by a lot, we mean a lot. The Pioneer Woman herself is worth a whopping $50 million! She has truly created an empire based on what she knew: being a mom on a rural ranch. Drummond's net worth has grown thanks in part to her cookware line and cookbooks.
6. She's a Dog Lover
Drummond has seven dogs that live on the ranch with her and the family. They're a mix of four basset hounds, two yellow labs, and one German Shepard. Her oldest is a basset hound named Walter. She used to have a basset hound named Charlie that she wrote a children's book about.
7. Ree Used to be a Vegetarian
Drummond may now be a pioneer woman who cooks a lot of hearty meat but at one point in her life, she was a vegetarian. It all began in college when she moved to the big city of Los Angeles and it seemed like the thing to do. She cut out all chicken, beef, fish, and pork. It lasted for three years hen she gave into a fast food bacon cheeseburger during a stressful week in college.