50 Women Game Changers in Food - #21 Ree Drummond - Creamed Spinach

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Tinker? Tailor? Soldier? Sailor? Nope. At least not yet. Ree Drummond is, however, a writer, photographer, ranch wife and mother of four whose blog, The Pioneer Woman, is phenomenally successful and has been named Weblog of the Year for three years running. She is also an author and her cookbook, The Pioneer Women Cooks, is currently the New York Times best-selling cookbook. Her 2011 memoir, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels — A Love Story, and her children's picture book, Charlie the Ranch Dog, have also made it to the Times best seller list. This past summer she also began her own series on the Food Network. That's not bad for a woman who calls herself an "accidental country girl." At the rate she's going, she'll be able to buy that country. Her personality is such that you begrudge her none of that success and, in fact, cheer her on. She holds position 21 on the Gourmet Live list of Women Game Changers in food and she's earned it. Her focus is on family recipes and the type of food that is actually served in American kitchens. I have only recently begun to follow her blog and career and found myself wondering which of her many recipes I should use to represent her work. I usually solve that kind of dilemma by asking one of two questions. Which is her most popular recipe, or, which recipe is a personal favorite? I was able to find an answer to that last question while doing some research for this post. I came across an interview, here, where she discusses choices for her last supper and there it was. I had found my recipe. It was creamed spinach! Here's the recipe for those of you who have not yet tried it .

Creamed Spinach...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Ree Drummond

Ingredients:
Sauce
1 stick butter
8 tablespoons flour
1/2 of a medium medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pinch ground nutmeg
Spinach
3 tablespoons butter
24 ounces baby spinach

Directions:
1) To make sauce: Melt 1 stick of butter in a pot. Sprinkle in flour and whisk together. Cook over medium heat for five minutes or until light golden brown. Throw in onion and garlic and stir together, cooking for another minute. Pour in milk, whisking constantly, and cook for another five minutes while you cook the spinach.
2) To cook spinach: Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a separate pot. Add spinach in increments until all incorporated, and cook until wilted but not soggy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
3) To finish: Season cream sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add spinach to the cream sauce, stirring gently to combine. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.


The following bloggers are also featuring the recipes of Ree Drummond today. I hope you'll visit all of them. They are great cooks who have wonderful blogs.

Val - More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey, Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney, Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets, Katie - Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite, Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen, Sue - The View from Great Island
Barbara - Movable Feasts, Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Amy - Beloved Green,Jeanette - Healthy Living
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda, Linda A - There and Back Again
Martha - Lines from Linderhof, Nancy - Picadillo
Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits, Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen

Next week we will highlight the career and recipes of Amanda Hesser. It will be really interesting to see what everyone comes up with. If you'd like to join us please email me for additional information no later than Monday, October 31st.