Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, has a one-half hour cooking show on the Food Network. It airs on Saturday mornings, so if saw it tonight you saw a re-run. This is her second season doing it, and it looks like there will be a "next season," too. I think it's fun how she includes her family and friends, and that it isn't just "another chef spending the entire time in the kitchen."

Indeed, the Drummonds have a large holding and the ranch was homesteaded in the early 1900s. The horses bugged me for a long time on PW. It has only been recently she revealed the ranch is paid (alot of money) by the government to care for BLM horses. Until she did so the unitiated would believe the Drummonds took care of the horses out of the goodness of their hearts..which they didn't. That bothered me. I guess because I knew something the average reader did not and could not know until PW enlightened them. At first I got a big kick out of her blog. She made me laugh so much because she didn't take herself seriously. She admitted she was not a country girl and was doing the best she could. Unfortunately for me anyway, that has changed. The whole tone of her blog is different now. She doesn't make fun of herself like she used to. She has also contradicted herself many time in regards to the ranch, her abilities and her participation on the ranch and I don't understand why. Her motto was always 'keepin it real' and I don't see that anymore. I'm just disappointed. I miss the old Pioneer Woman. Lori

Heat, like taste, is subjective. And how much, or how little, depends on the dish it's going into. I haven't watched Pioneer Woman much lately, but back when her show first started, I watched every chance I got. I don't remember ever thinking she was adding way too much heat to anything, but that is something I would automatically adjust to my own tastes if I were following a recipe, hers or anyone else's. I've tried a couple of her recipes. Most of them are, like many of Paula Deen's, just repeats of recipes that have been around for a pretty long time. And that's fine, because they probably are new to many of the younger, newer cooks out there. One I especially like is her recipe for Brussel Sprouts. Even some of my family that would never eat them, gobble them up when I make this dish. I honestly don't remember if I got it from her website or from her TV show. I'll post it in case anyone is interested: Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries (Pioneer Woman) Ingredients: 3 pounds Brussels Sprouts 1/2 cup Olive Oil Salt And Pepper to taste 1 cup Balsamic Vinegar 1/2 cup Sugar 1 cup Dried Cranberries Preparation Instructions: Trim/clean Brussels sprouts, then cut them in half if desired (or you can leave them whole). Arrange on two baking sheets and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper and roast at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until brown. Combine balsamic vinegar and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and reduce until very thick, about 15 to 20 minutes.Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the roasted sprouts, then sprinkle on dried cranberries. Toss and serve immediately. Rusty

I often find that I am interested in only portions of magazines, so I try to borrow them from the public library. The library often has older issues as well.