[August 22, 2011] Pioneer Woman cooks up celebrity on new Food Network show Tweet Aug 21, 2011 (Tulsa World - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Ree Drummond still assumes no one knows anything about her. Even though her website, The Pioneer Woman, has 23.3 million page views a month, some people in and around Pawhuska, where she lives, don't know her as anything other than Ladd's wife or Alex, Paige, Bryce and Todd's mom. That may change as Drummond will soon be receiving even more national attention with her show "Pioneer Woman," which premieres Saturday on the Food Network. The show is filmed on location at the Drummond ranch and features a glimpse into the farm and family life Drummond writes about on her blog. "It's a slice-of-life cooking show," Drummond said. That distinction was important to Drummond, who had been approached about doing both cooking and reality shows but wasn't completely comfortable with either. "I would never be interested in a reality show like Jon and Kate. I don't know what purpose it would serve," she said. Reality shows have been done to death, she said, and besides, she already chronicles the details of her life on her blog. A cooking show sounded more promising, but Drummond wasn't interested in a show where she just stood behind a counter and cooked. "I wanted it to be as natural as possible, which is hard to do when there's a camera in your face," she said. She and Food Network executives settled on a show that combined "talking to the camera" cooking demonstrations with footage that captured family life on the ranch. One thing Drummond insisted on was that the show be filmed in Oklahoma. "When people come from big cities to visit the ranch, they can't believe how beautiful Oklahoma is," she said. "Representing Oklahoma is so important to me." The many beauty shots and scenery shown on the program are uniquely Oklahoma, Drummond said. In one episode, Drummond takes her kids to Woolaroc in Bartlesville, where she was raised. She's already planning for season two, where she wants the film crew to follow her to Drysdale's. Drummond is open when talking about her children and family life, but she's fiercely protective. So the decision was theirs whether they wanted to be part of the show. "They were fine about being on camera, but they weren't necessarily impressed by it," she said. That may be because they were too busy to notice, as much of their footage revolves around them doing farm chores and working cattle with their dad. But the shooting schedule was grueling, even for Drummond, who already juggles a full schedule of writing, home schooling, cooking and ranch life. Fifteen days of 18-hour days took their toll on her. "When it was over, it was like childbirth," she said. She's seen the first two episodes and has already found areas she wants to revamp in the next season. Mainly, she would like to see more spontaneity. "We would have spontaneous moments, but then they would say, 'Oh, can you do that again?' " she said. But she's glad she decided to do the show. "I had hesitation. I was almost resigned to not doing the show," she said. "Then I thought I was probably over thinking it, and I decided to jump in and have fun." Fame isn't a word Drummond is comfortable with, mostly because she still considers herself a blogger, writing to like-minded moms, food lovers, home-schoolers and friends. But there's no doubting her popularity, based on her web numbers, TV appearances and two New York Times best-selling books. It wasn't long ago that Drummond was watching the same lineup of Food Network shows she's now a part of. She watched Ina Garten, Bobby Flay and other hosts of the network's daytime programming while she nursed her babies. "That's what's so funny. I could never imagine I would be where I am," she said. "It's a reminder that you don't know what's ahead. Just let your life unfold, and see what happens." 'Pioneer Woman' Premieres 10:30 a.m. Aug. 27 on the Food Network, cable channel 58 Here's what you can expect from the first episode: "Home on the Range" Ree opens the doors of her ranch to kids and cowboys with breakfast punch, cowboy breakfast sandwiches, chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy and marinated tomato salad. PIONEER WOMAN TIMELINE: May 2006: Ree begins her blog Confessions of a Pioneer Woman as a way to share with family and friends the comedy and absurdity of her life on the ranch. May 2007: Ree posts her first recipe on how to cook a steak. It's a hit. March 2009: Confessions of a Pioneer Woman wins blog of the year at the Bloggies, beating the Huffington Post and Perez Hilton. October 2009:"The Pioneer Woman Cooks" is published and goes on to be a New York Times best-seller. Drummond goes on a 19-city book tour, including on national network programs. February 2011:"Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: A Love Story" opens at No. 2 on the New York Times best-seller list for hardcover nonfiction. It's a chronicle of her life with her husband, Ladd Drummond, whom she calls the Marlboro Man. March 2010: Columbia Pictures options "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels." The movie is in development, with Reese Witherspoon rumored to be the favored star to play Drummond. April 2011: Ree writes "Charlie the Ranch Dog," a children's book about the family's beloved basset hound. August 2011:"Pioneer Woman" premieres on the Food Network. April 2012: Set date for the release of Ree's yet-to-be-titled second cookbook. Natalie Mikles [email protected] ___ (c)2011 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit the Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at www.tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]