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Ree Drummond has been the star of The Pioneer Woman since 2011. If you want to learn more about her family and life, episode 1 is a good place to start. Drummond welcomes viewers to her ranch and shows them how to make the meals she enjoys cooking for her family. Here’s a peek inside her world.

‘The Pioneer Woman’ Season 1 Episode 1

Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, poses with her family at an event.
The Pioneer Woman | Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Pioneer Woman Magazine

The first episode of The Pioneer Woman, titled “Home on the Ranch,” starts with Drummond giving us an introduction to her life. She introduces herself as a writer, blogger, photographer, mother, and Accidental Country Girl. Drummond says she “lives on a ranch in the middle of nowhere” and has “a lot of mouths to feed.” She goes on to describe her food style as “simple, yet scrumptious.”

Drummond opens the episode by talking about her garden. She says she loves gardening, and she likes planting zucchini, tomatoes, and herbs. During the first episode, Drummond and her family decide to have dinner at the lodge, which is where she films episodes of The Pioneer Woman. She says the lodge is great for having family dinners and a good space for the family to relax.

Ree Drummond’s chicken fried steak

In this episode, Drummond makes her famous chicken fried steak. She makes hearty meals because her family starts ranch work around 5:00 a.m. “I figured they could use a really good dinner, and one that would stick to their ribs,” says Drummond. She likes to pair her chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy.

“Don’t be confused—there’s no chicken in this recipe,” writes Drummond on her website. “The reason it’s called chicken fried steak is because it has a breading on it that resembles fried chicken.” You can find the full ingredients list and directions here.

Ree Drummond’s marinated tomato salad

Drummond doesn’t find chicken fried steak visually appealing, so she usually includes sliced tomatoes to add color to the meal. Drummond makes a marinated tomato salad, which she describes as “colorful and gorgeous.”

The Accidental Country Girl starts by cutting up onions. While she cuts the onions, she explains that her family is a “meat and potatoes” family. “Chicken fried steak is absolutely [Ladd’s] favorite meal,” says Drummond. After cutting the onions, she mixes them with the tomatoes. She says she knows the tomato salad won’t be the most popular meal of the night because her family prefers meat. Ladd isn’t a fan of vegetables.  

Next, Drummond makes a vinaigrette. Instead of whisking her vinaigrettes, she places them in mason jars and shakes them. She mixes balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of brown sugar, and a dash of salt and pepper.

Ree Drummond’s family

Episode 1 introduces us to Drummond’s family. We get the first glimpse of Todd, Alex, Paige, and Bryce. A few scenes catch the sweet interactions between Todd and Bryce as they wrestle and play. In one scene, Todd loses his cowboy hat and runs after it. Alex and Paige used to be the ones who took charge while Drummond made the family’s meal. Now, Drummond’s children are all grown up and about to start families of their own. Her eldest child, Alex Drummond, married Mauricio Scott last year.

RELATED: ‘The Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond’s Embarrassing Moment During the First Episode

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