Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman was in Seattle this weekend for a book signing, so I batched together my northbound errands and broke my trying-to-drive-less resolution to haul my butt up to Lake Forest Park, abducting a friend along the way. (Fun errands related to this blog: dropping off my CSA check – more on that later, and picking up the wood for my potato condo. More on that later too. Unrelated errands: eating Ethiopian food, yum.)
As we were driving home, signed books in hand, I realized that this all kind of started with Pioneer Woman. You know, this… bloggety blogging thing. She has a blog. I have a blog. She has cows. I like cows. She grows veggies. I… well, I’m trying. Clearly we have so much in common! Ok, so not really. But it kind of all started with her. She was there. Or at least her cake was.
First, Rewind Two Years
Then fast forward six months from there, because two years ago today I think I was moping my way through my quarter-life crisis. It was uninteresting to me even when I was going through it. You know you’re bad when you are bored and irritated with yourself. So fast forward to six months later. When I made this.
That is Pioneer Woman’s Yogurt-Marmalade Cake (which, inexplicably, is not in the cook book!). It was through this cake that I discovered Pioneer Woman. I discovered the recipe through A Wren’s Nest, a family who overturned their lives to build a homestead farm in Southern Colorado. And I learned about them through a college friend who ran a small green marketing and consulting company. As I was coming out of my pathetic haze, I started moonlighting as a web designer and writer for my friend’s company. In the end, we parted ways and I started Openly Balanced. To celebrate, I ate some more cake. (Did I mention this cake is really good? And I don’t like cake.)
So in a strange way, going up to meet Pioneer Woman, 3,000 miles from where this cake first appeared in my life, felt like coming full circle. Except I guess that next time I pull out the recipe, I’ll probably try to use lacto-fermented marmalade. And rapadura. And soaked flour. And I’ll probably make my own yogurt from local raw milk. Full circle… but a little different now.
Nice and I’m bummed you were up here and didn’t shout out. I would have come with you! Except I was listening to Joel Salatin last night. What a night in Seattle! Ree and Joel…and I’m glad you broke ways because I love your blog.
I didn’t realize Joel Salatin was in town, which is probably good because it would have been a tossup. Was it great?
And I so should have come up early and we could have done lunch. Next time…
Jess, it was great as expected. Next time you come up be sure and email first.
Congrats on getting to meet the Pioneer Woman. Must have been so exciting.
Suzanne
Thanks! It was very cool
.
Oh how fun!
I enjoyed this: ” . . . Except I guess that next time I pull out the recipe, I’ll probably try to use lacto-fermented marmalade. And rapadura. And soaked flour. And I’ll probably make my own yogurt from local raw milk. Full circle… but a little different now.”
That is the way i tend to cook, too.
The one thing I’ve noticed about cooking this way is that I am neither meticulous nor picky enough to get consistent results. I never keep track of what I’ve done, which makes it impossible to do it again!