Skip to main content

The Pioneer Woman showed home cooks how to freshen up old recipes. Here’s what Ree Drummond did to breathe new life into a few of her favorites.

Ree Drummond’s skirt steak with sweet potato fries

Ree Drummond poses in front of a flower wall at The Pioneer Woman magazine event.
Ree Drummond | Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Pioneer Woman Magazine

Drummond jokes during an episode of The Pioneer Woman that she has cooked so many meals she has been cooking for 734 years. One meal she decided to refresh was her skirt steak with sweet potato fries recipe.

Drummond starts by making a seasoning mix for the sweet potato fries. She places salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and coriander in a bowl. Drummond also adds a pinch of sugar to give the mixture “a sweet caramelization.” She uses a superhero shortcut for this recipe by using frozen sweet potato fries.

Next, Drummond sprinkles one tablespoon of the seasoning on top of the fries. She bakes the fries at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes. Drummond shakes the fries around halfway through the cooking process. You can find the rest of the recipe here.

Ree Drummond’s boozy berry upside down cake

For the booze, Drummond uses tequila. She starts by making the batter first. She mixes flour, sugar, baking powder, and sweetened coconut. After she stirs the ingredients, she adds a pinch of salt and stirs in milk.

Next, Drummond adds one egg and coconut extract. After this step, she adds a panful of melted butter. After mixing the ingredients, Drummond prepares a non-stick cake pan by spreading melted butter and brown sugar in the bottom of the pan. Then she adds tequila and mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries).

Drummond tells home cooks to make sure the batter is completely stirred together before pouring it into the cake pan. After stirring the batter, she pours it over the berries. She places the mixture into the oven and bakes it for 45 minutes at 450 degrees.

Drummond uses a non-stick pan, but she suggests running a knife around the edges of the pan before removing the cake. This will prevent any of the cake from sticking to the sides when you remove it. She then grabs a cake platter and places it on top of the cake. Next, she carefully flips the cake pan upside down and gently lifts the pan. The Pioneer Woman finishes the cake by adding whipped cream. You can find the complete ingredients and directions here.

Ree Drummond’s pesto egg toast

Drummond places the bread under the broiler and cooks it until the cheese melts and it becomes bubbly. While the bread is heating up, she sprinkles salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes over the eggs. She says the red pepper flakes add a bit of “heat” to the dish.

Next, Drummond flips over the eggs. After cooking the eggs, Drummond takes the bread out of the oven. She then places sliced heirloom tomatoes on top of the cheese and adds a piece of basil in between each slice of tomato. After that, she places the pesto eggs on top of the tomatoes and sprinkles them with sea salt. You can find the complete ingredients and directions here.

RELATED: ‘The Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond Makes a ‘Fiery’ Meal With Her Fiery Goat Recipe

Follow Sheiresa Ngo on Twitter.