Julie & Julia...I mean Stefanie and Ree.

As I mentioned in my inaugural post, I owe a lot of my cooking ability to The Pioneer Woman's blog. Her step-by-step photos in the cooking section of her blog enabled me to make sure I was following the recipe closely and ensured that my end product resembled hers--at least somewhat. She had such an influence upon me that I found myself trying new dishes that I normally would have assumed I would not like. Her crisp photos made the food call out to me, although there are a few recipes of hers that I still am not convinced to try (e.g., chicken fried steak, fried round steak).

Ree Drummond, aka Pioneer Woman, is also one of those women of whom you can't help but be tiny bit jealous. She lives this seemingly idyllic life in rural Oklahoma on a ranch and a married a rancher who also happens to be a millionaire. She has four beautiful children and she homeschools them. While I realize you truly never know what goes on in someone's personal life and that it's not always perfect, at least for me (and I'm sure many of her followers) I can't help but wish for a week in her shoes--at which point by the end of that week I'm sure I'd get tired of having to drive 20 miles to the nearest grocery store.

Furthermore, she has this highly successful blog from which she has made around a million dollars due to sponsors, ads, etc. She had the genius to include recipes with step-by-step photos, as well as add other sections to her blog devoted to photography, homeschooling, and her "confessions" (i.e., daily musings about country and family life). I can't help but wonder, "Why didn't I think of that?" Likewise, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has thought this (not withstanding that I don't have her cooking skills/experience to even initiate such a blog). And the popularity of her blog has turned into cookbooks, children's books, an autobiography, and--most recently--a television show on the Food Network. I can't help but offer my opinion that she probably wouldn't have been as successful at these endeavors if it weren't for that fact that she doesn't have to work outside of the home. Not every woman has the luxury of being able to devote so much time/focus on hobbies--which might happen to turn into a lucrative career--without worrying about a full-time job. And, yes, I realize that raising four children is a full-time job in and of itself, but some people happen to manage that and a job outside of the home--out of necessity due to their financial state and other circumstances (and purpose of this post wasn't to argue for/against stay-at-home mothers as that is a role I hope to fulfill someday; I am just trying to point out that there are some who who truly cannot no matter how much they would like).

Ree's story somewhat parallels Julia Child's. Although my perception is based off having only seen the movie Julie & Julia and not having read any of the Julia Child biographies, Julia had the blessing of being married to a man who had a Department of State job and she didn't have to work in order to pay rent or a mortgage. While he had his assignment in France, she was free to take classes in French cooking and experiment in the kitchen. As someone who is single and supporting herself financially, if I want to take a French cooking class I have to do it after working all day. One advantage I do have, I suppose, is that I don't have to consult with anyone or work around a spouse's schedule to make sure I can do it; I can just sign up if it aligns with my schedule (and finances allow). At the same time, thank God Julia was able to stay home and create those recipes so that so many cooks could benefit from her technique. There is that touching scene in the movie where it is implied that Julia really wanted to have children but could not for whatever reason. While I'm sure it was very painful for her and her husband to not have children, perhaps that was all part of God's plan...so she could devote herself to cooking and sharing that love and devotion to her cookbook readers and television viewers. What a beautiful gift.

Ultimately, I am grateful for both Ree's and Julia's contributions to the culinary world. How blessed they are to have had that lifestyle that accommodate The purpose of hobbies is personal enjoyment and fulfillment. People generally don't intend to make money off their hobbies, but sometimes it happens that way. Cooking and baking are hobbies for me (and cooking could also be considered a means of survival), but I can say for certain that I won't be creating any mind-blowing (or tastebud-blowing?) recipes in the future. I am content to follow Ree's recipes, as well as many other food bloggers' and chefs' recipes, and amaze myself that I am capable of creating something from a bunch of ingredients sitting on the counter. There is that simple pleasure of enjoying a meal that you know you made, without help. A small personal victory. Now I long for the lost years when I didn't cook anything and let my mother make all of my meals.

And I do look forward to signing up for a French cooking class someday.