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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 26 November 2019

This Oct. 21, 2019 file photo shows TV personality Ree Drummond
posing for a portrait to promote her new cookbook "The Pioneer
Woman Cooks: The New Frontier: 112 Fantastic Favorites for Ev-
eryday Eating."
Associated Press
'Pioneer woman'

sticks to her groove

with new cookbook First lady Melania Trump looks over the 2019 White House Christmas tree as it is delivered to the
White House in Washington, Monday, Nov. 25, 2019.
Associated Press
By GINA ABDY Surprisingly, though, bread
Associated Press is not her strong suit. Melania Trump receives official
NEW YORK (AP) — Ree "I can kind of muddle
her Food Network cooking have the artistry to make a White House Christmas tree
Drummond — known for through ... But I just don't

show, ``The Pioneer Wom- really great loaf of bread.
an'' — won't follow diet So that's going to be my WASHINGTON (AP) — Me- was harvested from Ma- of two gobblers - 45-pound
trends to sell cookbooks. lifetime goal," she said. lania Trump opened the hantongo Valley Farms (20.41 kilogram) "Bread" or
"I have found that I have Her cookbook includes holiday season in the na- in Pitman, Pennsylvania. 47-pound (21.32-kilogram)
to be authentic to me, oth- step-by-step visual guides tion's capital Monday by Owner Larry Snyder earned "Butter" - should be spared.
erwise it won't work. My in- with her recipes. accepting delivery of the the honor of presenting the Meanwhile, during Trump's
terest will fizzle. I stay most "It's the style that I used official White House Christ- White House a tree from his absence from Washington,
passionate when it's some- when I first started food mas tree. farm after winning an an- an army of volunteer dec-
thing that's really going on blogging back in 2007. I just Members of the U.S. Marine nual contest held by the orators, florists and others
in my life," she told The As- decided to take pictures Band played "O Christmas National Christmas Tree As- will fly in from around the
sociated Press. of the steps as I cooked," Tree" as a pair of horses sociation. country after Thanksgiving
For instance, Drummond Drummond said. "I had no named Cash and Ben trot- The White House chief ush- to help decorate the 132-
tried the Keto diet this year, idea if anybody would be ted up the White House er and grounds superinten- room executive mansion
but didn't stick with it. Still, interested, but I posted driveway pulling a green dent picked the tree during for Christmas. Thousands of
she does offer Keto-like them and the people who carriage that carried an 18 an October visit to Snyder's tourists will stream through
recipes in her latest cook- read it at the time said, ½-foot (5.49 meter) Doug- farm. A massive chande- the building in December.
book, "The Pioneer Woman 'Hey, do another one.' And las fir. The towering tree will lier that hangs in the oval- Wreaths are already in
Cooks: The New Frontier," so that became my style." become the centerpiece shaped Blue Room is re- place on exterior windows
to reflect public interest in Her brand continues to of Christmas in the White moved to accommodate on the South Portico of the
the diet. grow each year. She start- House Blue Room. the tree, which is trimmed White House.
"It was a little too hardcore ed as a stay-at-home mar- The first lady appeared mo- and anchored to the ceil- Christmas planning starts
for me to sustain, but that's ried mom to four children ments later, escorted by a ing for safety and stability. several months out.
what was behind the hand- on her ranch in Pawhu- military aide, and smiled, The tree's delivery marks In late July, Mrs. Trump
ful of lower-carb recipes saka, Oklahoma, blogging waved and chatted up the start of a flurry of holi- tweeted photos of herself
in the cookbook. Just on about motherhood and the top-hatted men hold- day season activity at the in the Map Room looking
those days or weeks when simple recipes. Now she ing tight to the reins. She White House. over a table covered with
you want to kind of make has a hit show, a collec- walked around the car- President Donald Trump is fabric swatches, floral sam-
slightly smarter choices, tion of cookbooks and chil- riage and paused to look scheduled Tuesday to par- ples and Christmas photos.
those are the recipes that dren's books, and a house- at the tree before posing ticipate in another season- "#Christmas planning has
reflect that," she said. ware line at Walmart. She for photos with the Pennsyl- al ritual when he issues a begun in the East Wing
"But I call them lower carb was even featured on the vania farmer who donated presidential pardon to the at the @WhiteHouse," she
because I'm not making cover of People magazine. it. National Thanksgiving Tur- wrote, referencing the
any Keto gods happy." "I blogged on a whim, but I Mrs. Trump wished every- key before he flies to Florida wing of the White House
Drummond's cooking is all blogged about things that one a "Merry Christmas" be- to spend the holiday with where her office and staff
about making your stom- made me tick. Like, my fore going back inside the his family at his Palm Beach are based. "I'm looking for-
ach happy. She's gener- kids. I wrote funny stories White House. home. The White House is ward to sharing our final vi-
ally known for hearty fare, about raising them in the Delivered three days be- sponsoring an online con- sion for this unique tradition
along with rich desserts. country,'' she said. q fore Thanksgiving, the fir test to help decide which in the coming months."q