A few weeks ago, I read a good memoir and it came in the guise of a cookbook. The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond caught my eye at the local library. The photographs (all taken by Ree in her own kitchen) are stunning and the recipes looked beyond delicious. I am not a connoisseur or collector of cookbooks, but there was something about the book that stayed with me. The cheese, meat, potatoes — all comfort food, and all food I shouldn’t eat, made me sigh with longing as my mouth watered. While I flagged over three dozen pages, I confess I will never make any of the recipes but the book inspired me as an artist and writer.

What is special about Ree Drummond’s cookbook is that it includes down-to-earth photographs, (all taken in natural light by Ree) of her children, her husband who she calls her Marlboro Man, and their cattle ranch. The pictures share private family moments but her husband’s face is always covered by his Stetson hat . . . very provocative and creative! Ree is funny and self-effacing when she writes about her own failings in developing some of the recipes. I learned more about Ree and her courtship, marriage, family and friends by reading this cookbook then I have learned about other authors through their official memoirs.

Creativity and wellness message for today: You can’t judge a book by its cover. Let yourself be surprised by the unexpected.