Girl Meets Farm (2018–…): Season 12, Episode 4 - Big Game, Big Tastes! - full transcript

[Molly Yeh] I'm hosting
a halftime party.

I mean, football party.

With tons of incredible food.

Score one for my belly.

Like my mind-blowing
corndog hot dish,

where casserole meets
appetizer perfection.

How could you not
smile looking at this?

Crispy fried green beans
with spicy ranch mayo.

I don't think there is anything
that I would not eat ranch on.

A Midwest classic,
easy-peasy pickle roll-ups.

These are gonna be
way too easy to eat.



And for dessert, a glitzy,
sweet cheese ball

with cinnamon sugar
cookies for scooping.

Let the halftime show begin!

- [whistle blows]
- [cheering]

Oh, yum!

Yay!

Hey, this is me, Molly Yeh.

This is my husband, Nick.

This is our growing family.

And this is our home,

our farm on the North
Dakota-Minnesota border,

the place where I eat,
sleep and breathe food.

It's football season!

[crowd cheering]



But of course,
the only reason I care

is because of
the halftime show,

and the food, obviously.

So I'm throwing
a party about it.

For a dessert
that is as dazzling

as the halftime concert,

I am making
my sweet cheese ball

with cinnamon
cookies for dunking.

It's a sugary spin on
a classic savory snack,

and come on, you can't
play sports without a ball.

I'm starting with a pound
of softened cream cheese.

This will be the base.

It's basically a less sweet
cream cheese frosting.

But that's flavored
really nicely, too.

So it's more than
just sweet cheese.

I'll combine this with
a stick of softened butter,

half a cup of powdered sugar,

and then a quarter cup
of brown sugar

for a little more depth.

And a teaspoon
of vanilla bean paste.

I'm not using the extract,

because the paste is less
liquid-y than the extract,

so it'll allow
the cheese ball to firm up.

And also, vanilla bean
paste tastes fancier.

I'm classin' up this party.

The zest of an orange will
add some great dimension.

I always knew about
cheese balls growing up,

but it took
me moving to the farm

to actually finally make one.

The standard cheese ball
is cheddar,

usually there's some nuts
around the outside.

It's definitely
a savory thing,

and it's common
at holiday parties.

You know,
anything in ball shape

is more fun. [chuckles]

And the first time I made
this sweet variation

was at this huge New Year's
Eve party that we threw.

This was pre-kids, of course.

I was standing
in this very spot,

holding the cheese ball.

And that's the only thing
I remember about that party.

[clanging]

I was exciting, once.

I'll beat this up to combine.

And I'm just looking to get
this smooth and creamy.

Mmm.

The last thing I'll add
is some dried currants,

to break up the texture

and add
chewy, sweet surprises.

I'm eyeballing
in a half-a-cup.

I'll get these combined.

I love currants in this,

'cause they're a little
smaller and daintier,

and slightly darker
in flavor than raisins.

And that's it for
the cheese ball mixture.

Now, since it's so soft
and creamy at this point,

I'll have to stick it
in the fridge to firm up,

so that it can hold
its ball shape.

So I'll cover it up,

and stick it
in the refrigerator

for three hours.

My cheese mixture
has firmed up,

and now it's ready
for its halftime sparkle.

Every cheese ball
needs a coating.

It adds crunch,
it pulls together the look,

and it also makes it easier

to work with
when you're rolling,

so, naturally, I'm using
multi-colored sanding sugar.

Kinda looks like a disco ball.

Okay, so I've got
this in my tray,

I'm using a lot of it.

And it's to coat a big ball.

I'll use my spatula
to nudge this mixture

into a ball while
it's still in the bowl.

Kinda loosen it, and then you
can get in there with your hands.

It doesn't need to be
perfect at this point.

Okay, now that
it's in a rough ball,

I'll place it into
my tray of sanding sugar,

and I'll roll it around
to get it fully coated.

[giggling] It's so pretty.

So, we throw football parties
pretty much every year.

And we invite
our friends over,

and every year, it seems like

there are
more and more little kids.

Well, it not only
seems like there are,

there are more
and more little kids.

And so by this point,
it's honestly a miracle

if we can make it
to the halftime show,

but it's so worth it
when we do.

The concerts are so great.

The artists have 10 minutes
to, like, bring it on,

and the costumes
are always as sparkly

as this here cheese ball.

I am focused on the halftime
show tonight, not the game.

Does it surprise you
that I am more interested

in the costumes, and the
music, and the dancing?

No.

If you have any rogue
cracks in your ball,

you can just smooth it over...

and cover it with sprinkles.

[giggles] There we go.

It's so plump,
and happy, and sparkly.

I'll plop it right in
the center of my plate.

Ta-da.

I'll add these little cinnamon
cookies for dunking and scooping.

They were really
satisfying to make.

I creamed butter
and sugar together

until it's light and fluffy.

Add an egg white.

Some vanilla extract
for flavor.

Slowly incorporate
my dry ingredients.

Flour, baking powder,
salt and cinnamon,

for those tasty, warm tones.

Wrap it up, and chill.

Then roll it out
to a quarter-inch thick.

Punch out cute star shapes.

And bake at 375
for eight minutes.

You could,
of course, serve this

with store-bought cookies too,

or Cinnamon Graham
Crackers would be really good.

This is enough
to make me like sports.

[in sing-song voice]
Dee-dee-dee!

It looks so good!

So, I know that
all of my party guests

are gonna be way too polite

to be the first one
to dig into this,

so I'll get the job
done for them.

Mmm!

That's tangy,
it's sweet, it's crunchy.

Not to be cheesy,

but this is one
all-star party app!

Coming up, the most perfect
sports party half dish there ever was.

Get ready, football fans!

There are two words
that get me extra excited

about sports games.

Tiny. Hot dogs.

Maybe that's three words.

Whatever,

I'm scoring a touchdown
with this one.

It's a beef
chili-like mixture,

covered in miniature corndogs.

That's right.
It's a corndog hot dish!

It's hearty, it's meaty,

and it'll keep us energized
while we cheer.

So to start,
I'm chopping up an onion.

I've also got
some chopped celery.

And I'll just get these
softening in my braiser.

I'll add a drizzle of oil.

I have this going
over medium-high.

And I love to build hot dishes

right in this braiser,

since it can go into the oven.

I don't have to transfer it.

But if you don't have
something like this,

you can build it in any
sort of big skillet or pot

and then transfer it to a
casserole dish before baking.

So, I'll add in my onion.

And three stalks
of chopped celery.

For that nice, bright crunch.
And add a pinch of salt.

And just stir this around,

and allow
the vegies to soften.

So, this follows the format
of a traditional hot dish.

A hot dish
is a type of casserole

that's a full meal in a pot.

It's got veggies, meat,

some kind of sauce
to hold it together,

and something fun
and frisky on top.

Most famously, tots,

but a while back,
when I realized that

mini corndogs
sort of resemble tots,

I realized, okay,

a corndog hot dish
has got to happen.

So I've been waiting
for a long time

to find the right party
to make this one for.

And mini corndogs
kind of look like footballs,

so of course
this is gonna be perfect.

The veggies have softened.
I'll add in my meat now.

I've got a pound
of 90-10 ground beef.

And this isn't too fatty.

I figure since I'm covering
this thing with a blanket

of cheese and corndogs,

I'll give us all
a fighting chance.

I'll break it up
with my spoon.

And as it cooks,
I'll season it.

So, I'll sprinkle in

a half-teaspoon
of kosher salt.

Some black pepper.

Crank up the heat
with some chili powder.

Cumin, for those woody notes.

Garlic powder.

Half a teaspoon
of celery salt.

The nod to
my favorite Chicago hot dogs.

And then a quarter-teaspoon
of cinnamon

is kind of unexpected,

but I love the warmth
that it provides.

And I'll continue cooking this
over medium-high

breaking the meat up with
my spoon until it's browned,

about six to seven minutes.

This is basically
a really thick chili.

Now it's starting to smell
like a football party.

All the best football parties
have either chili

or hotdogs.

Of course, the really good
ones have both.

The beef is cooked. I'll fill
my sauce right in my braiser.

I've got a can
of tomato sauce.

And then some other
hot-doggy elements.

I've got pickle relish.

I'm using the sweet kind

because I love
that added sweetness.

Gotta have mustard on a dog.

And the bright tanginess
is a good balance

to all these heavy flavors.

And two tablespoons
of Worcester sauce

will add more saltiness
and really tasty depth.

I'll stir this around,

and then reduce the heat
to medium and simmer this

just for a few minutes so that
the flavors can meld

and allow the mixture
to reduce slightly.

I don't want it
to be overly liquid-y

and make my corndogs sink.

This is looking cozy.

Feel like this is
what you want

while you're watching football

since football is
a cold weather sport.

Okay. Think I'm ready
for the best part.

I got the corndogs, but first,

I'm gonna lay down a layer
of shredded cheddar cheese

which will sort of act
as a barrier

to prevent the corndogs from
getting soggy on the bottom,

and also it'll be melty
and good.

It'll kind of be the glue
that joins the corndogs

and the chili.

I wanna get it
all the way to the edge

so you get
crispy cheese edges.

And now the corndogs.

So, just like tots, you want
these in a thin single layer

all over the top so that
they bake up evenly.

I'll do concentric circles
since it'll be pretty.

I love these little guys.

This is the perfect
choose-your-own-adventure dish

because you can either
just have an appetizer

and pick off a corndog,

or you can scoop to the bottom
and get the chili, too.

I'll continue on topping this
and then stick it in the oven

at 400 degrees
for about 25 minutes

until these
corndogs are golden and crisp.

That is the smell
of happiness.

Mmm!

I mean, how could you
not smile looking at this?

I'm smelling the corn
from the corndog coating.

The last thing I'll do is
finish it off with some chives

just because it's pretty.

It's like football grass.

I'm gonna find
an extra-crispy one.

I've got my ketchup on standby

to help cool it down
so it doesn't burn my mouth.

I'm getting all the way to
the bottom to get some chili.

Mmm!

That is ridiculous.

The sweetness of the corndog
is bringing this home for me.

Wow. Score one for my belly.

Next, a party app
that's so addictive,

it'll make it hard to focus on
the big game.

Since we can't subsist
on cheese balls

and corndogs alone,

I figured we better have
a vegetable at this party.

So I'm deep-frying
some battered green beans

and dunking them
in spicy ranch mayo.

They're crisp, satisfying
and... a little bit fresh?

For my dip it'll be a base
of a combination of

whole-milk Greek yoghurt
and mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise for
that addicting richness.

- [bottle squirts]
- [laughs]

And an equal amount
of plain yoghurt

for cooling fluffiness.

I'm basically making
a ranch dressing

that's a little bit thicker
and heavier on the mayo,

so it's better for dunking.

Ranch has gotta have
garlic and onion.

I've got both
in powdered form.

And then some dried herbs.

A teaspoon of dried parsley.

I love that herbiness.

Then half a teaspoon each

of dried oregano
and dried thyme.

It's to easy to make
your own homemade ranch.

I do it all the time.

I'll season with salt.

Then because this is gonna be

a spicy ranch situation,

I'll drizzle in some sriracha.

And this is just to taste.

Now I'll mix it up.

Are you a Midwesterner
if you don't eat ranch

at least once a day?

I don't think there is anything
that I would not eat ranch on.

Chocolate cake, I guess.

Okay. This looks good.

Tastes good. Ooh, yeah.

That's good and spicy.

I'll set this aside while I
batter and fry my green beans.

- [whistle blows]
- [crowd cheers]

[fanfare music playing]

- [whistle blowing]
- [crowd cheering]

I'm going with
some batter-fried green beans

because I really love
the taste of it,

and also it's a little bit
easier to do than dredging

and breadcrumbing
a million green beans.

So for my batter,
I'll start with

one cup of all-purpose flour.

A teaspoon of kosher salt.

Three-quarters of a cup
of milk.

And a quarter-cup
of plain yoghurt.

So this is kinda like
an unsweetened pancake batter.

And it'll coat the green beans
really well,

and give them this blanket
that's crispy on the outside

but still a little soft
on the inside.

So you get
a variety of textures.

And something green.

It's basically a salad.

And some black pepper.

I'll whisk until it's smooth.

I've got 10 ounces
of green beans

that have been trimmed,
and they are very dry,

which will allow
the batter to stick.

Get these evenly coated.

Salad has no place
at a football party

in my opinion, but...

I love sneaking in veggies
where I can,

so I figured
these would be appropriate.

And Bernie loves French fries,

so maybe I'll convince her
to eat a green vegetable

by just telling her that
these are green French fries.

I've become
a really good mom liar.

Now that
these are fully coated,

I'll gently lower them
into my oil.

- [sizzling]
- I love that sound so much.

Okay, they're starting
to float to the top.

I'll continue to let
these cook with my oil

at 375 degrees
for a few minutes,

until the green beans
are golden and crisp.

So while I get the food ready,

Nick usually gets
the decor ready

for our Super Bowl parties.

His go-to is usually typing up
encouraging words

on to blank pieces of paper
and sticking them on the walls.

- [record scratch]
- There's one of them.

One year, there was that
deflated football scandal,

so he taped a bunch of
deflated balloons on the walls.

Too soon?

These are looking crispy!

Look at that nice color.

All right, I'll get these
on to a wire rack

so that any excess oil
can drip off.

I like how they're lumpy.

You get
some textural contrast.

I'll sprinkle with some salt

and then I'll batter up
the other half.

I'm doing this in two batches

because I don't wanna
overcrowd the pot

and lower the temperature
of my oil.

Deep-frying vegetables
is the best of both worlds.

You have the junkiness
of a fried food

but the vague nutrition
of a fried vegetable.

You could deep-fry anything
and I would eat it.

Even a deep-fried mushroom.

Maybe not
a deep-fried banana, though.

These are golden.
I'll get them out.

I'll pour in my ranch.

That'll be enough for me.

And pile these on.

Oh, do you hear
how crispy they are?

I am diving in immediately.

Mmm.

They're crunchy
on the outside,

soft on the inside.

They make me wanna do
my end-zone dance.

Still to come,
my pickle roll-ups

come together in a snap
for any game day party.

My half-time party
is about to begin.

I have just enough time
to whip up

one of my
mother-in-law's specialties,

pickle roll-ups.

They're small but mighty.

Just like her.

They're tangy and salty

and they could not be
easier to make.

I'll start with half a block
of softened cream cheese.

And this is your chance
to flavor these

and make them your own,

so often times, Roxanne,
my mother-in-law,

will add a little cayenne
or paprika.

I'm going with
some horseradish

for a little
sinus-clearing heat

and Passover memories.

I'll season it
with a little salt and pepper.

And I'll just mush this up
to combine.

Okay, that's combined.

I'll lay up my ham.

I've gotten some deli ham
that's cut

on the thicker side
so it doesn't fall apart.

Sometimes Roxanne
mixes things up though,

and goes crazy
with some corned beef.

That's also really tasty.

I'll divide
the cream cheese mixture up

between the four slices.

And this will be the glue
to hold everything together.

Easy-peasy.

I'll spread it all over.

Like frosting.

And these are a great
make-ahead appetizer too,

because you could roll these
up and keep them in the fridge

until party time.

All right,
time for the pickles.

I'll get some paper towels
to dry them off.

I'm using
kosher dill spears here.

But you could really go with
any kind of pickle.

You're not gonna
screw these up.

Sometimes Roxanne even does
those little cornichons.

I love the sour snappiness
of a dill.

Makes me feel like
I'm in a deli.

I'll pat off my pickles.

No soggy pickles allowed
at this party.

All right.

I'll place it along
the shorter end of the ham...

so that the pickle takes up

the whole length
of the piece of ham.

And, you guessed it,
I'm rolling it up.

Hence the name,
pickle roll-ups.

I'll get them nice and tight.

Place them seam-side down.

I am all about
a pickle app at a party.

Something about
their briny brightness

cuts the richness
of all of the other apps.

And then I'll cut
into bite-size slices.

Oh, yeah.

Look at that
nice cross-section.

Don't you just wanna pop it
in your mouth?

Mmm!

It's creamy and snappy

and sour and salty.

These are gonna be
way too easy to eat.

I feel like
a true Midwestern lady

slicing up pickle roll-ups.

I'll plate them up.

Oh, yeah. This is
a good color palette.

[whistle blows]

[marching drum playing]

[whistle blowing]

Let the half-time show begin.

Costume change!

[crowd cheering]