Girl Meets Farm (2018–…): Season 13, Episode 1 - Big Midwestern Tractor Lunch - full transcript

[Molly Yeh] I'm making
a big old Midwestern
tractor lunch

for my favorite fella
and myself.

Just the farmer
I was looking for.

With my jazzy ranch
and bacon grain bowls.

It looks so good!

Super fun savory
monkey bread with

creamy veggie dip for dunking.

Yeah!

Crispy deep fried
pickle chips.

Yum!

And for something sweet,
the most beautiful giant



almond butter blossoms
there ever were.

I'd be a farmer if I could eat
like this every day.

Look at these beauties!

Hey, this is me, Molly Yeh
This is my husband Nick.

This is our growing family.

And this is our farm on
the North Dakota
Minnesota border.

The place where I eat,
sleep, and breathe food.

It's planting season
on the farm, so I thought

I'd whip up a delicious
lunch for Nick and me to enjoy

between him playing
in the dirt and me dirtying up

between him playing
in the dirt and me dirtying up

some dishes.

For dessert, I am making
my giant almond butter
blossoms,

which are so
satisfyingly chewy



and dense, and they've got
a whole honkin' chocolate bar

in the center.

To start on my dough,
I'll combine
my dry ingredients.

I'll get three and a half cups
of all-purpose flour.

This is a big batch
of big cookies,

but Nick needs the energy
for planting.

And with all the almond butter
in the cookies,

you know, they're basically
a protein bar.

Two teaspoons of baking soda,
which will react with

Two teaspoons of baking soda,
which will react with

the acidity in the brown sugar
and just help make

these cookies really chewy
and kind of crackly.

Two teaspoons
of cinnamon, which complement

the almond butter
really nicely.

And one and a half teaspoons
of kosher salt.

Now I'll get this combined.

So these are giant versions
of the peanut butter blossoms

that my mother-in-law makes
with Bernie every year

around the holidays.

And typically they have
those teardrop-shaped
chocolates

in the center,
but I'm making them big

because I wanted more of
the chewy center.

because I wanted more of
the chewy center.

And also when you use
the chocolate bars versus

the teardrop chocolates,
I feel like you can get

a better ratio of chocolate
to cookie in every bite.

I love them so much.

For the wet ingredients,
I'll combine one cup

of softened unsalted butter,
one cup of almond butter.

And this is unsweetened
almond butter,

so I can more control
the level of the sweetness.

I'm adding a lot
of sugar already.

And then one cup each
of granulated sugar

and light brown sugar,
so that you get a little bit

of that darker molasses-y
flavor with the light
brown sugar,

of that darker molasses-y
flavor with the light
brown sugar,

but it's not overpowering
the almond flavor.

I'll get this onto my mixer,
and then I'll mix this up

until it's combined
and creamy,

but I'm not going to aerate it
too much, because in the end

I want this cookie
to be extra dense.

Now that it's combined,
I'll add two eggs,
one at a time.

Oops.

I added them both.

They're still going
to be delicious.

And then two teaspoons
of vanilla extract.

And then two teaspoons
of vanilla extract.

I'll reduce the mixer to low,
and then dump in

the dry ingredients.

And I'll add them in all
at once, so that I don't risk

over-mixing some of
the dry ingredients

and developing gluten,
and then getting not
a great texture in the end.

Oh, this smells delicious.
I'm smelling that cinnamon.

Before kids, I was a little
bit more loosey-goosey

about eating raw eggs
and raw flour,

about eating raw eggs
and raw flour,

and this is the type of dough
I could just go to town on.

These days I'm quite
a bit more neurotic.

The dough is done.
I'll set up my shaping
station.

I've got my baking
sheets, which are lined
with parchment,

and I've got a plate of sugar,

because I'll roll
the cookie dough
in the sugar,

which will help add
more sweetness

and a little crunch
on the exterior.

I've got a quarter-cup
capacity ice cream scoop,

which is going to give you
big honking cookies.

And I'll roll it into a ball,
and then roll it into
the sugar,

place it on the baking sheet.

place it on the baking sheet.

Adorable.

I'll keep on scooping
and rolling, and then bake

these at 375 for about
12 minutes,

until they're golden
around the edges,
and then it'll be time

to give them
their chocolate bellies.

I'm smelling that cinnamon.

They look awesome already.

While they're still hot
and soft, I've got
my chocolate bars here

that I'll press right
down on top.

And I'll give them a firm
press, so that the edges

can crackle all around them,
just like that.

And I'm using classic
grocery store waxy milk
chocolate here,

because it just
tastes nostalgic to me,

and I do love
the creamy texture.

These are looking
gorgeous already.

These will go back
into the oven now,

These will go back
into the oven now,

for about two minutes,
so that the chocolate can
melt slightly

and meld with the cookie.

I can't wait.

This is the hardest part,
because now I have seen

the cookies,
I've smelled them,

I've got to wait
another couple of minutes.

Whew, that was a rough two
minutes, but I made it.

Now we're talking.

All right, while the chocolate
is still melty,

I'll sprinkle them
with toasted almonds,

I'll sprinkle them
with toasted almonds,

because it's pretty,
it tastes good with
that added crunch.

It's time.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. It's nutty.
It's chewy.

It's sweet. It's a gigantic
cookie with gigantic flavor.

Coming up, food
is getting fun.

One of my favorite
Kirby concoctions

One of my favorite
Kirby concoctions

has everyone eating
with their hands.

For a fun, snacky side
to our tractor lunch,

I am making savory
monkey bread,

which is a pile of hot, fluffy
dough balls that have
been dunked

in butter
and rolled in colorful herbs

and seasonings, and then
I'm serving it

with a tangy dipping sauce
that's got a rainbow

of confettied veggies.

So to start, I've got just
my basic go-to bread
roll recipe

So to start, I've got just
my basic go-to bread
roll recipe

that I'm shaping into 40
little balls.

But if you want to use
just store-bought bread dough,

that's okay, too.

That's what my mom
would use growing up.

And she did the classic
caramelly sweet version

of monkey bread.

I don't know if it was big
in the '90s or if she just
made it

a lot in the '90s,
but I associate my childhood

with eating a lot
of monkey bread.

And I'm doing a savory version
because I love savory foods.

I'm stretching the surface
so that it's smooth and taut,

I'm stretching the surface
so that it's smooth and taut,

and then pinching
the ends under,

and then rolling them.

You want evenly shaped balls
so that they rise evenly

and bake evenly,
just like that.

Ta-da!

Okay, all of the balls
are rolled.

Now comes the fun part,
is the assembly.

I've got six tablespoons
of melted butter here,

and this will be the glue
that holds on all
of the toppings.

In this first bowl, I've got
finely chopped parsley

and chives.

In my second bowl,
I'll add some dried
minced garlic

In my second bowl,
I'll add some dried
minced garlic

with smoked paprika.

Sesame seeds.

This reminds me
of a sesame bagel.

Poppy seeds.

I'm loving this color
palette already.

And lastly, some finely
grated Parmesan.

Okay, to build
my monkey bread,
I'll roll a ball of dough

all over in butter,
get it fully coated,

and then dunk it in a topping.

I'll roll it around.
It's just like putting
glitter on glue.

I'll roll it around.
It's just like putting
glitter on glue.

I love the way it sticks
so nicely.

Like that.

And I'll pop it into
the Bundt pan that's
been greased,

and I'll rotate the toppings
as I go so that once it goes

into the Bundt pan,

there's a pretty distribution
of the different toppings.

Next, I'll do garlic.

Apparently, it's called
monkey bread because

the method in which it
is eaten, we pick off
the chunks,

kind of mimics the way
monkeys clean each other.

Yum.

Yum.

Sounds so appetizing.

We should name
a food after it.

Okay, I will keep on dunking,
and once all the balls

are into the Bundt pan,
I'll cover it up

and allow it to proof for
another 30 minutes

until it's puffy.

They're so poofy poofy.

Okay, I'll bake this now
at 350 degrees for about

35 minutes until it's golden,
and in that time,

I'll make my creamy
veggie dip.

I'll make my creamy
veggie dip.

This dip is tangy,
and it's got great freshness

from veggies.

It's basically a junior
high school party chip dip,

but less from a packet.

So I've got my veggies here,
a red bell pepper, carrot,

celery, and scallion,
and I'm giving them

a rough chop before tossing
them into my food processor.

Spring planting happens
at a time when all of the snow

has just melted, so the ground
can be really wet

has just melted, so the ground
can be really wet

and just sloppy.

So Nick tends to come in
around this time of year,

just cake with mud, it's fine.

As long as he rinses off
his hands before eating
the monkey bread.

I wonder how much dirt
a farmer actually eats

in their lifetime.

It's how their immune systems
are so high.

A little bit of parsley,

and then I'll pulse this
to break it up into
little pieces.

and then I'll pulse this
to break it up into
little pieces.

That looks good.

For the creaminess,
I've got some softened
cream cheese

and half a cup of
sour cream to make it
dippable.

A little garlic powder.

I like using this because
sometimes I don't always want

to eat just chunks
of raw garlic.

And salt and pepper.

The juice of half a lemon.

And now I'll bring it together
so that it's dippable.

And now I'll bring it together
so that it's dippable.

That's it.

I don't want to over blend
and process the veggies

into purees.

Looks like a party to me.

All right, now to taste test,

I need something
to dunk in it.

I think it's monkey
bread time.

It looks so good,
and it smells so good.

I don't know if it looks
better or smells better.

Doesn't matter.

I'm going to go for it.

I'll invert it onto a plate
for serving.

I'll invert it onto a plate
for serving.

This is always the scariest
part about Bundt cakes,

is getting it out of the pan.
But luckily,

monkey bread is much more
forgiving than a cake.

Did you hear the plop?

[gasps] Yay!

I'm so excited about this.

Oh, I love you so much.

I don't even want
to disrupt it by eating it,

but I truly cannot not.

Balls to the rescue.

Balls to the rescue.

Here I go.

Oh, yeah.

It's buttery. It's fluffy.
It's so flavorful.

This is better than
a barrel of monkeys.

Next, bacon and ranch.

Need I say more?

My quick and easy lunch bowls

fill you up
and make you smile.

Score.

I love a good bowl.

Noodle bowls, rice bowls.

Today I'm making a bowl
that is particularly
Midwest inspired,

my bacon and ranch
grain bowls.

They're hearty and bright
all at the same time,

and they are sure
to fill anybody up

for a hard day's work.

To get started, I'm crisping
up my bacon.

I started it in a cold
skillet, which helps
render the fat

and get it extra crispy.

While this crisps up
on the other side,
I'll drain my barley.

While this crisps up
on the other side,
I'll drain my barley.

This is a chewy, hearty grain.
It's so filling. I love it.

And you cook it just like
pasta, just in salted water

until it's al dente.

You can really use any grain
with this bowl.

I'll give this some extra love
with the zest of a lemon.

It's always nice when
you're making a grain bowl

to pay attention to the grains
and make sure that

they're seasoned nicely.

Then I'll juice in half
the lemon.

I like the contrast of
the brightness against
the hearty grain.

I like the contrast of
the brightness against
the hearty grain.

A little olive oil.

And this helps prevent
the grains from sticking
all together.

And black pepper.

Give it a toss.

One fun perk of living on
a grain farm is that anytime

you feel like a grain bowl,
you can just send a text

and say, "Hey, bring in
some grains for me."

And then Nick will go out
to the grain bins,

get me a bucket of wheat
berries, and then I can

cook them up just like that.

cook them up just like that.

This being the start
of the season,

we don't have
any wheat berries yet.

The barley's also delicious.

All right. This bacon
is looking crispy.

I'll transfer it to a wire
rack so that any excess grease

can drip off.

I'll get my other fixings
and then assemble these bowls.

Let's pack some bowls.

I've got cute bento boxes.

I'll start with a bed
of spinach and get some

green veggies under
those grains.

green veggies under
those grains.

And I like putting the greens
on the bottom sometimes

of the grains because
then, like, the juices

of the grains and everything
soaks down

and dresses the greens.

Some barley.

I've got six-and-a-half-minute
eggs,

which is very particular,
I know, but I love the texture

because it's in
this perfect middle ground

between being totally
soft-boiled and hard-boiled.

So it's still gonna be oozy
and the yolk will drip down

So it's still gonna be oozy
and the yolk will drip down

over the grains
and everything.

Some bacon.

A handful of croutons
for crunch.

One thing that grain bowls
have to have in their toppings

is a variety.

Some crunchy things,
definitely some pickly,

briny things, fresh herbs,
and then, of course,

something saucy
to bring it all together.

Okay, pickle time.
I've got all the pickles,
cornichons,

pickled onions,
and pickled beets.

pickled onions,
and pickled beets.

I didn't eat a whole ton of
pickles until I moved here.

There's major pickle culture
in the Upper Midwest.

Some pickled onions.

They're so pretty and pink.

Pickled beets.

Okay, I'm just trying
to figure out what colors

I want next to each other.

I like seeing the contrast of
the red beets

next to the cornichons.

We'll get some radishes
for some freshness.

All right, I haven't added
the herbs yet,

All right, I haven't added
the herbs yet,

but I want to add the herbs
on top of the ranch.

I'll add some strategic
squiggles of ranch.

We're all about pickles
and ranch.

A pinch of flaky salt
and pepper.

Yeah, that's good.

And then lastly, my herbs.

I've got my chives.

I want to see the bright green
herbs against the ranch.

So again, I'm kind of being
strategic with the sprinkling.

And then dill.

You almost need your dill
tweezers for this job.

You almost need your dill
tweezers for this job.

I love a bite of dill
with an egg.

These look very pretty,
but I want to get
the full effect

of seeing the oozy yolk
with these other toppings.

Here I go.

Oh, that's a perfectly
cooked egg.

Okay, well, since
the yolk's broken,

I might as well
sneak a taste.

Mmm.

Between the crunchy
crouton and the chewy grains

Between the crunchy
crouton and the chewy grains

and the creamy yolk
and the creamy ranch,

that's a great farmer's lunch.

Yum.

I'd be a farmer if I could eat
like this every day.

Still to come, the secret
to getting extra golden

and crispy fried food.

If there's anything
that'll bring a tractor lunch

to the next level,
it's a deep fried thing.

So I'm making my deep fried
pickle chips,

which are crunchy on
the outside, snappy on
the inside,

and way, way too easy to eat.

I'm starting with
dill pickle chips.

I'll get them as dry as
I possibly can,

because you don't want that
brine hitting the hot oil

when they fry.

Okay, I've got flour here.

Okay, I've got flour here.

I've got egg beaten with a bit
of milk for some creaminess.

And I'm going to splash
in some hot sauce,

because I love a little heat
with my brininess.

And then for
the coating, I've got
panko breadcrumbs here,

and I'll flavor it with
a good couple of pinches

of kosher salt, some dried
dill, just to enhance

the dilliness,

paprika for smokiness,
garlic powder.

And then a little heat
is a good contrast

to the bright brininess.

This is some cayenne.

This is some cayenne.

I'll toss this together.

My dredging station is set up.
I'll work in batches.

I'll coat the pickles
in flour to help dry out

the surface so that
the egg can stick.

And then get them coated
in the egg.

I'm only using one hand
in the egg

so that I don't create
a total mess.

And then get them
totally coated in
the breadcrumb mixture.

Fried pickles are awesome
because you get that crunchy,

Fried pickles are awesome
because you get that crunchy,

deep-fried coating
that you crave.

But then on the inside,
they're actually kind of
light and snappy.

The pickles are fully coated.

I've got enough to get
a batch frying.

I have a couple
of inches of neutral oil

heating to 360 degrees here.

And I'll test to make sure
it's hot enough

by dropping in a breadcrumb.

And if it sizzles immediately,
that's how I know that

it's ready to fry.

I'll drop them in gently,
and I'll first load them

onto my spider here.

It's time for the magic
to happen.

These only take a few minutes.

I'm just frying on both sides
until they're golden brown.

They're already sizzling.

I'll flip them to ensure that

they're golden
on the other side.

Okay, I'm getting impatient.

I'll get them out of the oil.

Oh, yeah, look at those.

Great color and great
breadcrumb coverage.

While they're still hot,
I'll sprinkle with
a good pinch of salt.

While they're still hot,
I'll sprinkle with
a good pinch of salt.

I'll fry up the rest and then
make a simple dipping sauce.

A little mayo mixed
with relish and hot sauce.

Here I go.

Oh, yeah. That's a beautiful
bite right there.

-[crunching]
-Mmm.

It's this epic trio of briny,

creamy, crunchy
fried situations.

creamy, crunchy
fried situations.

All right, I'll pack these up
and then go find a farmer.

Most likely Nick.

Just the farmer
I was looking for.

I have a gigantic
stack of food.

I always have an appetite.

You often have stacks of food,
so we're a good match.

Grain bowl for me.

-Oh, and monkey bread.
-Oh, my goodness.

-Oh, and monkey bread.
-Oh, my goodness.

These are outstanding.

I mean, you could have made
a whole stack of pickle chips,
honestly.

I would have been okay
with that.

-That would have been
a lot easier.
-Yeah.

I can tell you one thing.

If it is not a great
planting season,

it isn't because I was not
well nourished.

-You follow that?
-Thanks. Yeah. [chuckling]