Girl Meets Farm (2018–…): Season 5, Episode 4 - The Big Till - full transcript

Nick and my father-in-law are
busy plowing after harvest,

so I'm making us my twist on

a traditional farmer's lunch

that's equally hearty
and delicious,

especially my cheesy
meatball stuffed biscuits...

Just like making
a little dumpling.

...And a side dish that's got
a little kick --

spicy roasted delicata squash,

a creamy polenta with
crispy bacon and chard,

and cinnamon cookies
and cream meringues...

Perfect.



That look like
mini dessert clouds

covered in tasty
cookie soil.

Oh, yah!
Mm!

Hey, this is me, molly yeh.

I'm a cookbook author
and food blogger.

this is my husband, nick.

This is our new addition,
and this is our home, our farm

on the
north dakota / minnesota border,

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

These look like a party.

My food is a delicious mix of
my chinese and jewish heritage

and a taste of the midwest.

Nick and his dad are done-zo
with the harvest,

and now they're tilling up
the soil and getting it ready



for next year's
spring planting season.

For a fun farm-inspired dessert,

I am making my cinnamon
cookies and cream meringue.

They are big,
whimsical balls of glee.

They're crunchy on the outside,

a little chewy on the inside,

and they're rolled
in cookie soil.

To get started,

I'm warming up three cups
of sugar in the oven,

and warming
up the sugar first

helps stabilize the meringue.

It'll help the sugar

incorporate
into the egg whites,

and it'll make them really
nice and glossy.

I'll spread this out on
a rimmed baking sheet,

and I've lined it
with parchment paper,

which is gonna help me

transfer it
into my ixing bowl

once it's done baking.

I'm gonna stick this in the oven
at 400 degrees

for about eight minutes

until it starts to turn a little
golden around the edges.

And while the sugar warms,

I'll get started
with my egg whites.

This is one of my favorite
ways to use up egg whites.

I have them coming
to room temperature

because that helps them
whip up more easily.

I'm gonna dump them
into my mixer bowl.

It's important not to get any
bit of egg yolk in there.

Any amount of fat
in the egg whites

will prevent them from
whipping up.

I'll also add half a teaspoon
of kosher salt.

And I'll start my mixer
and let them get foamy.

So nick and his dad
are out in the fields
tilling them right now,

and what they're doing
is they're using

a plough to a mix up any
organic matter that's left

in the fields after harvest
back into the land.

Nick compared it
to mixing cookie dough,

which puts it in my terms.

I'll check on my sugar now.

It smells really good.

Lookin' good,
and now I'm gonna

carefully lift up
the parchment paper

and use that to funnel
the sugar into the egg whites.

Here I go!

I'm pouring it in gradually --
I don't want the hot sugar

to full-on cook
my egg whites.

I just want it to incorporate
smoothly and evenly.

It's already looking
so fluffy.

I'm gonna increase the speed
now and let it beat

for 10 minutes until

the mixture has cooled
and it's glossy,

and then I'm gonna save this
for when I bake the meringues.

Then I'll add
one teaspoon of cinnamon.

It's looking ready,
nice and glossy,

and the way that I know
it's good to go

is if I take
the beater out

and it holds stiff peaks --
it should hold its shape

when I turn it upside down,
just like that.

That's perfect -- okay,
I'm gonna grab my cookies now.

I've got some chocolate
sandwich cookies here,

and I'm gonna place them in a
bag so that I can crush them up,

and it'll make them
look like soil.

It'll also add some chocolate
to the meal,

which nick and his dad
have to have.

-Hello, molly!
-Hey! How is it going out there?

-Great.
-Yeah?

-Great.
-Well, I'm working on dessert.

-Do you wanna help me?
-Sure.

I'm gonna have you crush up
these cookies.

-Okay.
-Let me get your rolling pin.

Use the rolling pin,
and just bash them up.

-I can handle that.
-Perfect.

This is looking like dirt.

This is looking
just like dirt,

-and you even have...
-Dirt with snow.

Dirt with snow!

I love it.

Okay, this looks perfect.

Let's dump this
onto a plate.

This is gonna be
the tastiest dirt

that the guys have
ever had.

Now, to assemble the cookies,

I'm gonna grab a scoop
of meringue,

and these are gonna be
really big,

-wow.
-And I'm gonna plop this

right onto the dirt
to let cookie stick.

Grab the baking sheet,
and then use a spatula

to gently lift these up

and transfer them
onto the baking sheet.

-Okay.
-That's perfect.

-Okay. Are we good?
-Now slide it right onto

the baking sheet, awesome!
-Am I doing okay?

- Yes.

-oh!
-Yes!

-Uh-oh. There we go.
-That's perfect.

we won't
tell anybody, okay?

I know this isn't
the traditional

packaged farmers lunch,
but it'll warm them up,

and it's one that we'll get to
eat with them today.

exactly --
maybe the guys will get

an idea of playing
in the dirt.

Not just working it,
playing with it.

-Yeah.
-I love this.

These are ready
for the oven now.

These will bake at 200 degrees
for two hours until

they're crunchy but still have

a little chewiness
on the inside.

Thanks for your help.

Thanks for asking me.

The guys are gonna get
such a kick out of those.

I can't wait to see
their faces.

I know -- yay!

I think the meringues
are ready!

Oh, yeah, baby.

These look awesome.

These are some
farmer-sized meringues.

coming up, I'm making some

hearty and cheesy
meatball stuffed biscuits.

Then I'm bringing the heat

with my spicy roasted
delicata squash.

Beautiful!

I'll whip up some
rich and creamy polenta

topped with savory
bacon and chard,

and then I've got
hungry farmers

coming in from the fields
for lunch.

The big till is in full swing,

and I'm using some of
my favorite refrigerator

and pantry staples to make

a farmer's lunch
for the whole family.

It's gotta be hearty,

so I'm making
my meatball stuffed biscuits,

which are tender,
succulent meatballs encased

in flaky biscuits
with melty mozzarella.

It's all the flavors
you could want in life.

To get started,
I'm gonna combine some milk

and breadcrumbs
in my big bowl.

I'll add 1/4 cup
of whole milk,

and half a cup of
panko breadcrumbs.

I'll grab half of my bunch
of parsley.

I'll reserve the other half
for sprinkling on top,

and this'll add a great pop
of freshness to the meatballs.

And then I'll grab
my ground pork,

parmesan cheese,
and an egg.

I've got a pound
of ground pork here,

and I'll plop this right in.

I'll season my pork

with a teaspoon
of kosher salt.

A teaspoon of fennel seeds.

I love that slight licorice
flavor with the fennel seeds.

I'll have half a teaspoon
of dried minced garlic,

half a teaspoon of
dried minced onion,

a half a teaspoon
of paprika.

Now, paprika will add some
good smokiness.

I'll add a little heat
with a couple pinches
of crushed red pepper

and some black pepper.

I'll also add one cup
of shredded parmesan,

and parmesan in meatballs
adds great dimension and flavor,

and then one egg will help
this all come together.

I'm gonna mix it up
with my hands,

but before I get in there
and get my hands all dirty,

I'm gonna add a drizzle
of olive oil to my pan,

and get that
heating up,

and now I'm gonna mix it
as quickly as I can.

I don't want to overmix
the mixture

and get tough meatballs.

The mixture is combined,
and now I'm gonna roll it

into one and 1/2 inch balls

and transfer them
directly to my pan.

Just like that.

I'll space them out
to make sure that

they can get heated evenly
on all sides.

I'll cook them for
a few minutes on each side

to make sure they get
browned all over.

I think nick and his dad are
really gonna appreciate

these hearty meatballs,

especially during
tilling season,

because tilling season
always happens

at the very end
of the farming season,

right before
the ground freezes.

So it's the coldest thing that
they do out in the fields.

They've got to get it done.

Because the growing season
is so short,

they have to make sure that
the fields are ready

for spring planting
when the time comes.

These are already
looking great,

and they're smelling
even better.

I'm gonna continue turning these

on all sides until
they're browned.

This is what I'm going for.

They have this gorgeous
brown crust.

I'm gonna transfer these
to my pan now

and then grab my biscuits
and mozzarella.

I'm using store-bought
biscuits today,

but it would be so good
with homemade biscuits.

And I've also gotten some
slices of mozzarella

that are gonna add great
meltiness to these.

I'll lay out
all my biscuits.

and I'll get everything ready
before I start forming.

These are really fun to make.

I'm using buttermilk
biscuits here.

Any kind of biscuit will work.

You're not gonna
screw these up.

I'll get my mozzarella out --
using sliced mozzarella.

I'll take one biscuit,
and I'll flatten it

slightly with my fingers

so that it's big enough to go
all the way around the meatball.

I'm gonna rip up
a couple pieces of cheese,

and I'll place them
in the center,

and then I'll take a meatball

and then stretch the ends of
the biscuit dough

to encase the meatball
in the cheese,

just like making
a little dumpling,

and I'll place it seam side
down right into my pan.

This is a nine-by-nine
baking pan.

All right, and I'll continue
forming these.

these are cozy and nestled
in their pan.

I'm gonna bake these
at 375 for 30 minutes

until
they're golden.

nick and his dad are busy
tilling the field,

so I'm putting together
a filling lunch to keep them

going strong
throughout the day.

For a delicious and nutritious
side dish,

I'm making my spicy roasted
delicata squash.

It's creamy,
and it's got

a great balance
of sweet and heat.

I'll roast up my squash
with some harissa

and red jalapeno
and then add the seeds

as a crunchy
spiced topping.

To get started,

I have my delicata
squash here,

and I've scooped out the seeds
and saved them for the topping,

and now I'm chopping
the squash into half-inch moons.

earning my squash,

and now I'll transfer this
to my sheet pan.

And next, I'll grab
my red jalapenos and harissa.

Red jalapenos are actually just

green jalapenos that have
gone longer on the vine,

and I'm gonna use one of
these peppers to make

a spicy oil,
and then the other one

I'm gonna pickle
to add on top at the end.

So I'll add
one of the peppers,

and I'll add
a little bit of harissa,

which is a smoky pepper paste.

Add 1/4 cup of olive oil,

and I'll heat this gently

to let the olive oil
get infused

with the heat
of the peppers and the harissa.

I'll stir it around
to combine the harissa,

and I'll use this oil
to roast the squash.

This will just warm
for a few minutes,

and when the seeds of the pepper

start to turn brown,
I'll know it's ready.

In the meantime, I'm gonna
pickle my other pepper.

I'm gonna cover these slices

with white balsamic,
which I love,

because it adds
a little bit of sweetness,

and these just need to sit
for about half an hour.

My oil looks like it's ready.

It's turned golden.

Oh, I know it's gonna add
such nice spiciness.

I'm gonna strain out
the peppers and the seeds now,

directly over the squash.

And I'll save
these jalapenos

for a sandwich
or an omelette.

Oh, an omelette sounds good.

I'm gonna add a little more
harissa to the squash.

I'll also season my squash
with salt and pepper,

and give it a little toss
to combine.

Such a lovely,
hearty side dish,

and now it's ready
for the oven.

I'll roast this at 375 until
it's golden brown all over.

Next, nothing's going
to waste today.

I'm seasoning and roasting
the squash seeds

for a delicious,
crunchy topping,

and I'll show you

how my creamy polenta
with bacon and chard

can be a perfect go-to
in your weeknight repertoire.

The guys are gonna dig this.

I've got my delicata squash
roasting in the oven,

and in the meantime, I'll get
started on turning the seeds

into a crunchy, spiced topping.

I love using all my parts

of the vegetables
and not wasting anything.

It's so cost-effective.

I've got my squash seeds here
that I've cleaned off.

I'm gonna add
a drizzle of olive oil,

a little bit of
pumpkin pie spice,

which will add
really nice warmth.

A tiny pinch of cayenne --

we're sticking with
the spicy theme --

and some salt.

I'll toss this all together.

I'll spread these out
on my sheet pan,

and now these will roast
at the same temperature

as the squash --
375 for 15 minutes.

The squash is looking
good in there.

It smells so good in here.

I'm gonna get the squash
and the seeds out.

Oh, yeah.

I'm smelling that
pumpkin spice,

and this squash
looks gorgeous.

I'm ready to plate.

I'll grab my platter
and some feta.

Feta will add the best salty
fresh snap on top.

I'll pile my squash
right onto the platter.

I'll sprinkle on the seeds --

these are gonna add
great crunchiness,

and I'll add
my pickled jalapenos.

That's a great pop of red,

and I'll finish with
a handful of crumbled feta.

This adds great,
salty flavor.

Beautiful --
I'm gonna sneak a taste.

Mm! Mm.

This is the perfect
combination of

salty and creamy
and crunchy and sweet.

I think my in-laws are
actually gonna love this heat.

Nick and his dad
are busy tilling,

and I want to make a side dish

that's extra robust for
those hardworking fellows.

So I'm making my polenta
with chard and crispy bacon,

which is really creamy and rich,

and you get a vegetable.

To start, I've got equal parts
milk and cream

that are simmering
in my pot,

and they've come
almost to a boil.

Now I'm gonna add
1 and 1/2 cups

of polenta gradually
as I whisk it in.

Polenta is such a great base
for a dish.

There are so many different
things you can do with it,

and it's easy to have on hand
in the pantry at all times.

Also, a little polenta
goes a long way.

It's such a simple dish,
but so comforting.

All right, I'll season this

with a good,
big pinch of salt.

And I'm gonna simmer this for
about 20 to 30 minutes until

the polenta is tender,
and in the meantime,

I'm gonna get my
bacon crisping.

I've got
four strips of bacon here

that I'll crisp up
in my pan.

This will add flavor
and smokiness to the greens.

While the bacon crisps,
I'll grab my shallot and chard,

and now I'll slice these up.

And the shallot is gonna

add great subtle sweetness

and beautiful purple color.

The bacon is looking awesome.

I'm going to transfer it
to my plate

that's lined
with a paper towel,

and this will soak up
any excess grease.

I want to keep the bacon fat
in the pan, though,

because I'm gonna use it to
cook my shallot and chard,

and I'll let this cook and
soften while I chop up my chard.

I just love chard.

It has a great,
slightly bitter flavor,

and it's dark and leafy,

so it's gotta be good for you.

I'll pile this in.

It'll cook down,

and I want to cook this
until it's wilted

but still has a little
bit of structure.

I don't want it to get
too mushy.

I'll season with a punch
of kosher salt,

and I love hot sauce
on my greens,

so I'll add a few shakes
of hot sauce.

While this continues to cook,

I'll chop up my bacon.

That's a good bacon-y crunch.

Let me check on these.

Oh, this is looking good.

This is bringing me back
to college when I would eat

polenta all the time because

it was inexpensive
and really filling.

Let me give it a taste.

Mm. Mm!

It is so rich
and creamy,

and the polenta has that
little bit of sweetness.

Gonna add a tiny bit more salt

and a lot of
black pepper.

And I like to finish
my polenta with butter.

It makes it even creamier,

and I'll add in
two tablespoons.

Mix this around.

The guys are gonna dig this.

Get it? Dig?

'cause they're tilling.

I'll toss my bacon in
with the chard,

and now I'll grab
my serving plate.

I'll pour on the polenta.

That looks good,

and then I'll top it
with the chard and bacon.

These are such pretty colors,

and great textures, too --
the creaminess of the polenta,

the crispness of the chard,
and the crunchy bacon.

So good.

I'll finish
with some black pepper.

This is hearty
and satisfying,

perfect for
a hardworking farmer.

Still to come,

I'm taking these meatball
stuffed biscuits over the top

with some yummy garlic butter
and parmesan.

These are dangerous!

Then I've got some
hungry farmers to feed.

Nick and his dad
are on their way in

from the fields,
and I'm almost done with lunch.

I can smell
my meatball stuffed biscuits.

I'm gonna check how
they look.

Oh, yeah.

I love how they get puffy
and just fill up the pan.

I'm gonna make these look
even better now

by topping them
with garlic butter.

I made this easily
with butter, olive oil, garlic,

and crushed red pepper,
and I warmed it in my pan,

and now I'm gonna pour it
all over the top.

These are dangerous.

I'll use a brush to get
even distribution

of the garlic butter.

I'm gonna stick it back in
the oven for a few minutes,

but before I do that,
I'm gonna sprinkle with a little

bit more parmesan cheese,

and a few pinches
of flaky salt,

and this will go
back in the oven

to allow that garlic butter
to soak right in.

While this finishes up,

I'll chop up some
fresh parsley.

Okay, let me grab
those meatballs.

They smell even better
than they did before now

with the parmesan on top.

Oh, my gosh.
I can't wait to eat these.

I'm gonna grab
my serving plate.

Here I go.

yes!

I'll finish these with
a sprinkle of parsley.

I know nick and his dad
will love these.

They're the perfect warm bite.

Let's eat!

Oh, this looks so good.

-Hello, molly.
-Hey, molly.

Hello! I've got meatball
stuffed biscuits.

Oh, man, that's the best thing
I've seen all day.

They are gonna be so good.

- Oh, wow.
- Oh, man.

It's a little spicy.

Oh, this looks so yummy.

I've never presented
squash like this before.

-How's the tilling going?
-The tilling is going great.

We're about 3/4 done,
and nick

has got that implement
just set perfect.

Oh, good.

Whatever that means.

I love it.
It's so creamy.

Oh, my gosh.

-Thank you, molly.
-Thanks for coming.

Good luck with the rest
of the tilling.

It's all downhill from here.

well, I can't drag
you guys in for lunch

without giving you dessert.

Your mom and I made those
pretty-looking things.

-Oh, my gosh.
-Yes, we did.

They are cinnamon
cookies and cream meringues.

See, it looks like
they were rolled in dirt.

Yes.

-Mm!
-Good, right?

This is so good.

Well, good luck with the end

of tilling, you guys.
-Thank you.

I'm so glad you
could come in for lunch.

Well, thank you.

What time tomorrow?

Same time,
same place.