Girl Meets Farm (2018–…): Season 6, Episode 10 - Midwest Classics - full transcript
Nick: All right, here we go.
Molly: Nick and I are bringing
bowling to the farm.
-[ cheering ]
-oh, yeah!
Molly: He's building
our very own lane in the shop,
oh, cool!
And I'm making some party
favorites for our friends to
enjoy -- my super cheesy sweet
potato waffle fry nachos,
the sloppiest-ly good
sloppy joes
you've ever seen,
snap pea and popcorn salad
that's a midwest favorite,
and for dessert, coconut
cake mini bowling balls
that everyone
will go nuts for.
-Molly: We'll eat...
-Mmm!
-...Play...
-[ chanting ] molly! Molly!
...And have a blast.
[ cheering ]
oh, yah!
Holy cow!
Hey, this is me, molly yeh.
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.
Hello little dumplings!
My food is a delicious mix
of my chinese
and jewish heritage
and a taste of the midwest.
We love bowling,
so nick is building our own
little lane right in the shop,
and we're inviting our friends
over to rock and roll.
I'm making my coconut cake
balls, which are so moist
and made with
the coconuttiest cake
in all the land --
to get started,
I'm gonna combine my dry
ingredients for the cake.
In my bowl, I'm gonna add
one cup of sugar,
3/4 of a cup
of all-purpose flour,
and half a cup
of cake flour,
which is gonna add a lighter
texture to the cake,
and if you don't
have cake flour,
you can just use more
all-purpose flour, totally fine,
and 3/4 of a teaspoon each of
baking powder, baking soda,
and kosher salt.
So this cake is inspired by
the birthday cake
that my sister would
always get growing up.
We'd go to the same restaurant
every year, and they had what
they called a luau cake, because
it was a hawaiian restaurant,
and it kind of whisks me away
to someplace more tropical
when it's so cold outside.
♪♪
my dry ingredients are
combined -- now I'll mix up
the wet ingredients --
in my big measuring cup here,
I'm gonna add one cup of
full fat coconut milk,
and I want my coconut milk
to be at room temperature.
I don't want it to be cold,
because I'm gonna add 1/4 cup
of coconut oil,
and if it gets too cold,
it'll firm back up.
I'll add one large egg.
Next, I'll grab
my extracts and a lemon.
I've got vanilla extract,
which is gonna add more depth of
flavor -- one teaspoon of that,
half a teaspoon of coconut
extract, and lastly,
I'm gonna add one tablespoon
of lemon juice,
and that's gonna react
with the baking soda
in the dry mixture to make
this cake extra fluffy.
And I'll whisk this to combine.
♪♪
and now I'll whisk
the wet ingredients
right into
the dry ingredients.
So nick's grandma marie,
who used to live in this house,
was this all-star bowler
in town.
She would bowl multiple nights
a week.
So it's only natural that nick
built his own bowling alley
so that he can practice
and become as fierce of
a bowler as she was.
Batter's looking good.
I have an eight-inch round
cake pan here
that's been greased
and lined on the bottom
with parchment so that
the cake doesn't stick.
And now I'll bake this at 350
degrees for 28 minutes
or until a toothpick stuck
into the center comes out clean.
♪♪
mm! There is no smell better
than a freshly baked cake.
I'm gonna let my cake cool now
as I make my unbeatable,
but you have to beat it,
coconut frosting.
This is my go-to
american buttercream,
but instead of using
heavy cream in it,
I'm gonna use coconut milk to
amp up that coconut flavor.
I'll start with half
a cup of softened
unsalted butter, and I'll add
one cup of powdered sugar.
I'll give it a pinch of salt,
and then mix this
until it's creamy.
I'll start it off low so that
the powdered sugar doesn't
go flying everywhere.
[ mixer whirring ]
and once it's starting
to get crumbly,
I'm gonna increase
the speed to medium
so that it can get smooth.
Okay.
And now I'll add two
tablespoons of coconut milk
and half a teaspoon of
vanilla extract.
I'll mix to combine,
and that is looking fluffy
and good.
Now I'm gonna crumble the cake
directly into my bowl.
The best part about cake balls
is that if you have a cake
that sticks to the pan,
or maybe you've overbaked it
and it's too dry, you can always
mix it with frosting
and turn it into a cake ball.
You can't have a coconut cake
without actual
shredded coconut,
so I'm gonna add half a cup of
that right to the bowl, as well,
and I can eyeball this.
At this point,
it's no longer rocket science.
I want to mush it up
so that the frosting
helps find all of this crumbled
cake and the coconut together,
and it still looks kind of
crumbly in my bowl,
but I know that it's ready,
because if I pinch a piece off,
and I smash it together,
it holds its shape.
This looks like
the perfect taste.
Mmmm!
Sweet, coconuty,
buttery goodness.
Now, to shape these
into balls,
I'm gonna use 1/4 cup
ice cream scoop,
just that they're all
uniformly sized, and then
roll it in my hands
just like this.
This is going to be one dense
bite of cake,
but you need a heavy ball
to knock down all the pins.
Now I'm gonna turn
my cake balls into
bowling balls by giving them
a white chocolate coating.
So I have some white chocolate
chips melting in
my double boiler, and I've added
some coconut oil,
which thins it out, and it'll
allow me to get a nice thin,
even coating around the balls.
This is melted and smooth.
And now, because the prettiest
balls of the bowling alley are
always colorful,
I'm gonna swirl in some blue --
I'm gonna ladle out about 1/3 of
a cup of my chocolate,
doesn't have to be exact,
and now I'm gonna color it
with some
oil-based food coloring.
It's important that
it's oil-based
and that there not be
any water in the food coloring,
because any bit of water that
touches melted chocolate is
gonna make it seize up --
it's gonna ruin it.
Okay, now drizzle this
chocolate right back
into my bowl.
And then I'll grab my balls.
My cake balls have firmed up
nicely in the freezer.
I'll dunk a ball right
into the chocolate,
and I'll turn it so that it
gets coated in the chocolate
on all sides,
and look at that swirly action.
It looks like a marbled
bowling ball!
And then before it firms up,
I'm gonna add three mini
chocolate chips so that
they look like the finger holes
in a real bowling ball.
Now I'll keep on dunking until
these balls are ready to roll.
These look so stinking good!
Mmmmm.
No gutter balls here,
just coconuty deliciousness.
Coming up, I'm bringing some
serious midwestern crunch
to this party with my snap pea
and popcorn salad.
Then I've got some sloppy joes
with a tiny twist
and delightfully satisfying
waffle fry nachos
that'll knock 'em down
all night long.
♪♪
today, we're bowling on
the farm, and I don't know why,
but whenever I bowl,
I have to have popcorn,
so consider that box checked,
but it's not what you think.
I am making my snap pea
and popcorn salad,
which is a riff on an iconic
midwestern dish,
and mine's got crunchy
vegetables, tons of snappy
popcorn, and it's held together
with a mayo-y dressing.
It's so midwestern,
so quirky, and so delicious --
to get started,
I'm seasoning my popcorn with
some white cheddar powder,
which is magic, cheesy dust.
Next, I'll make my dressing.
This is your standard
mayo-based dressing.
It's sweet and creamy
with a little zip.
I'll get started with half
a cup of mayo,
and one of
my honest to goodness
favorite things about
midwestern cuisine
is how many salads
are held together with mayo.
Next, 1/4 cup of sour cream,
which will add some
fluffy sourness,
and I'm just eyeballing
all this in.
You really can't go wrong,
and you can always adjust
as you go.
Two teaspoons of
dijon mustard,
which will balance out
the creaminess
with some zinginess.
A tablespoon of sugar
for some sweetness.
Two tablespoons of apple cider
vinegar will brighten things up.
And I'll season
with salt and pepper.
♪♪
I'll whisk this together.
Popcorn salad is one of those
classic midwestern dishes that
you would often find in
a church basement potluck,
and it's typically made of
veggies, popcorn,
and mayonnaise.
I know some people who put
fish in theirs,
and you don't think
it's gonna work,
but then you taste it,
and it's really good.
This dressing is smooth.
Oh yeah, that's good --
really nice and sweet.
Next, I'll slice up
a shallot.
This'll add some crunch
and sweetness.
I'll add this right
to the bowl,
and then I'll grab
my remaining veggies.
I've got shredded carrots,
snap peas, and celery,
and I'll dump my carrots
right in.
Lots of color in this salad.
I'm gonna rip off these celery
leaves, because these will be
pretty on top of the salad,
so I'll reserve these,
and then I'll slice up
the stalks.
I'll add these in.
And lastly, I'll chop up
some snap peas,
which are sweet and so fresh.
I'll chop these
into thirds so that
you can have big bites
of crunchiness.
I'll add these to the bowl,
and then I'll get the veggies
coated in the dressing.
Oh, yeah, look at
all those colors!
And now the best part --
I'll fold in the popcorn.
Whenever I make the salad,
I have to make extra popcorn
so I can snack on it
while I'm cooking.
Mm-mm mm mm.
I love that cheesy seasoning.
The texture of the popcorn in
this salad is so weirdly good.
I just can't get enough of it.
So our friends, ashley and seth,
are coming in from fargo
to bowl with us,
and seth's
actually helping nick
build the bowling lane,
which is great, because he is
a legit carpenter.
His work is beautiful.
This is nice and combined.
I'll save the rest of
this popcorn for nick.
I'll dump this
into my serving bowl.
I'll just pile it in.
This is gonna look
so fun on the table,
and to finish it,
I'll top it with
my reserved celery leaves
and a pile of watercress.
The watercress will add
a peppery kick
and just a beautiful pop of
green on top.
I'll chop off the stems,
I'll pile on the full leaves,
and then my celery leaves.
See, it looks like you're
gonna get a salad,
but you look underneath,
and you see a pile of popcorn.
That is my kind of salad.
I'm gonna taste it,
and this is
a salad that you eat
with a spoon.
♪♪
that is like crunch
on crunch on crunch,
and I love
the white cheddar powder
in there -- this salad is
gonna crunch --
I mean, crush --
at our party.
Next, greasy hands are
a sure way to gutter balls,
but we'll be aiming true
tonight with my warm
and comforting
not-so-sloppy joes.
[ cheering ]
♪♪
nick and our friend, seth,
are busy building
a custom bowling alley
in the shop right now.
So I'm making my sloppy joes,
which are warm and comforting,
and I'm serving them in a pita,
so they're a little less sloppy,
and you don't get your bowling
hand messy -- to get started,
I'm heating up some olive oil,
and I'm gonna add
a chopped onion
and chopped red bell pepper.
Good sizzle!
This onion will add a perfect
touch of sweetness.
I'll add a pinch of salt,
and that's gonna help
my vegetables soften.
I'll stir this around.
As these continue to cook,
I'll chop up some garlic.
I'm gonna finely chop this,
and I like kind of a lot of
garlic in my sloppy joes.
And I'm also gonna add some
ground cumin and paprika.
Cumin adds that earthy
woodsiness,
and paprika will add
some smokiness.
I'll stir this around
and let the spices toast.
Growing up, my mom made
sloppy joes all the time,
and now I see why -- they come
together so easily.
You've got veggies and protein
in one handheld dish,
and you get to
say, "sloppy!"
I can't wait for my friends
to eat these.
Vegetables are looking
and smelling good.
I'm gonna grab
my ground turkey now.
And I'm using ground turkey,
because it's what my mom
always used.
And it's also a bowling
reference, because, you know,
if you got three strikes in
a row, you get a turkey.
Okay, I'm gonna season
my turkey,
and then I'll cook this,
breaking it up with my spoon
until it's browned all
over and in bite-sized pieces.
I love how one-pot
this meal is.
As this finishes up cooking,
I'm gonna add some
harissa paste,
which is a smoky pepper paste
that I just love.
These sloppy joes are actually
heavily inspired
by my shakshouka sauce,
which is a fiery
tomato sauce.
And believe me, I thought
about calling these slopshouka.
I'll spare you.
I'll stir this around.
I'll add some tomato paste.
I'll add two teaspoons
of brown sugar,
and then I'll bring it all
together with a can of
crushed red tomatoes,
and I'll stir it and allow
these flavors to mingle
and meld together.
I'll get some black pepper
in here,
and while this simmers,
I'm gonna chop up
some preserved lemon,
and these are just lemons
cured with salt,
giving them an extra
concentrated and bright flavor.
And I'll add these right in.
Let me take a taste before
I put everything together.
Mm!
Oh, my gosh!
This just
explodes with flavor --
the heat from the harissa,
the sweetness from the sugar.
I'm ready to put
these pitas together.
I've got my pita pockets
and my toppings.
I'll grab a pita pocket.
These are made just using
my go-to recipe,
but store-bought
is fine, too,
and I'll spoon some of the
filling right into the center.
See how clean this is?
It's almost wrong
to call them sloppy.
They're more like tidy joes.
And then I'll top with
a few sliced pickles.
I love this shade of green,
and they'll add some
crunchy brininess,
just that nice pop on top.
A sprinkle of feta,
it'll be nice and salty,
and lastly, some chopped
fresh parsley
for that beautiful pop
of green.
Is this the prettiest sloppy
joe you've ever seen?
I've gotta taste it.
[ gasps ]
mmm!
This sloppy joe is
a solid strike.
Now just two more,
and then I've got a turkey!
Still to come,
I've got a mashup of some of
your favorite appetizers
that's strikingly simple
and ever-so-satisfying --
oh, yes!
My sweet potato
waffle fry nachos.
♪♪
pretty good.
Nailed it.
[ cat meows ]
the bowling festivities
are about to begin,
and I'm putting together
a loaded version of two of
my favorite apps combined --
my waffle fry nachos.
They're covered
in cheesy goodness,
and I make them right before
the party so that everything
stays hot and fresh --
to get started,
I've crisped up some
sweet potato waffle fries
in my oven.
I've got my cheese,
my fresno chilies,
and refried pinto beans,
and I'll just dollop
the beans all over the fries.
And these refried beans
will add decadence
and creaminess.
I can't wait to eat these.
Next, I'll add my cheese,
and I'm just using
american cheese here,
because it gets ooey and gooey,
and it adds that flavor
of nostalgia.
I secretly love it.
I'll get this back into
the oven so that it can melt.
It'll only take a few minutes.
♪♪
and in the meantime,
I'll slice up my chilies.
Fresnos are nice,
because they're milder
than jalapenos,
and I love that pop
of red color.
I'll slice my scallions.
Okay.
I'll chop up some
fresh cilantro.
♪♪
I think I'm smelling
that cheese.
Let me check on the fries.
[ gasps ]
oh, yes!
Look at this blanket
of melty cheese.
I could eat them
just like this,
but first I have to dress them
up for the party.
I have sour cream for
creaminess and tang.
Next, I'll sprinkle on
the chilies
and next, the scallions.
Some olives, which will add
nice brininess.
Sriracha, which adds
that zippy heat.
And lastly, just make it
rain cilantro.
Here I go in for a taste.
Oh!
Look how cheesy that is.
Here I go.
Mm. Mm!
The combination of
the sweet potato fries
and the cheese and all these
gorgeous toppings
is perfection.
♪♪
nick: All right, here we go.
[ laughs ]
love it.
That looks pretty good.
-[ cheering ]
-oh, yeah!
Cool!
Okay, who's ready to eat?
-I'm ready!
-Get in here!
Get a plate.
Take a sloppy joe pita
and some popcorn salad,
-yum!
Some sweet potato
waffle fry nachos,
and a bowling ball cake ball.
I have never heard of
popcorn salad.
It is surprisingly delicious.
That's a texture
you've been missing
-I get it now.
-In all of your salads.
Mmm. So good.
And so cute!
[ laughs ]
so when I told molly
that I was gonna build
a bowling alley,
she was like, "no way."
and then I was like,
"seth's helping me,"
and she was like, "okay."
-[ laughter ]
-yeah.
Are you guys ready to bowl?
-Heck yeah! Let's bowl!
-Let's do this!
[ chanting ]
molly! Molly! Molly!
[ cheering ]
-that was amazing!
-Yeah!
What?!
-Thanks!
-Congratulations.
Grandma would be proud.
Molly: Nick and I are bringing
bowling to the farm.
-[ cheering ]
-oh, yeah!
Molly: He's building
our very own lane in the shop,
oh, cool!
And I'm making some party
favorites for our friends to
enjoy -- my super cheesy sweet
potato waffle fry nachos,
the sloppiest-ly good
sloppy joes
you've ever seen,
snap pea and popcorn salad
that's a midwest favorite,
and for dessert, coconut
cake mini bowling balls
that everyone
will go nuts for.
-Molly: We'll eat...
-Mmm!
-...Play...
-[ chanting ] molly! Molly!
...And have a blast.
[ cheering ]
oh, yah!
Holy cow!
Hey, this is me, molly yeh.
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.
Hello little dumplings!
My food is a delicious mix
of my chinese
and jewish heritage
and a taste of the midwest.
We love bowling,
so nick is building our own
little lane right in the shop,
and we're inviting our friends
over to rock and roll.
I'm making my coconut cake
balls, which are so moist
and made with
the coconuttiest cake
in all the land --
to get started,
I'm gonna combine my dry
ingredients for the cake.
In my bowl, I'm gonna add
one cup of sugar,
3/4 of a cup
of all-purpose flour,
and half a cup
of cake flour,
which is gonna add a lighter
texture to the cake,
and if you don't
have cake flour,
you can just use more
all-purpose flour, totally fine,
and 3/4 of a teaspoon each of
baking powder, baking soda,
and kosher salt.
So this cake is inspired by
the birthday cake
that my sister would
always get growing up.
We'd go to the same restaurant
every year, and they had what
they called a luau cake, because
it was a hawaiian restaurant,
and it kind of whisks me away
to someplace more tropical
when it's so cold outside.
♪♪
my dry ingredients are
combined -- now I'll mix up
the wet ingredients --
in my big measuring cup here,
I'm gonna add one cup of
full fat coconut milk,
and I want my coconut milk
to be at room temperature.
I don't want it to be cold,
because I'm gonna add 1/4 cup
of coconut oil,
and if it gets too cold,
it'll firm back up.
I'll add one large egg.
Next, I'll grab
my extracts and a lemon.
I've got vanilla extract,
which is gonna add more depth of
flavor -- one teaspoon of that,
half a teaspoon of coconut
extract, and lastly,
I'm gonna add one tablespoon
of lemon juice,
and that's gonna react
with the baking soda
in the dry mixture to make
this cake extra fluffy.
And I'll whisk this to combine.
♪♪
and now I'll whisk
the wet ingredients
right into
the dry ingredients.
So nick's grandma marie,
who used to live in this house,
was this all-star bowler
in town.
She would bowl multiple nights
a week.
So it's only natural that nick
built his own bowling alley
so that he can practice
and become as fierce of
a bowler as she was.
Batter's looking good.
I have an eight-inch round
cake pan here
that's been greased
and lined on the bottom
with parchment so that
the cake doesn't stick.
And now I'll bake this at 350
degrees for 28 minutes
or until a toothpick stuck
into the center comes out clean.
♪♪
mm! There is no smell better
than a freshly baked cake.
I'm gonna let my cake cool now
as I make my unbeatable,
but you have to beat it,
coconut frosting.
This is my go-to
american buttercream,
but instead of using
heavy cream in it,
I'm gonna use coconut milk to
amp up that coconut flavor.
I'll start with half
a cup of softened
unsalted butter, and I'll add
one cup of powdered sugar.
I'll give it a pinch of salt,
and then mix this
until it's creamy.
I'll start it off low so that
the powdered sugar doesn't
go flying everywhere.
[ mixer whirring ]
and once it's starting
to get crumbly,
I'm gonna increase
the speed to medium
so that it can get smooth.
Okay.
And now I'll add two
tablespoons of coconut milk
and half a teaspoon of
vanilla extract.
I'll mix to combine,
and that is looking fluffy
and good.
Now I'm gonna crumble the cake
directly into my bowl.
The best part about cake balls
is that if you have a cake
that sticks to the pan,
or maybe you've overbaked it
and it's too dry, you can always
mix it with frosting
and turn it into a cake ball.
You can't have a coconut cake
without actual
shredded coconut,
so I'm gonna add half a cup of
that right to the bowl, as well,
and I can eyeball this.
At this point,
it's no longer rocket science.
I want to mush it up
so that the frosting
helps find all of this crumbled
cake and the coconut together,
and it still looks kind of
crumbly in my bowl,
but I know that it's ready,
because if I pinch a piece off,
and I smash it together,
it holds its shape.
This looks like
the perfect taste.
Mmmm!
Sweet, coconuty,
buttery goodness.
Now, to shape these
into balls,
I'm gonna use 1/4 cup
ice cream scoop,
just that they're all
uniformly sized, and then
roll it in my hands
just like this.
This is going to be one dense
bite of cake,
but you need a heavy ball
to knock down all the pins.
Now I'm gonna turn
my cake balls into
bowling balls by giving them
a white chocolate coating.
So I have some white chocolate
chips melting in
my double boiler, and I've added
some coconut oil,
which thins it out, and it'll
allow me to get a nice thin,
even coating around the balls.
This is melted and smooth.
And now, because the prettiest
balls of the bowling alley are
always colorful,
I'm gonna swirl in some blue --
I'm gonna ladle out about 1/3 of
a cup of my chocolate,
doesn't have to be exact,
and now I'm gonna color it
with some
oil-based food coloring.
It's important that
it's oil-based
and that there not be
any water in the food coloring,
because any bit of water that
touches melted chocolate is
gonna make it seize up --
it's gonna ruin it.
Okay, now drizzle this
chocolate right back
into my bowl.
And then I'll grab my balls.
My cake balls have firmed up
nicely in the freezer.
I'll dunk a ball right
into the chocolate,
and I'll turn it so that it
gets coated in the chocolate
on all sides,
and look at that swirly action.
It looks like a marbled
bowling ball!
And then before it firms up,
I'm gonna add three mini
chocolate chips so that
they look like the finger holes
in a real bowling ball.
Now I'll keep on dunking until
these balls are ready to roll.
These look so stinking good!
Mmmmm.
No gutter balls here,
just coconuty deliciousness.
Coming up, I'm bringing some
serious midwestern crunch
to this party with my snap pea
and popcorn salad.
Then I've got some sloppy joes
with a tiny twist
and delightfully satisfying
waffle fry nachos
that'll knock 'em down
all night long.
♪♪
today, we're bowling on
the farm, and I don't know why,
but whenever I bowl,
I have to have popcorn,
so consider that box checked,
but it's not what you think.
I am making my snap pea
and popcorn salad,
which is a riff on an iconic
midwestern dish,
and mine's got crunchy
vegetables, tons of snappy
popcorn, and it's held together
with a mayo-y dressing.
It's so midwestern,
so quirky, and so delicious --
to get started,
I'm seasoning my popcorn with
some white cheddar powder,
which is magic, cheesy dust.
Next, I'll make my dressing.
This is your standard
mayo-based dressing.
It's sweet and creamy
with a little zip.
I'll get started with half
a cup of mayo,
and one of
my honest to goodness
favorite things about
midwestern cuisine
is how many salads
are held together with mayo.
Next, 1/4 cup of sour cream,
which will add some
fluffy sourness,
and I'm just eyeballing
all this in.
You really can't go wrong,
and you can always adjust
as you go.
Two teaspoons of
dijon mustard,
which will balance out
the creaminess
with some zinginess.
A tablespoon of sugar
for some sweetness.
Two tablespoons of apple cider
vinegar will brighten things up.
And I'll season
with salt and pepper.
♪♪
I'll whisk this together.
Popcorn salad is one of those
classic midwestern dishes that
you would often find in
a church basement potluck,
and it's typically made of
veggies, popcorn,
and mayonnaise.
I know some people who put
fish in theirs,
and you don't think
it's gonna work,
but then you taste it,
and it's really good.
This dressing is smooth.
Oh yeah, that's good --
really nice and sweet.
Next, I'll slice up
a shallot.
This'll add some crunch
and sweetness.
I'll add this right
to the bowl,
and then I'll grab
my remaining veggies.
I've got shredded carrots,
snap peas, and celery,
and I'll dump my carrots
right in.
Lots of color in this salad.
I'm gonna rip off these celery
leaves, because these will be
pretty on top of the salad,
so I'll reserve these,
and then I'll slice up
the stalks.
I'll add these in.
And lastly, I'll chop up
some snap peas,
which are sweet and so fresh.
I'll chop these
into thirds so that
you can have big bites
of crunchiness.
I'll add these to the bowl,
and then I'll get the veggies
coated in the dressing.
Oh, yeah, look at
all those colors!
And now the best part --
I'll fold in the popcorn.
Whenever I make the salad,
I have to make extra popcorn
so I can snack on it
while I'm cooking.
Mm-mm mm mm.
I love that cheesy seasoning.
The texture of the popcorn in
this salad is so weirdly good.
I just can't get enough of it.
So our friends, ashley and seth,
are coming in from fargo
to bowl with us,
and seth's
actually helping nick
build the bowling lane,
which is great, because he is
a legit carpenter.
His work is beautiful.
This is nice and combined.
I'll save the rest of
this popcorn for nick.
I'll dump this
into my serving bowl.
I'll just pile it in.
This is gonna look
so fun on the table,
and to finish it,
I'll top it with
my reserved celery leaves
and a pile of watercress.
The watercress will add
a peppery kick
and just a beautiful pop of
green on top.
I'll chop off the stems,
I'll pile on the full leaves,
and then my celery leaves.
See, it looks like you're
gonna get a salad,
but you look underneath,
and you see a pile of popcorn.
That is my kind of salad.
I'm gonna taste it,
and this is
a salad that you eat
with a spoon.
♪♪
that is like crunch
on crunch on crunch,
and I love
the white cheddar powder
in there -- this salad is
gonna crunch --
I mean, crush --
at our party.
Next, greasy hands are
a sure way to gutter balls,
but we'll be aiming true
tonight with my warm
and comforting
not-so-sloppy joes.
[ cheering ]
♪♪
nick and our friend, seth,
are busy building
a custom bowling alley
in the shop right now.
So I'm making my sloppy joes,
which are warm and comforting,
and I'm serving them in a pita,
so they're a little less sloppy,
and you don't get your bowling
hand messy -- to get started,
I'm heating up some olive oil,
and I'm gonna add
a chopped onion
and chopped red bell pepper.
Good sizzle!
This onion will add a perfect
touch of sweetness.
I'll add a pinch of salt,
and that's gonna help
my vegetables soften.
I'll stir this around.
As these continue to cook,
I'll chop up some garlic.
I'm gonna finely chop this,
and I like kind of a lot of
garlic in my sloppy joes.
And I'm also gonna add some
ground cumin and paprika.
Cumin adds that earthy
woodsiness,
and paprika will add
some smokiness.
I'll stir this around
and let the spices toast.
Growing up, my mom made
sloppy joes all the time,
and now I see why -- they come
together so easily.
You've got veggies and protein
in one handheld dish,
and you get to
say, "sloppy!"
I can't wait for my friends
to eat these.
Vegetables are looking
and smelling good.
I'm gonna grab
my ground turkey now.
And I'm using ground turkey,
because it's what my mom
always used.
And it's also a bowling
reference, because, you know,
if you got three strikes in
a row, you get a turkey.
Okay, I'm gonna season
my turkey,
and then I'll cook this,
breaking it up with my spoon
until it's browned all
over and in bite-sized pieces.
I love how one-pot
this meal is.
As this finishes up cooking,
I'm gonna add some
harissa paste,
which is a smoky pepper paste
that I just love.
These sloppy joes are actually
heavily inspired
by my shakshouka sauce,
which is a fiery
tomato sauce.
And believe me, I thought
about calling these slopshouka.
I'll spare you.
I'll stir this around.
I'll add some tomato paste.
I'll add two teaspoons
of brown sugar,
and then I'll bring it all
together with a can of
crushed red tomatoes,
and I'll stir it and allow
these flavors to mingle
and meld together.
I'll get some black pepper
in here,
and while this simmers,
I'm gonna chop up
some preserved lemon,
and these are just lemons
cured with salt,
giving them an extra
concentrated and bright flavor.
And I'll add these right in.
Let me take a taste before
I put everything together.
Mm!
Oh, my gosh!
This just
explodes with flavor --
the heat from the harissa,
the sweetness from the sugar.
I'm ready to put
these pitas together.
I've got my pita pockets
and my toppings.
I'll grab a pita pocket.
These are made just using
my go-to recipe,
but store-bought
is fine, too,
and I'll spoon some of the
filling right into the center.
See how clean this is?
It's almost wrong
to call them sloppy.
They're more like tidy joes.
And then I'll top with
a few sliced pickles.
I love this shade of green,
and they'll add some
crunchy brininess,
just that nice pop on top.
A sprinkle of feta,
it'll be nice and salty,
and lastly, some chopped
fresh parsley
for that beautiful pop
of green.
Is this the prettiest sloppy
joe you've ever seen?
I've gotta taste it.
[ gasps ]
mmm!
This sloppy joe is
a solid strike.
Now just two more,
and then I've got a turkey!
Still to come,
I've got a mashup of some of
your favorite appetizers
that's strikingly simple
and ever-so-satisfying --
oh, yes!
My sweet potato
waffle fry nachos.
♪♪
pretty good.
Nailed it.
[ cat meows ]
the bowling festivities
are about to begin,
and I'm putting together
a loaded version of two of
my favorite apps combined --
my waffle fry nachos.
They're covered
in cheesy goodness,
and I make them right before
the party so that everything
stays hot and fresh --
to get started,
I've crisped up some
sweet potato waffle fries
in my oven.
I've got my cheese,
my fresno chilies,
and refried pinto beans,
and I'll just dollop
the beans all over the fries.
And these refried beans
will add decadence
and creaminess.
I can't wait to eat these.
Next, I'll add my cheese,
and I'm just using
american cheese here,
because it gets ooey and gooey,
and it adds that flavor
of nostalgia.
I secretly love it.
I'll get this back into
the oven so that it can melt.
It'll only take a few minutes.
♪♪
and in the meantime,
I'll slice up my chilies.
Fresnos are nice,
because they're milder
than jalapenos,
and I love that pop
of red color.
I'll slice my scallions.
Okay.
I'll chop up some
fresh cilantro.
♪♪
I think I'm smelling
that cheese.
Let me check on the fries.
[ gasps ]
oh, yes!
Look at this blanket
of melty cheese.
I could eat them
just like this,
but first I have to dress them
up for the party.
I have sour cream for
creaminess and tang.
Next, I'll sprinkle on
the chilies
and next, the scallions.
Some olives, which will add
nice brininess.
Sriracha, which adds
that zippy heat.
And lastly, just make it
rain cilantro.
Here I go in for a taste.
Oh!
Look how cheesy that is.
Here I go.
Mm. Mm!
The combination of
the sweet potato fries
and the cheese and all these
gorgeous toppings
is perfection.
♪♪
nick: All right, here we go.
[ laughs ]
love it.
That looks pretty good.
-[ cheering ]
-oh, yeah!
Cool!
Okay, who's ready to eat?
-I'm ready!
-Get in here!
Get a plate.
Take a sloppy joe pita
and some popcorn salad,
-yum!
Some sweet potato
waffle fry nachos,
and a bowling ball cake ball.
I have never heard of
popcorn salad.
It is surprisingly delicious.
That's a texture
you've been missing
-I get it now.
-In all of your salads.
Mmm. So good.
And so cute!
[ laughs ]
so when I told molly
that I was gonna build
a bowling alley,
she was like, "no way."
and then I was like,
"seth's helping me,"
and she was like, "okay."
-[ laughter ]
-yeah.
Are you guys ready to bowl?
-Heck yeah! Let's bowl!
-Let's do this!
[ chanting ]
molly! Molly! Molly!
[ cheering ]
-that was amazing!
-Yeah!
What?!
-Thanks!
-Congratulations.
Grandma would be proud.