‘Girl Meets Farm’ Is the Food Network Show You Should Be Watching
Food blogger and cookbook author Molly Yeh makes recipes inspired by her Chinese and Jewish heritage, and life on a Midwestern farm
We here at Unorthodox make no secret of our love for Molly Yeh. She was a guest on our show just before Purim in 2017, and brought us the most magical sprinkle hamantaschen. She had just published her memoir/cookbook, Molly on the Range, about her unlikely journey from Juilliard to Brooklyn to a farm on the Minnesota-North Dakota border with her husband, Nick, a fifth-generation sugar beet farmer. Last week she returned to the podcast to tell us about her brand new Food Network show, Girl Meets Farm, which premiered Sunday.
We’re biased, but we mean it when we say the show is excellent. The series premiere centers around Molly and Nick’s third wedding anniversary, which they are celebrating with a brunch at their house with Nick’s family, who live on the farm as well. The menu reflects Molly’s heritage as well as her adopted Midwestern home—shakshuka with feta, roasted potatoes with paprika mayo (emphasis on the mayo), brussels sprouts and bacon hash (don’t tell the kosher police), and pocket pastries with strawberry jam, sourced from Nick’s aunt’s garden. It’s mesmerizing and drool-inducing to watch. She also makes an everything-bagel-inspired grilled cheese sandwich, which is a culinary feat worth celebrating. You can follow along with all the show’s recipes here.
The bulk of the show takes place in Molly’s perfectly appointed farm kitchen, which we could stare at all day—her pastel blue Smeg refrigerator and adorable mugs and nesting bowls (the labels on which were carefully covered up for shooting), and color-coordinated cookbook collection. We also get to see Nick out on the farm, and doing farm-y things like “pulling the tractor in.” The idyllic setting is obviously a draw, but the real heart of the show is Molly’s infectious charm and her genuine excitement about each recipe. Also her love for butter. And sprinkles.
We’ve been lucky enough to experience Molly’s baking magic firsthand several times. She shipped us a cake for our second birthday last summer, and she even made Stephanie’s wedding cake. Seriously. She’s that nice.
There’s a lot to look forward to this season. On one upcoming episode Molly updates the classic farm lunch to include garlic and onion challah and creamy homemade hummus. On another episode, her mom visits and makes her famous brisket (secret ingredient: orange juice), which they turn into brisket tacos. She also makes Midwestern classics like cookie salad and hot dish.
You can watch Girl Meets Farm Sundays at 11 a.m. on Food Network, online at watch.foodnetwork.com, or on the Food Network app on mobile devices and Roku, AppleTV, and Amazon Fire TV. You can also check out all of Molly’s recipes here–we love the Jewish-themed ones, like pretzel challah bagel dogs and honey whole wheat challah (sprinkles optional).
Mazel tov, Molly!
Unorthodox is a smart, fresh, fun weekly take on Jewish news and culture hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz. You can listen to individual episodes here or subscribe on iTunes.
- UnorthodoxShaken, Not SchnorredEp. 405: Interviews with Brett Gelman, Zibby Owens, and The Sporkful’s Dan Pashman, plus news of a Jewish James BondMarch 28, 2024
- UnorthodoxA Beautifully Jewish ShabbatEp. 404: Dishing on the day of rest with cookbook author Adeena Sussman and Judaica designer Micaela Ezra; plus a taste of Tablet’s new parsha podcastMarch 21, 2024
- UnorthodoxIrrefutably JewishEp. 403: Phil Rosenthal on writing a children’s book with his daughter Lily; a classical Jewish school in New York City; Oscar meshugas; and moreMarch 14, 2024
- UnorthodoxSpiritual Swear JarEp. 402: Eylon Levy on crafting Israel’s message; Andrew Goldberg on Armenia; plus Joshua Malina, pickleball icon March 7, 2024
- UnorthodoxWe Can HelpEp. 401: AJC CEO Ted Deutch on antisemitism in America, a visit to a Brooklyn school welcoming Ukrainian refugees, our new favorite children’s book, and a visit from Kosha DillzFebruary 22, 2024
- UnorthodoxKosher FiestaEp. 400: Dr. Phil on his new TV network; plus a look at how Israel’s Maaleh Film School is pivoting post-Oct. 7; and a listener question about tablewareFebruary 15, 2024
- UnorthodoxSlam DunkEp. 399: NBA All-Star Allan Houston’s new faith initiative, and revisiting the Michael Milken trialFebruary 8, 2024
- UnorthodoxHigher GroundEp. 398: Jewish actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler on 25 years since ‘The Sopranos,’ plus a visit to try Israel’s best hummus dishFebruary 1, 2024
- UnorthodoxThings RememberedEp. 397: Uncovering a tale of complicity and justice, sonic studies, and a little red dress for International Holocaust Remembrance Day January 25, 2024
- Unorthodox100 DaysEp. 396: Marking a grim milestone since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre and honoring the hostages still held in GazaJanuary 18, 2024
- UnorthodoxFirst DraftsEp. 395: Kicking off 2024 with comedian Moshe KasherJanuary 11, 2024
- UnorthodoxHeading NorthEp. 394: A visit to Jewish Montreal; Gadi Taub on ‘Israel Update’; getting Kafkaesque at the National Library of IsraelDecember 28, 2023
- UnorthodoxUnorthodox in IsraelStories recorded on the ground from a country mourning, healing, and coming togetherDecember 18, 2023
- UnorthodoxMidnight OilEp. 393: Nine stories for HanukkahDecember 14, 2023
- UnorthodoxShine BrightEp. 392: Celebrating the beauty of Hanukkah with Jonathan Adler, Homegrown Kosher, and moreDecember 7, 2023
- UnorthodoxEveryday HeroesEp. 391: Bernard-Henri Lévy’s new film about Ukraine, and Brooke Eby on raising awareness about ALSNovember 30, 2023
- UnorthodoxSitting TogetherEp. 390: A Beautifully Jewish Thanksgiving, featuring an iconic folding chair and a conversation with knitwear designer Inbal GrossNovember 22, 2023
- UnorthodoxDark Times, Bright LightsEp. 389: Reporting from the March for Israel in Washington, D.C.; Etgar Keret’s writer’s block; LeElle Slifer on advocating for her kidnapped Israeli cousins; and Tablet’s Hanukkah BazaarNovember 16, 2023