Molly Yeh , 33, had a popular blog when she published her first cookbook ( Molly on the Range ) in 2016, followed by her Food Network show, Girl Meets Farm . Here, she talks about her latest cookbook, Home Is Where the Eggs Are , and life on […]
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Molly Yeh, 33, had a popular blog when she published her first cookbook (Molly on the Range) in 2016, followed by her Food Network show, Girl Meets Farm. Here, she talks about her latest cookbook, Home Is Where the Eggs Are, and life on her family’s farm in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, where she lives with her husband, Nick Hagen, and their daughters Bernadette (Bernie), 3, and Ira, 7 months.
Tuned in: Born and raised in the Chicago area, Yeh met fellow music major Hagen when both were studying at Julliard in New York City. The pair moved to East Grand Forks, where Hagen is a fifth-generation farmer, when they married in 2014.
One-pan wonders: Home Is Where the Eggs Are reflects how Yeh cooks these days, typically holding Bernie or Ira in one arm. “I’ve come to appreciate recipes that are just a lot lower maintenance than I would make before kids,” she says. That means lots of one-pan meals like this pizza. Because it’s deep dish and needs a bit longer to cook, there’s no need to pre-cook the broccolini and sausage before adding them to the pie for fewer steps and less mess.
Earliest cooking memories: Making macaroni and cheese, chicken and biscuits, cupcakes and potstickers with her mom. “A lot of carbs!”
Go-to comfort food: Thick, crusty bread fried and topped with cheese, locally made bologna or nut butter. She’s a fan of nut butters by Ground Up (from $16, grounduppdx.com). “I’m about five years behind that toast trend, but I really like it.”
Must-have ingredients: Plain Greek yogurt (“I use it for sweet and savory recipes”), eggs, canned beans.
Favorite kitchen tool: A silicone spoon/spatula called a “spoonula” (like the one that’s part of the colorful Girl Meets Farm by Molly Yeh 5-Piece Silicone Utensil Set, $43, macys.com).
Timeless over trendy: You won’t find Yeh tackling the latest TikTok trends. Instead, she’s inspired by her mother-in-law’s church cookbooks, and her own Chinese and Jewish heritage. “I want these recipes to be passed down through generations,” she says. “I want Bernie to be making these for her kids and grandkids.”
About that popcorn salad… A few years ago, the internet was up in arms when Yeh featured an oddball salad of popcorn in mayo-sour cream dressing on Girl Meets Farm. “It’s one of those classic church cookbook recipes,” she says, which left her a little surprised by the reaction. “I put my phone down that week,” she recalls. “But I can look back at it and laugh now.”
Next chapter: This fall, Yeh and Hagen will open Bernie’s, a multi-concept restaurant in Grand Forks featuring Scandinavian-Midwestern fare like Yeh’s Tater Tot hotdish and lefse (Norwegian potato flatbread) with homemade butter and seasonal jam. “Opening a restaurant is something I’ve been dreaming of for more than 10 years,” says Yeh. “Now this is coming to life.”
Broccolini, Sausage and Lemon Deep-Dish Pizza Recipe
Piled high with cheese, sausage and veggies, this pizza from Home Is Where the Eggs Are is an easy, satisfying dinner. “This pizza is sort of like Chicago meets the farm because it’s a deep-dish pizza, but I do it in a cast-iron skillet,” says Yeh. Can’t find broccolini? Substitute regular broccoli florets.
Related: Tired of Banana Bread? Make Molly Yeh’s Pumpkin Loaf!
[From Home Is Where the Eggs Are by Molly Yeh. Copyright © 2022 by Molly Rebecca Yeh. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Photo by Chantell and Brett Quernemoen.]
