It’s That Time Again by The Pioneer Woman

We are lucky enough to have a longtime Pawhuska mom (and grandmother) come to our home games and take photos of the boys. The Friday before Veteran’s Day, she took this photo of Bryce during the National Anthem. It’s a framer!   She gets great action shots! This is Bryce running the ball—love how there’s […]

We are lucky enough to have a longtime Pawhuska mom (and grandmother) come to our home games and take photos of the boys. The Friday before Veteran’s Day, she took this photo of Bryce during the National Anthem. It’s a framer!

 
She gets great action shots! This is Bryce running the ball—love how there’s a chain of players trying to take the other down! High school football is so exciting.

 
 
This year has been so wonderful. After going 0 and 10 just two years ago, we went 9 and 1 in our regular season this year. Our new coach started last year, and he’s been such a great asset (and mentor) to all the boys. We have game 2 of the playoffs this Friday and we’ll be there cheering them on! I couldn’t be prouder of our team. They have worked so hard.

 
 
And I couldn’t be prouder of Bryce. I’ve watched him mature, not just on the field but off the field. I’m in denial that he’s a junior—that he’s in the same spot Alex was in when it first dawned on me that she would one day be leaving home. From that realization to the time she went to college seemed to go by in an instant…so I have that same strange mix of dread and excitement, of tears and happiness!

Being a mom…you never get used to this stuff.

(Awesome photos above by Debbie Formby.)

Welcome to (Paige’s) Frontier! by The Pioneer Woman

I thought you’d get a kick out of Paige’s Halloween costume this year! It made me laugh. I told her she should have worn a floral top and much more eyeliner…but at least it showed me she was thinking about me at college! Also, it has cured me of any notion I’ve been playing with […]

I thought you’d get a kick out of Paige’s Halloween costume this year! It made me laugh. I told her she should have worn a floral top and much more eyeliner…but at least it showed me she was thinking about me at college! Also, it has cured me of any notion I’ve been playing with that I should go a little more red with my hair. Ha.

Hope you all had a wonderful, safe Halloween! Is it November already? Not possible!

Here are some random things on my mind today:

1. I’m about seven episodes away from being finished with The Handmaid’s Tale. How will I exercise, what will I watch on the rowing machine next, and what will become of me? Please advise.

2. I just listened to the audio book of “Bad Blood,” which is about the Theranos situation/scandal/craziness. I was riveted. Does this story fascinate you like it does me?

3. I was in California for a book signing Saturday and that night I ordered sushi from Door Dash from my hotel room. It’s a good thing I live on an isolated cattle ranch, because that could be dangerous for me.

4. I have so enjoyed meeting many of you at my cookbook signings. My cup runneth over. Thank you for coming to see me. It’s the best thing about writing a book.

5. I love ya more’n my luggage! Big time.

xoxo,
Pioneer Woman

Summer of Bernie!

The summer is over! It’s quarter-zip fleece weather! But still acceptable birkenstock-with-no-socks temperature! The apples are getting their color, th…

776DDC44-BF57-4D38-8E1E-3F3B2838D068 2.JPG

The summer is over! It’s quarter-zip fleece weather! But still acceptable birkenstock-with-no-socks temperature! The apples are getting their color, the sky is cloudy on the reg, wheat harvest is here, and two nights ago we ate PHO. This is my dreamscape. Good gosh geez I love being on the cusp of peek coziness sooo much, I can taste the pumpkin bread already. Bernie’s world is about to start smelling less like fresh basil and Eggboy sweat and more like cinnamon and brussels sprouts with spätzle and butter and it’s awesome. Ok but I didn’t want to zoom to the next season before documenting some of my favorite moments from this summer!

IMG_6372 2.jpg
IMG_6379.jpg
IMG_6359.jpg

We went to the the county fair! Bernie met baby goats, baby chickens, mini ponies, and a 7-day-old alpaca! We danced to Eggboy’s big band concert and then I ate a big sausage which tasted exactly how fairs smell, smoky and meaty. And we drank a chocolate strawberry malt. A+ day.

IMG_5197.JPG
IMG_5202.JPG
IMG_5189.JPG
5296242E-448B-4FDC-9C19-C0704F149AF0 2.JPG
98A422D0-A4F3-4BC2-8855-06B0EBECF33B 2.JPG
85911B94-04C4-4173-9464-CF1261DC307F.JPG

We went on our first little family trip, to Bemidji! We stayed about two feet away from the lake in a tiny cabin with gigantic windows, so all of my nightmares about arriving at our destination to find that we had forgotten Bernie’s sound machine went out the window because we had nature's sound machine of the waves all night and it was the loveliest. During the days we hiked, ate pizza and spumoni, had wild rice in our pancakes, tried on Lester Nygaard hats, waved to Babe and Paul Bunyan, and picnic’ed on fancy cheese and ‘ndujia. It was a short but sweet trial vacation for the next time when we choose a destination that’s more than two hours away!

11_SUM_TCA19_July25_Girl_Meets_Farm_0066.JPG
TCA19_Girl Meets Farm_5092.JPG

I went to LA for, like, a few hours because that’s all I could manage for a first trip away from Bern! It was for a little work trip and I got to get all dressed up and stand in front of a background while someone shot a fan at my hair. This is what that looked like! Thanks to Getty and Benjo for the left photo and to TV Guide and Maarten for the right photo!

3058E08C-AD66-4BA9-A80C-9014D99446AA.jpg

Bernie met Bernbaum’s and all of our other Fargo faves, like India Palace and Twenty Below and Zandbroz and Sandy’s and Barnes and Noble. (Umm have you been the new Bernbaum’s?? It’s epic, get the black and white cookie.)

We had so many visitors! Sonja and Alex came for a pizza party, my bridesmaids came for a Girl Meets Farm episode, and Auntie Cathy even came and did her famous turkey impression :)

646A9940-9A91-4BFA-BC9A-4FB37C30E199.JPG
FA890A62-B568-4377-9DAB-B6ED392BD5E6.JPG
499AEF0C-A7A0-4E0C-BB5E-0245B68E1058.JPG

I forgot what TV looks like. Every time I turn it on, even just to have Savannah and Craig chatting in the background, Bernie cranes her head and only wants to look at it and not sing Baby Beluga so I stopped turning it on. What happens after they fall down the elevator in Stranger Things? Anything good?

Baby Beluga is always in my head. Always.

IMG_6553.jpg
C188AFFF-727D-47F8-9FC8-BA3D308E3C5A.JPG

We went to The Lake! I don’t know what summer weekends are like where you live, but here everybody flocks to The Lake. The Lake refers to any number of lakes in the area and what I’m told from Eggboy is that the lake is a place where you eat potato chips and relax, either in the water or in a chair looking at the water. I didn’t get it when I first moved here because I thought, we already live in a very calm relaxing place and I already eat potato chips, why do I need to get more relaxed and eat more potato chips? But I’m slowly starting to get it, that’s where the weekend energy is and floating in a lake is fun and it’s acceptable to subsist on boloney on white bread (in addition to potato chips) at the lake. So even though we don’t have a Lake house we found the public access spot where we’re going to go from now on anytime we feel like chips. And next time Bernie will actually be able to go in the water!

58FE18C9-E45D-4448-942A-E7E2DBEBF59B.JPG
80C82446-8C36-4347-9C15-DA416746516C.JPG
1668F858-6CE7-4B03-B72F-F97EF2C4A69D.JPG
CA44A9E6-A342-446F-ADE3-EC4A8EDE7D27.JPG
IMG_7149.jpg
5E2CFCBE-88DC-4579-880A-F0C9AF31A2ED.jpg

I had my fifth summer at Unglued Camp!!! I only went for a quick second since you-know-who had bedtime and other you-know-who was harvesting but in that time we made fancy uncrustables, splatter painted cake, ate delicious ice cream sandwich sliders, and gossiped with all of my new and old fronds. Camp is the bessst.

720E5151-FE34-4C59-BBDF-C6360E68E972.JPG
996AFD02-ED82-41E8-8585-EE7F43360199.JPG

We celebrated nephew Cliff’s first birthday! I made his cake and smash cake and wow making cakes these days takes serious nap time ninja moves but we did it and Cliff smashed it!!

1A61B686-2C0A-4BFF-AF1C-C314A62EAFDF.JPG
2DF8156F-E3C1-480C-ACD2-C71023F2E372.JPG
DFE30269-DC3E-48CE-BBCA-7B45D798E329.jpg
67610CB3-189F-45F8-B2A5-552973DA511D.JPG

We gardened, we looked at the baby in the mirror, we danced, and giggled!

Ok the end, craziest/best summer ever!! Welcome, fall!!!

-Yeh!

Bernie’s Nursery!

6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-14.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-189.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-77.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-19.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-109.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-166.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-26.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-41.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-115.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-89.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-62.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-20.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-85.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-173.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-76.jpg

She’s got a nursery!!! I am soooo excited about Bernie’s nursery reveal today and if I’m interpreting “Oo Goo Ehh!!” correctly, Bernie is too. So is Mr. Hippo, he loves the camera. 

Having an official nursery for Bernie feels way overdue because between my complete lack of interior design skills, the fact that Bernie’s been sleeping in our room, and the Jewish superstition that decorating a nursery before a baby is born could bring bad luck, Bernie’s room had been pretty bare bones. I did a tiny bit of zhooshing when I was 36 weeks pregnant and in major nesting mode, but the room remained a kinda boring half crib corner/half guest room and honestly the most it got used was when my mom came to visit the weekend Bernie was born.

So when Crate and Kids offered to wave their magic wand over the room we threw imaginary confetti in the air because it meant that Bernie would finally have a space of her own to grow with and love. Crate’s Scandinavian-inspired style is so beautiful and, ahem, perfect for our Scandinavian baby. Also, I grew up down the street from Crate’s headquarters outside of Chicago, so this project was a total nostalgia trip for me. 

This room in our house has been many things: Eggboy’s aunts grew up in it, Eggboy slept here when he had weekends at Grandma’s, it was the hair and makeup room for Girl Meets Farm, and it was the room that we slept in for a week when a tree outside of our bedroom was looking a little gnarly and like it could fall. If these walls could talk, I imagine they’d be patient, grandmotherly, and warm. And maybe a little high from the Girl Meets Farm hairspray fumes?! JKJKJK! From the beginning, even at times when it had very little decor at all, this room has had such good, homey energy.

In designing Bernie’s new space, Eggboy and I wanted her to feel that cozy warmth and be surrounded by her animal friends. We also wanted the history of the room to come through and for it to really feel like it was part of a farm house while also feeling fresh. Functionally, since this is the only bedroom in our house other than ours, I wanted there to still be a bed for Grandma visits and for when Bernie grows out of her crib, but for there to also be a space to sit and hang out. 

I love how Crate’s design team ran with this. They wove their vintage-inspired pieces, like their midcentury crib and brass shelving, in with the existing old paneled wall and peppered in our special personal items, like the rainbow from Lily, Alana, and Michelle, the hippo from Great Aunt Judy and Cousins, the needle pointed alphabet wall hanging that we found in the basement, Bernie’s favorite animal mobile, and the little wooden egg family from our shower. And they swapped out our big old ugly guest bed for a twin-sized daybed with a trundle (Bernie’s going to have the best sleepovers!) so it totally feels like we have a big comfy couch in here now. The muted rainbow colors, cozy layered textures, and warm lighting are so soothing. This room truly has an amazing balance of exciting and calm, modern and vintage. And just being in here feels like a hug! 

For now, the room is filled with bunnies galore because Bernie loves bunnies! The crib sheets, the pillows, the changing table cover, the wall decor, and, my personal favorite, the removable wallpaper (!!) all have bunnies. But what’s great about the large furniture pieces is that they’re sturdy, timeless, and safe enough to be able to grow with Bernie. So when she’s older and potentially over bunnies but into, I don’t know, astronomy? martial arts? the trombone? these pieces will be able to be dressed up to reflect those loves.

Ooh and the closet is a whole other wonderland! Bernie officially has the most organized closet in the house. It’s filled with bins upon bins because I find that bins are the easiest way of organizing all of the necessary baby stuff, especially stuff that requires quick access during, like, emergency wardrobe changes and sudden diaper explosions. It’s also packed with imagination-fueled toys that she can play with now (like her soft eggs and bacon set!) and when she gets older (like the prettiest wooden blocks I’ve ever seen). 

Now whenever I’m in this room, I can envision all of the blanket forts and make-believe games in Bernie’s future. It makes me so verklempt! Yes, I am soaking up all of the moments right now while she is tiny enough to cuddle up on my chest, but at the same time it fills me with so much joy to think about watching her grow in this beautiful Bernie space. 

6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-97.jpg
6-28-19-molly-yeh-crate-and-kids-73.jpg

-yeh!

Thank you sooo (!!!!) much to Crate and Kids for transforming this room and for sponsoring this post! Here are links to the items featured in this room: rug / yellow pouf / brass book shelves / crib / crib sheet / crib skirt / bunny / other bunny / bunny blanket / animal wall decor / rainbow wall hanging / bunny wallpaper / floor lamp / midcentury wall shelf / midcentury wall decor / mirrors / hippo / bear hamper / diaper pail / dresser / changing table / changing table cover / daybed / trundle/ bed linens / pillows / bunny pillows / pink pillows / ballerina pillow / white closet bins / pink closet bins / campfire set 

Photos by Chantell and Brett Quernemoen

Bernie, Two Months!

041E75B1-81BF-43A4-A7BA-83278F5CBFA1.JPG
8F03C5AC-0DB0-46E9-97A3-E083C16652F2.JPG
7D38089A-F558-4342-8BA4-5FC2F9290D6E.JPG
9F10CD42-8684-49D0-9601-AF28EF12CAF6.JPG
E37D52A9-5736-4AFB-AC06-F840D601AECF.JPG
EB87C576-24F1-487F-9180-32C6BC4FC3E1.JPG
AF4AB565-6C89-4BB3-88F0-82D0FFBA2672.JPG
304CABE2-1423-4A61-9671-28F3A2F4F7EE.JPG
0B620876-7A11-4640-BB52-07DE0AD68E87.JPG
91276612-C459-45D3-A6CD-5A5FA566190C.JPG
4908E66A-540C-4B1C-B5F2-9B8FAD3B4EA7.JPG
ABF0464A-9062-49BA-A971-E4FD9320062A.JPG
286293C4-590B-4FC4-9D04-82DC11C94761.JPG
IMG_4394.JPG
5EAD4444-9BF2-4686-8C38-D752E18D5EAF.JPG
IMG_4878.JPG
IMG_4849.JPG
77E9B09D-81CD-456B-8265-AE73189B24B7.JPG
IMG_4193.JPG
150EA458-2A16-405D-8CBD-EEC43AC94E67.JPG
D41E4AA3-5235-49B8-9C2A-58657561084D.JPG

Hello from Bernie’s 10th week! She is nearly 2 1/2 months old and smiles more and more each day! We have settled into the best little routine where every morning we have wiggle time, then go to the gym to stroll and listen to Unorthodox, and then come home and make a big summery salad for lunch. In the afternoon we do a fun thing like read crinkly tail tale books or swat at hanging vegetable toys before snuggles and nap time (that’s when I watch Jeopardy and read Bringing Up Bébé). Then we make dinner and Eggboy and I watch Fargo while we wait for Bernie to poop so that we can then give her a bath without worrying that she’ll poop in it (yep, learned that one the hard way haha). It’s peak maternity leave livin’ around here and we are soaking it in. Also the weather has been amazing, so we are, as Bernie puts it, “GOO!” Some highlights from this past month include:

-Our first little family picnic! On Memorial Day, we grilled sausages, potatoes, and broccolini, and drank rhubarb soda while we enjoyed the evening breeze.

-Bernie’s first out of town visitors! Jaclyn and Katie came to town and we had the best weekend ever, which included a trip to Fargo for the Antiques Roadshow (with a stop at Silver Lining Creamery after), the North Dakota Shakespeare 5K (err- we walked 3Ks of it ;), an afternoon picnic in the backyard with cookies and cookie dough (and carrots for balance), and cinnamon roll pancakes at Darcy’s.

-Cuddle time with Mrs. Moose. Bernie’s been grasping and swatting at toys and in true baby fashion she definitely prefers the super saturated weirdly colored high contrast ones. The muted rainbow lover in me is like “?? But Bernie, this hot pink neon green bumble bee clashes terribly with your navy car seat, mustard outfit, and olive pacifier…” but it’s ok, maybe one day she’ll love dusty rose like I do??

-Bernie’s first Syttende Mai, Norwegian Constitution Day! She is 5/16ths Norwegian, so we went to Sons of Norway and ate lefse, krumkake, rømmegrøt, and all of the other faves. She wore her Norwegian accessories from our friend Trude in Norway and had the best time!!

-My first Mother’s Day, it was delightful! Bernie and I worked on her cookbook and snuggled the day away. Then the following week it was my birthday and we went out to lunch wearing identical outfits and spent the rest of the day baking cookies and cake!

-Bernie talks soo much!! We have great conversations about Ooo and Ahh and Goo, I love them.

-She has gotten very tall, she has Eggboy’s legs. Hallelujah!

Ok, we’ve gotta go pick rhubarb!! Bernie’s sending some friendly hiccups in your general direction and I’m waving! Bye!

-Yeh!

I Buried the Lede by The Pioneer Woman

It’s been a busy time on the ranch, so I’m going to start with this peaceful image of our cows against the setting sun. I snapped this while Ladd and I were driving home from town Saturday night. He and I had just had a short and sweet date at…     Charlie’s! Yes, our […]

It’s been a busy time on the ranch, so I’m going to start with this peaceful image of our cows against the setting sun. I snapped this while Ladd and I were driving home from town Saturday night. He and I had just had a short and sweet date at…

 
 
Charlie’s!

Yes, our dream as a married couple has come true: We now have an ice cream shop in town so we can drive in and get an ice cream cone whenever we want. Except we’re discussing limiting ourselves to once a week because this could be dangerous. We’ll see how that goes…

 
 
Before we opened, we had murals painted on the wall.

 
 
It’s amazing what a white coat of paint and black lettering can do for a place!

 
 
This is a pic from opening day. I think these might have been our first customers…at least one of our first!

 
 
Can I just say that opening an ice cream store in our little town has been a complete pleasure??? Ice cream is the common thread that unites us all.

 
 
So is candy. I had fun picking out all of this cute stuff.

 
 
My high school friends all came to Pawhuska last week for the mini-reunion that we try to have at least every other summer. I have blogged about this through the years: After our twenty-year reunion in 2007, we all had so much fun (after not having seen one other much since high school) that we vowed to keep the connection going in the years that followed. We made good on that promise, and have gotten together almost every summer since then. It’s been a really special thing to reunite with old friends at this time of our lives: Since we started having our mini reunions in ’08, some girls have had babies, some girls have become grandmothers, some have battled cancer, some have lost spouses and parents. One of our friends lost her son. We were just barely starting to turn forty back when we reunited. Now most of us have cross over the line of fifty. We used to kick off our reunion talking about who dated whom in high school; now we talk about hot flashes. (And who dated whom in high school. Ha!)

Old friendships are very, very precious. I love these girls.

 
 
Our chefs at The Merc made some special things for us all to share. Chicken fried lobster is now on my list of five favorite dishes of all time. Um…more on this later.

 
 
I buried the lede! Alex graduated on Thursday. (This is her “friend” [haha] Mauricio, who graduated on Saturday!) So excited for both of them as they head into the real world later this summer.

 
 
After dinner that night, we all played cornhole near the hotel and (predictably) ate ice cream.

I think I have an ice cream problem on my hands.

April Come She Will by The Pioneer Woman

Because winter was especially long, spring burning happened a little late this year…but boy, did it happen! A consolation for not being able to start burning until April, however, is that the wind has been so favorable to burning. With the exception of a couple of days they had to abstain due to the wind […]

Because winter was especially long, spring burning happened a little late this year…but boy, did it happen! A consolation for not being able to start burning until April, however, is that the wind has been so favorable to burning. With the exception of a couple of days they had to abstain due to the wind being strong enough to make my face ripple in a slow-motion video (which is precisely why I do not participate in any slow-motion videos), most of the days have seen gentle breezes…ahhhh. Oklahoma, we are loving you right now!

 
 
I was at the Lodge the other day when Ladd was burning, and the fire skirted up against the north side of the house. This isn’t the first time this has happened; it goes all the way back to when Ladd and I were dating, and he and his dad and brother burned around the Lodge just before a Drummond family cookout began. I watched as the fire got closer and closer, and before I knew it, the flames were all the way under the (then old and rickety) wood deck. My mother-in-law Nan and her mom, Edna Mae, started filling stock pots in the kitchen and pouring water through the wood slats as the guys manned the fire truck and attacked it from the other direction. I joined in, filling whatever vessels I could find, running out on the deck to try to douse it. The fire ultimately went out, and we all sat down to eat.

I had only one question: “Does this happen a lot?”

Everyone laughed. (I’m still waiting for the answer.)

 
 
I posted this on Instagram and Facebook, but wanted to let you know about my partnership with Purina to create a line of all natural dog treats! I’m very proud of the treats, and I’m very proud of all my doggies, who have been rock stars during Purina’s visits to the ranch. (It helps that they love the treats!) Nice lip lick, Walter!

 
 
Our good friends’ daughter got married a couple of weeks ago. I’ve noticed that most of the selfies of Ladd and me are when we have both showered and dressed up. And showered. Ha.

 
 
Bryce went to his first prom Saturday night. He’s just a sophomore, so he still has a couple more ahead. He has a great group of friends in Pawhuska! Also, this was funny: I posted this photo on Instagram Sunday and pointed out that Bryce is the Anthony Michael Hall lookalike in the back. A keen reader pointed out that Sunday happened to be Anthony Michael Hall’s birthday! What are the chances? I feel this has some spiritual relevance somehow, given my obsession with 80’s movies.

 
 
April sunrises have been remarkable! And very pink! I’m trying to breathe them all in, despite my calendar in April, which is probably a world record for me in terms of the number of things going on in the world around me. Finishing my new cookbook, filming new Food Network shows, working on a new project for this website (I think you will like it!!), getting ready for Alex’s graduation, and various other kid, husband, animal, and family things coming over the next several weeks! It’s a busy time of year…but the sunrises will get me through.

I hope you’re all having a good spring so far, and I hope you’re breathing in the sunrises! (Or sunsets, depending on your sleep schedule!)

Turkey Spinach Meatballs with Tahini and Chimichurri

I’ve been preparing for this year’s Passover for months now. Ever since I realized that Passover would be Bernie’s first major holiday, I’ve had so man…

1-31-19-molly-yeh-turkey-sausage-meatballs-4.jpg

I’ve been preparing for this year’s Passover for months now. Ever since I realized that Passover would be Bernie’s first major holiday, I’ve had so many things going through my mind. This is our first holiday as a little family! It’s going to be the best thing ever! I’m going to cry so much!!!!!! Literally I can’t even imagine explaining the bitter herbs to Bernie without tearing up. And carrying her around while searching for the afikoman?? I’m weeping. The food, I realized, would have to be delicious and memorable but mostly prep-aheadable. In my freezer I have balls of Passover chocolate chip cookie dough and a white matzo lasagna (recipes coming soon for both of these), as well as chicken stock that will hopefully see some matzo balls. My mom is planning to be here for Passover so I’m hoping that between the two of us and Eggboy, we’ll be able to both snuggle Bernie all day long and roll a matzo ball. And braise a brisket. Even though braises do really well in the freezer, I didn’t get around to braising one before she arrived. (Oh, this is what Mom guilt is!)

I did however make a bunch of these meatballs that I love for multiple reasons: 

-The flavor is incredible, they taste sausage-y, thanks to a sprinkling of fennel seeds and a heavy hand with the herbs.

-There’s spinach hiding in them! Even though they’re warm and comforting, they’re on the more nutritious end of the spectrum when it comes to freezer foods.

-They’re great as a Passover dish or a non-Passover dish. They’re not like those foods that only really taste good on the sixth day of Passover when you have Passover goggles on.

-Eggboy is obsessed with meatballs. He is meatball boy.

-They freeze and reheat really easily. I store them in a ziploc bag, so they can smoosh in anywhere in the freezer, and then you can reheat them just by tossing them into red sauce or sticking them in the oven. 

Here I’ve plated them up with some creamy tahini sauce (garlicky yogurt sauce is also nice) and a super bright and springy chimichurri. It’s a fun way to eat them for a pasta-less week or if you’re just looking for a filling side for an otherwise vegetable-centric meal. When it’s not Passover I’m definitely piling these high on top of pappardelle. 

1-31-19-molly-yeh-turkey-sausage-meatballs-1.jpg

Turkey and Spinach Meatballs with Tahini and Chimichurri

Makes 22-24 meatballs

Ingredients

Meatballs

2 tb olive oil, plus more for cooking meatballs

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

Kosher salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

8 oz fresh spinach, chopped

1 large egg

1/2 c (30g) matzo meal (or panko breadcrumbs)

Black pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 lb ground turkey (93% lean)

Tahini Sauce

1/4 c tahini

Juice of 1/2 lemon

3 tb water

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Chimichurri

1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 c (100g) olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Clues

Preheat the oven to 425ºf.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large oven-safe skillet. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and fennel and cook for another minute and then add the spinach in batches, stirring, until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the egg, breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon salt, a few turns of black pepper, the onion powder, cayenne, thyme, oregano, paprika, parsley, turkey, and the slightly cooled spinach mixture and use your hands to mix to combine.

Wipe out the skillet that was used to heat the spinach and then heat a thin layer of olive oil over medium high heat. Form the turkey mixture into golfball-sized balls and brown them on all sides, in 2 or 3 batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate. Once all of the meatballs are browned, return them to the skillet and stick the skillet in the oven for 7-10 minutes, until they’re cooked through and have an internal temperature of 160ºf. To make the tahini sauce, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, and water until smooth and pourable. If it’s too thick, add a bit more water, if it’s runny, add more tahini. Season with salt and pepper.

To make the chimichurri, combine all ingredients in a food processor, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, and blend until smooth. If you don’t want to use a food processor, you can also chop the herbs and garlic finely by hand and mix with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

To serve, spread a large dollop of tahini sauce on a plate or shallow bowl, top with meatballs and drizzle on the chimichurri to taste. Enjoy!

To freeze: cooked meatballs can be cooled and stored in a ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, place on a sheet pan and cover with foil. Bake at 350º for about 15-20 minutes, or until heated through. Prepared chimichurri can be frozen as well. Defrost at room temp or heat briefly in the microwave. I wouldn’t recommend freezing tahini sauce, but it’s super easy to whip up!

Print this recipe

-yeh!

photos by chantell and brett quernemoen

Meet Bernie!

FD293CCB-5516-4A7B-AA85-DF99B7631331.JPG
IMG_3095.JPG
IMG_2982.JPG
IMG_3023.JPG
IMG_3106.JPG
IMG_3112.JPG
IMG_3130.JPG

Hello from my new absolute favorite place in the world: snuggling on the recliner with a warm squishy Bernie sleeping on my chest. Holy smokes, this has been the greatest week ever. Sure, my boobs are about to fall off and I have stitches in a non-disclosable place but just like you have all told me over the past few months, every single challenge and every ounce of sleep deprivation is 1000000000% worth the love I get to have for this perfect little dumpling baby girl.

Today is Bernie’s first Friday! Ever! A week ago Eggboy and I arrived at the hospital after my water broke at around 1am. It was perfect timing because I had just finished up my last planned day of work testing recipes for Girl Meets Farm, and had cupcakes on hand that we packed up for the nurses (who by the way deserve like endless cupcakes forever and ever?! They were so amazing). I spent the day laboring and hanging out with my mom and Eggmom and Eggboy! We watched the Duke basketball game, listened to Unorthodox, talked about books, and I watched them eat Jimmy John’s… dreaming of the Italian Night Club that I’d soon be able to demolish. Since my water broke so early in the day, I assumed that Bernie would be born in time for pizza Friday, but she took her time and came out shortly after the clock struck midnight on her due date, March 30! A Caturday! She was so calm and huggable, I was immediately wildly crazily in love. I didn’t even care that by that time all of the pizza places in town were closed and my only food option was a hospital turkey sandwich haha.

Bernie has my nose, my hair, Eggboy’s mouth (a future good trombone embouchure, he says), his non-stubby toes, and both of our favorite emoji, ?. Her full name, Bernadette, is in honor of Eggboy’s great great grandpa, Bernt, who came over from Norway and started the Hagen farm in 1876, and my great grandpa Bernard, who emigrated from Hungary. Bernie’s first middle name, Rosemary, is after my mom’s mom! (It’s no coincidence that Rosemary is also one of my favorite herbs, and that it was all over my wedding bouquets.)

Bringing Bernie home for the first time and introducing her to the farm and her room and all of her new toys and clothes was such a magical feeling that I never want to forget. In the week since her arrival, we’ve spent most of our hours cuddling, nursing, catching up on my bagels and lox intake, watching concerts on the Berlin Phil’s Digital Concert Hall, and eating delicious dinners brought over by friends and family. Bernie has perfected her cute little sounds, yips and hiccups and soft perfect sighs, and occasionally she puckers her lips and I melt right down like butter on toast. Oh! And I had my first “is this chocolate? or poop?” moment. It was chocolate! Yay.

Ok I’m due to give some hugs and forehead smooches, so I gotta go!!! Now that I’m officially on maternity leave, I’ll be posting a bunch of (mostly freezer friendly) recipes that I developed over the past few months. I’ll check in every so often with Bernie updates!

And also thank you all so much for your sweet words and messages about Bernie!!! We’ve felt the love through social media and are so so grateful! <3

-Yeh!

Swoop, Snow, and Other News by The Pioneer Woman

Hi, friends! HUGE news. I mean, monumentally globally relevant news. Okay, not really globally relevant news. Okay, not really monumental news. Okay, not really news. Not anything, actually. Here goes: I started swooping my bangs over to one side. Here’s a pic I took to send to my sister, Betsy, and my mom. It covers […]

Hi, friends! HUGE news. I mean, monumentally globally relevant news. Okay, not really globally relevant news. Okay, not really monumental news. Okay, not really news. Not anything, actually. Here goes: I started swooping my bangs over to one side. Here’s a pic I took to send to my sister, Betsy, and my mom. It covers my cowlick! Pardon my flushed chest. It happens sometimes. Most notably, when I have walked around in high altitude (see Colorado photos later in the post).

 
 
In case you missed it, I was interviewed for a story on CBS Sunday Morning that aired Sunday.

 
 
Here is the link if you’d like to watch! (Ladd is on it, which I really liked.)

CBS Sunday Morning with Ladd and Ree

 
 
In dinnerware news, I wanted to show you my new spring pattern at Walmart.

 
 
It’s called Heritage Floral, and it just takes my breath away. You can find it in Walmart stores right now! Thank you for listening.

 
 
We are in Colorado for a few days, and here is a photo Ladd took yesterday. He skied with his brother, Tim, because no one else will go where they go. They’re lunatic skiers!

 
 
I would never—as in never, ever, ever—ski on this hill. I would sit down and wait for help to arrive. And if you don’t think this looks very steep…

 
 
Here’s another angle. NO. No, no, no. My palms are now wet with sweat, as they were when we were driving here a few days ago. Colorado has gotten so much snow in the past week or two, and there were avalanche threats (and maybe still are.) But the folks around here are so grateful for the snow. It’s kind of like being in Oklahoma. We want rain so badly when it’s dry, but sometimes a tornado comes with that. Sigh.

 
 
As I was writing this post, Ladd sent this photo of Bryce to me. This stopping point is actually called Two Elk Lodge, and there happened to be an elk in front as they arrived to eat lunch. What are the chances?

 
 
As you can see, Bryce has no fear of wildlife.

Or maybe his goggles are coated with ice?

Or (updated, after talking to Paige)…maybe it’s a statue! Haha. I am cracking up.

More snowy updates to come!