Giada De Laurentiis invites her cousins to bring an appetizer over for a Christmas party, and surprise guest Aunt Raffy judges which is the best. After the highly competitive game, Giada and her guests dine on a festive buffet-style meal of Pomegranate Glazed Pork, Braised Escarole with Olives and Raisins, Baked Penne with Squash and Goat Cheese, and a colorful dessert of Cherry and Cranberry Cobbler.
Ree Drummond is tackling holiday questions, and the answers include outrageously cheesy Lasagna Dip and Chips and a Big Festive Salad perfect to take to any potluck bash. She covers make-ahead dessert questions with festive Cinnamon Apples, and the cutest Christmas Tree Tarts are a contender for the title of favorite seasonal recipe. Finally, she shares how the Drummonds celebrate the holidays on the ranch.
As hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson know, Christmas in the country is just different than anywhere else, so they task four countrified cookie makers with creating two different cowboy Christmas designs. After they're done, one cookie maker will have to leave the ranch while the cookie maker who "cowboys up" the best batch will gain an advantage for the next round. Then, the three remaining bakers create cookie versions of ceramic farmhouse cookie jars that must be fully functional while their displays incorporate country desserts like sweet potato pie, peach cobbler, pecan pie or pineapple upside down cake. One cowpoke cookie maker will ride off into the sunset with $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.
Ree Drummond is taking questions about holiday favorites, and the answers start with a Christmas family-tradition breakfast of Fried Quail with Biscuits and Gravy. Then, Ree's got crowd-pleasing queries covered with incredible Short Rib Spaghetti Sauce, and she makes an impressive big-day dish of Herby Sticky Spiral Glazed Ham while sharing some side dish secrets. Finally, Ree's Sticky Toffee Braid is a festive, super-quick dessert.