Ree Drummond is full of the holiday spirit and preparing small bites for the big day. There are festive Mini Peppermint Rolls, perfect as a treat for Santa. Then, a trio of simple, seasonal savories: very Christmassy Crispy Cauliflower Cakes, cowboy favorite Steak Bites with Spicy Blue Cheese Cream and beautiful Charcuterie Board Bites. It's all about amazing, easy apps and fun finger food.
A master musician inspires creative choices in the first test, as the chefs churn out chocolate desserts with cheese and chili ingredients. A breakfast food ingredient in the second test leaves the chefs wondering if their candy desserts will be glowing successes or dim failures. It will take more than tricks to turn some uncommon dessert ingredients into a cake worthy of the $10,000 prize.
To celebrate the golden season, Molly Yeh hosts a lunch for the real farm spouses of wheat harvest. They'll enjoy hearty Sausage, Squash, Bean and Chard Soup with cloud-like Jumbo Cheesy Stuffed Pitas on the side and Crispy Spicy Broccoli with Yogurt. For dessert, everybody gets their own decadent and out-of-this-world adorable Sweet Potato Mini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Chef Bobby Flay gives makeovers to some of his favorite All-American dishes. First up, it's dessert for brunch with Bobby's Carrot Cake Pancakes with a Maple-Cream Cheese Drizzle and Toasted Pecans, followed by a Harlem classic -- Wild Rice Waffles and Fried Chicken with a Pink Peppercorn and Honey Sauce. He tops off this American-inspired brunch with a Strawberry Shortcake Shake topped with a Homemade Biscuit Crumble.
Ina Garten is baking up a storm and feeling good as she prepares a marvelous make-ahead Truffled Mac and Cheese that's all dressed up for company. She puts a new spin on a decadent, elegant Bittersweet Chocolate Cake that everyone adores, and she kick-starts the day with a dramatic Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby. Finally, she turns up the volume on Salted Pistachio Meringues that are absolutely astonishing.
Just because you're on a budget doesn't mean you can't create a fantastic winter meal good enough for company. Ina is creating a menu for a student-entertaining blog site featuring Chicken With Goat Cheese and Sun Dried Tomato, Tagliatelle With Truffle Butter, Roasted Parsnips and Carrots, Red Berry Trifle, Plain Pound Cake and Cognac Cream. This is back to basics on dazzling entertaining on a shoe string.
Food blogger Ayesha Curry, former White House chef Sam Kass and chef Marcus Samuelsson are on hand to judge this round of young competitors, who must deal with some seriously stinky ingredients in the first basket. The second round has the junior chefs wondering what to do with a snack mix and a mix of mini veggies, and a reptilian cake meets a vegan cheese in the dessert basket.
The Neelys get started with an Old Fashioned Glazed Ham W/ Pineapple & Cherries that will remind you of the good ole days. Next up, a sweet treat with their Cane Syrup-Glazed Sweet Potatoes W/ Marshmallow Streusel. It keeps getting sweeter with Red Velvet Cone Cakes W/ Cream Cheese Icing that truly is a Neely remix. The Neelys are going to show you how sweet life's cravings can really be!
Nancy Fuller is hosting a holiday party sure to impress all of her family. Her scrumptious appetizers include Crab Cakes with Zesty Herb Tartar and Marinated Beef Tenderloin Skewers with Horseradish Cream, and don't forget the Ultimate Cheese Fondue Dip Station and Grammy Carl's Popcorn Balls for the little ones. While the grandchildren trim the tree, Nancy and the grownups enjoy a show-stopping Champagne Tower with Farmhouse Kir.