What to Watch: A Weekend of Parties, Game-Day Food and More
Alice Gao, Alice Gao Photography
It's a weekend of celebrations, game-day get-togethers and competition on Food Network.
On Saturday Paula and her brother Bubba are preparing for a birthday celebration with lots of grilled and fried foods. On The Pioneer Woman, Ree is hosting a family game day on the ranch and she's cooking up lunch afterward. Then Trisha's having over her girlfriends for a game day filled with food. On Barefoot Contessa, Ina's in Napa learning Thomas Keller's secret to fried chicken. And finally Giada's putting her twist on game-day grub.
Sunday morning Guy's cooking with friends in Kentucky and he's got a cocktail recipe to cap off the meal. Then on The Best Thing I Ever Made it's meat lovers' madness. Sunday evening it's girls vs. boys on Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off as the celebrity teams must cater to groups of kids. And finally on Iron Chef America, it's Iron Chef Michael Symon vs. Chef Celina Tio, former competitor on Season 3 of The Next Iron Chef.
Paula and her brother Bubba are grilling and frying up a feast. They're making Fried Catfish With Fresh Tomato Relish and Bubba's Low Country Boil Shrimp Skewers. Later on, family friends Amy and Suzette stop by to celebrate a birthday. They're making Chocolate Birthday Cupcakes With Vanilla Frosting.
Ree, Ladd and their extended families get together for a day of ranch-style competition. Afterward it's time to have lunch with Tangy Tomato Brisket, Onion Strings, Blanched Broccoli and Cheese Dipping Sauce, plus Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches to cap off the fun day of games.
It's Trisha's traditional football Sunday with her girlfriends. And what would the day be without lots of food? On the menu is Sausage Hors d'Oeuvres, Cheese Dip served with corn chips, Chili With Sour Cream Corn Bread and Green Punch.
Ina's still on vacation in Napa and she's making Tomato Crostini and Whipped Feta for lunch. Afterward she learns the secrets of Thomas Keller's Buttermilk Fried Chicken. Later it's cocktail time with Jon Gasparini. Ina makes Thyme Roasted Marcona Almonds, which is the perfect bar snack — if only she could decide between the Napa Spritz and Basil Gimlet.
Giada is putting her personal spin on classic bar food with a game-day menu. She's making Sweet and Sour Pork Sliders, Sweet Potato Strings With Beet Ketchup, Beer-Battered Cremini Mushrooms and a Chocolate and Raspberry Beer Cocktail.
Guy is cooking for a group of his friends in Louisville, Ky. He's making Sourdough Hot Brown, slices of toast piled up with turkey, bacon, tomato and a Cheddar-Parmesan Mornay sauce. Next it's a fully loaded Baked Potato Soup. To drink, there's a Lemongrass-Ginger Julep, a refreshing spin on the famous Kentucky bourbon cocktail.
It doesn't matter whether you love steak, ribs, lamb or a classic meatloaf; this episode has a little bit of everything for the meat lover. With their recipes, Alton Brown, Aaron Sanchez, Susan Feniger and G. Garvin will make mouths water.
For their next challenge it's girls vs. boys as the celebrity teams must cater a party for kids, cook their favorite foods and serve the pint-sized partygoers. Rico Rodriguez from Modern Family is the surprise guest judge. In the end, a blind-tasting challenge determines which celebrity will be eliminated.
Iron Chef Michael Symon faces off against Challenger Chef Celina Tio, who competed in the third season of The Next Iron Chef. Judges are Anthony Anderson, Karine Bakhoum and Michael Ruhlman.