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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 25, 2019)
cooking this week WEDNESDAY Sideshow showdown: ‘Freakshow Cakes’ debuts on Cooking Channel By Michelle Rose TV Media T he popularity of carnival freak shows peaked in the late 19th century, when people like P.T. Barnum turned our fascination with the abnormal into entertainment for the masses. Today, our appetite for curiosities and oddities hasn’t diminished — we just have television and YouTube to sati- ate it. Besides, the word “freak show” doesn’t necessarily conjure images of bearded ladies and giants anymore. In common parlance, it’s just a label for anything strange, occasionally provocative, even fascinatingly grotesque. It’s about standing out from the rest. And that’s exactly what Cooking Channel hopes to ac- complish with its newest cake- decorating competition. Premiering Friday, Oct. 4, “Freakshow Cakes” is being touted as a “one-of-a-kind cake showdown” due to its uniquely themed challenges. It’s a limited series, and it’s just in time for Halloween month on Cooking Channel. In each episode, “three of the most sinister cake artists” (per Cooking Channel’s news release) compete to create the freakiest cake. The one with the wildest and most shock- ingly creative design will be crowned the Freakshow Cham- pion and awarded the $10,000 prize. The series title and its late time-slot seem to indicate that it’s for a more mature audience, and it’s not yet clear how far they’ll go to create their creep-out cakes that tell a story. But we do know that the weekly themes will include scary clowns, snake charmers, fortune tellers and fire breath- ers (this is probably the only time you’d ever hope to see a cake smoke or burn). The series features two hosts: pastry chef Zac Young and Vivian Chan, who is a digital culinary producer at Discovery. If Young looks familiar, you may have seen him in Cooking Channel’s “Unique Sweets,” Bravo’s “Top Chef: Just Des- serts,” and in Food Network shows such as “Beat Bobby Flay,” “Chopped” and “Worst Cooks in America.” Off-screen, Young is the pastry director of Craveable Hos- pitality Group and the creator of the dessert equivalent to the Turducken: the PieCaken. It’s the ultimate Thanksgiving meal ender when you can’t decide between pecan pie, pumpkin pie and apple cake, because it com- bines all three into one glorious layered cake. It’s an incredible showstopper for sure, and a complete horror to dietitians. And that kind of over-the-top creative flair is proof that Young is the right choice to host a show like “Freakshow Cakes.” So tune in on Friday, Oct. 4, and be prepared to jump clown-feet first into the spirit of Halloween. 2:00 p.m. FOOD Guy’s Grocery Games Chefs must use odds and ends from the Clear- ance Carts. (CC) 3:00 p.m. KVEW The Rachael Ray Show (CC) FOOD Guy’s Grocery Games Dynamic duos are taking over Flavortown Market. (CC) 4:00 p.m. FOOD Guy’s Grocery Games Three DDD family duos compete. (CC) 5:00 p.m. FOOD Guy’s Grocery Games Chefs get mandatory ingredients for burgers and fries. (CC) 6:00 p.m. FOOD Guy’s Grocery Games Three duos compete for the last spot. (CC) 7:00 p.m. FOOD Guy’s Grocery Games Three families compete in two games. (CC) 8:00 p.m. FOOD Guy’s Grocery Games Four chefs battle in a three-round fright fest. (CC) THURSDAY 2:00 p.m. FOOD Beat Bobby Flay Giada De Laurentiis and Michael Symon vs. Bobby Flay. (CC) 2:30 p.m. FOOD Beat Bobby Flay Diane DiMeo and Ian Russo put Bobby in his place. (CC) 3:00 p.m. KVEW The Rachael Ray Show (CC) FOOD Beat Bobby Flay Michael Wal- ters and Seattle’s Lisa Nakamu battle. (CC) 3:30 p.m. FOOD Beat Bobby Flay Lee Frank and Joe Wolfson vie to bump Bobby down. (CC) (CC) 5:00 p.m. FOOD Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Guy heads to places where families rule. (CC) 5:30 p.m. FOOD Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Clam cakes in Rhode Island and St. Louis cheesefries. (CC) 6:00 p.m. FOOD Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives This trip, Guy’s hitting up some legit local landmarks. (CC) 6:30 p.m. FOOD Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Guy hits up world flavors tucked away in the U.S.A. (CC) 7:00 p.m. FOOD Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Guy cruises the food scene in Cuba. (CC) 7:30 p.m. FOOD Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Guy hits up the hot spots in Havana, Cuba. (CC) 8:00 p.m. FOOD Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Guy’s digging into crazy twists on chicken and burgers. (CC) SATURDAY 1:30 p.m. KTNW tasteMAKERS Freshly milled wheat, rye & corn become artisan bread. (CC) 4:00 p.m. FOOD Beat Bobby Flay Jason Dady and Mike DeCamp compete against Bobby. (CC) 4:30 p.m. FOOD Beat Bobby Flay Justin and Mike hope their plates pack a punch. (CC) 5:00 p.m. FOOD Beat Bobby Flay Iron Chefs Jose Garces and Stephanie Izard battle. (CC) 5:30 p.m. FOOD Beat Bobby Flay Melissa and Jen intend to prove they can compete. (CC) 6:00 p.m. FOOD Beat Bobby Flay Katie Lee and Valerie Bertinelli judge. (CC) 6:30 p.m. FOOD Beat Bobby Flay Gail Simmons and Sunny Anderson try to get Bobby beat. (CC) 8:00 p.m. FOOD Kids Halloween Baking Cham- pionship Fan favorites from ‘Kids Baking Championship’ are back. (CC) FRIDAY Zac Young and Vivian Chan co-host “Freakshow Cakes” 3:30 p.m. FOOD Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Guy tries meals done fresh and a little different. (CC) 4:00 p.m. FOOD Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Guy meets cooks doing things their own way. (CC) 4:30 p.m. FOOD Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Guy visits a Peruvian restaurant in Chicago. 2:00 p.m. FOOD Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Guy visits North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. (CC) 2:30 p.m. FOOD Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Guy visits Alabama for gumbo and a crawfish boil. (CC) 3:00 p.m. KVEW The Rachael Ray Show (CC) FOOD Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Guy Fieri tries a chili and tator-tot pizza. (CC) OPB America’s Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated The secrets to the perfect gingerbread layer cake. (CC) 2:00 p.m. OPB Cook’s Country From America’s Test Kitchen Chicago thin-crust pizza with Italian sausage is made. (CC) FOOD Halloween Cake-Off Bakers must create Halloween cakes. (CC) 2:30 p.m. OPB Martha Bakes Learn to bake anise- flavored chrabeli. (CC) 3:00 p.m. KTNW America’s Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated An Indoor Pulled Chicken is prepared. (CC) FOOD Chopped Chefs find spooky fun in the Halloween baskets. (CC) 3:30 p.m. KTNW Food Over 50 Make easy lamb curry and vegetarian saag aloo. (CC) 4:00 p.m. FOOD Chopped Halloween-themed challenge featuring pig snouts. (CC) 5:00 p.m. FOOD Chopped Chefs are dressed for Halloween in the Chopped kitchen. (CC) 6:00 p.m. OPB The Great British Baking Show Mary and Paul prove no bake is too big or too small. (CC) FOOD Chopped Chefs find a freaky gummy in their first basket. (CC) 7:00 p.m. KTNW The Great British Baking Show The bakers tackle three of Paul’s toughest challenges. (CC) SUNDAY Noon FOOD The Kitchen We’re tailgating early with a breakfast of champions. (CC) 1:00 p.m. FOOD Good Eats Alton shares how to get dates into your culinary life. (CC) 1:30 p.m. FOOD Good Eats (CC) MONDAY 1:00 p.m. OPB Cook’s Country From America’s Test Kitchen Julia and Bridget make flank steak in adobo. (CC) FOOD The Pioneer Woman Ree cooks a Brady-inspired menu at a special loca- tion. (CC) 1:30 p.m. FOOD The Pioneer Woman Ree Drum- mond prepares a game night spread. (CC) 2:00 p.m. FOOD Halloween Wars The kitchen is set and the judges are ready. (CC) 3:00 p.m. KVEW The Rachael Ray Show (CC) 8:00 p.m. FOOD Halloween Baking Champion- ship: Extra Spooky (N) Eight bakers make scary skeleton desserts. TUESDAY 1:00 p.m. KTNW Mexico: One Plate at a Time Featuring meatball torta and traditional albondingas. (CC) OPB Food Over 50 A focus on the di- etary challenges of ‘eating outdoors.’ (CC) FOOD The Pioneer Woman Ree is cooking mega with food for the big game. (CC) 1:30 p.m. FOOD The Pioneer Woman Find out what Ree’s making for 120 hungry kids. (CC) 2:00 p.m. FOOD Chopped Junior The dessert round includes a lollipop and a sandwich. (CC) 3:00 p.m. KVEW The Rachael Ray Show (CC) FOOD Chopped The chefs use meatless ingredients in appetizer round. (CC) 4:00 p.m. FOOD Chopped Strange versions of ingredients challenge the chefs. (CC) 5:00 p.m. FOOD Chopped Chefs are tasked with making the perfect midnight meal. (CC) 6:00 p.m. FOOD Chopped The chefs compete in a Halloween style competition. 7:00 p.m. FOOD Chopped The chefs discover fine fare for a German party. (CC) 8:00 p.m. FOOD Chopped Junior A Halloween showdown includes gory surprises. (CC) Pendleton East-Oregonian, OR: Food Sep 25, 2019 to Oct 1, 2019 East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald | September 25, 2019 Screentime | 21
