guys, i think we took a wrong turn somewhere. oh, yeah. this doesn't look like new york city. where are the hot dogs? you guys promised me hot dogs. i think we're in santa's workshop. [ gasps ] really? oh, my gosh. dreams really do come true. oh, but how do we get back to work? look there. it says "the chew" is only 3,414 miles away. and we've got a show with the ultimate countdown to the holidays, so we'd better get moving. let's do it! let's do it! announcer: it's almost christmas, and you're starting to freak. you know that you should've been planning for weeks. but "the chew's" here to show you we know all the ways. it's our "ultimate countdown to the holidays." we've got plenty of fun and food and tips. we'll laugh and we'll eat. on cocktails we'll sips. so get ready to party. this invite's for you. let's get this thing started right now on "the chew." -- captions by vitac --

[ cheers and applause ] hey, everybody. welcome to "the chew." you know, the holidays are right around the corner. are you guys getting excited for that? [ cheering ] of course you are. we wanted to get you ready by counting down our top 10 tips, tricks, and treats to ensure your holiday festivities are foolproof and fabulous. yes. first off, we've got three ideas to get ready for the holidays in just minutes. one of the most important things in any holiday party is the perfect table, but don't stress out about buying a ton of new decorations at the store. you can create a beautiful tabletop in minutes using things you have already in the house. mario, michael, go grab some candles and clementines. yes. yes, sir. okay, look what we're doing here. yeah. for a table runner, don't freak out if you don't have one. use leftover wrapping paper. perfect. just roll it across your table, and you're good to go. and now we're gonna add some candles

of all different shapes and sizes. carla, you can just put that anywhere. we're gonna do a really asymmetric display here. yes. [ laughs ] mario's jumping the gun, but that's okay. i'm fine with that. i'm just gonna roll with it, 'cause it's the holidays. so. we add some clementines for a pop of color. and like i said, just scatter them around haphazardly. [ laughing ] and then the next thing you know, you're getting a tablescape together that looks beautiful. all right, thank you, sir. that's enough with your oranges. all right. [ laughs ] last but not least, carla, you can do the honors. okay. look what i did. i wrapped some christmas lights around garland for an extra-festive look. and voilà! your tabletop is party-ready, and it only took a minute. ta-da! all right, now that the table's ready, let's head to the kitchen. to the kitchen. [ cheers and applause ] i've got another can't-miss tip that'll make your holiday prep simple. who's ready for a triple-duty recipe? [ cheers and applause ]

it's a recipe that can serve as an appetizer that doubles as a gift and triples as a cocktail -- my triple-duty cocktail sauce. shrimp cocktail is the perfect party food for a crowd. it's also a no-brainer to make ahead. you cook the shrimp, then freeze it until the day of. when you're ready to serve it, soak it in room-temperature water for 30 minutes. make a double batch of cocktail sauce and use it as a base for your christmas-morning bloody mary. mmm. or add tomato juice and pack it in a jar for bloody-mary mix -- a perfect hostess gift. [ cheers and applause ] wow! great. who's up next? me, batali. me. so, all right, you guys. so i have a secret to cut your prep work in about half and save you time in the kitchen -- my grocery-store time savers. now, i love making a super-special holiday meal. how about you guys? yes. so, like, right here. a rib roast, roasted potatoes, and creamed spinach. now, this looks like a daunting task to some people. it's a lot of work to do. but the first thing that you could do is, when you go to the butcher, let the butcher do some of the work for you. ask them to remove the bones from the ribs, from the meat,

blend your herbs, tie it off, and then you have a natural roasting rack for your meat. you put it in, you roast it away. love that tip. love it. it's gonna be easy and very easy to slice when it is done. you don't have to fight with the bones. next, potato roasties. one of my favorite things in the world. almost like big, giant hash browns. if you're sitting there and you're grating all the potatoes, then you got to wring the water out of them and keep them white, it's a pain in the butt. you could go to the store, get shredded potatoes with no added, no preservatives, all that kind of stuff. you take the shredded potatoes, add a little bit of fresh-herb seasoning to them. you could even add a little bit of cheese, toast them up in a pan with a little bit of butter, season them with some sea salt. they're gonna look beautiful, homemade, and spectacular. just like that. [ cheers and applause ] now, as you guys know, i am a giant gardener, and in the summer, i love big spinach salads, and i think they're fantastic. but around the holidays, i love making creamed spinach. if you're making creamed spinach, frozen iqf spinach works fantastic. just thaw it out, wring out the excess liquid, make your classic bechamel sauce with a little bit of nutmeg,

little bit of grated cheese in it. you add the frozen spinach, pour it around, a last pinch of salt, maybe some fresh nutmeg over top, and you have simple, beautiful creamed spinach -- a giant culinary feast that will impress all your friends, and you cut your time in half. love it. that's how you make the grocery store work for you. [ bell dings ] all right, up next, our countdown continues with everything you need for the perfect holiday party. we'll be right back. announcer: if you thought that was fun, then don't go away. there's more tips up next for your holiday. edible art and a cocktail or two. that's all up next right here on "the chew." [ cheers and applause ]

that's all up next right here on "the chew." who patiently teaches how ta feast comes to life. the "family" ...who spends their holiday dinner with thankful strangers. the neighbor...who shares the season with another. you inspire us to do everything we do... ...for goodness' sake.

welcome back to "the chew's ultimate countdown to the holidays." welcome back. today we're counting down to the holidays with our ultimate tips to make this festive season the best one ever.

you guys ready for more? [ cheers and applause ] okay. so now we've each got an idea for the ultimate holiday shindig from cocktails to desserts, so let's get this party started. i've got a super-easy and chic craft for your holiday table. it's a glittered cranberry topiary. it's super easy to make. the first thing you want to do is to make your cranberry tree. and so this is a foam cone, which you can find for about a dollar at your local craft store. then i took a little bit of red paper tape to cover the entire cone, because i'll show you -- i'll tell you why a little bit later. you don't want the green to show through. and then i started hot-gluing cranberries to the cone itself, right? so when you finish the whole cone, then what you can do is spray-paint it with some red glitter. by the way, cranberries -- i found them on sale for $2.49 a bag just yesterday at the store. what? mm-hmm. okay, so then, the next thing you do is attach a dowel. you throw the dowel through the foam cone, and then you put it into some floral foam into a little pot and tie a little ribbon around the bottom, and there you have it. ah. [ applause ]

love it. cute, right? so good. does it make you thirsty, mario? watching a man like you sweat makes me really thirsty, clinton. no holiday celebration is complete without a cocktail, but i have a fun way to give your guests a chance to make unique custom cocktails with the ingredients you've already got in the fridge that may even be left over. my secret to the perfect cocktail -- three parts liquor, two parts sour, one part sugar. start with leftover bits of cranberry sauce or sorbet or even the pickle juice from jalapeños. add some simple syrup and alcohol to a 32-ounce wide-mouth mason jar. here i have rye whiskey, honey left over from a honey bear that needed to be squeezed out. i put it in the microwave for a few seconds, threw it all in. then i take some ice like this, and prepare to have your minds blown. rye whiskey, lemon juice... oh, boy. ...leftover honey, then you take the bottom of your osterizer blender, and when you put it, it fits right on to all mason jars.

carla: oh! hello! what? get out of here. now... what? [ cheers and applause ] now, what you do is, you have a bunch of these jars lying around the house. you have your -- you put in different liquors, and your friends go around and say, "i'd like a little cranberry sauce here," or, "i'd like a little jalapeños," or something like that. you take it off like that... and you build it. ...and i have made frothy, delightful... oh. ...successfully interesting cocktails. salute to you, my friend. and hello, symon. [ cheers and applause ] -clinton: that looks good. -carla: that looks so good. ooh. i do not know, in all my years, how i never knew that the mason jar fit on the blender. you know, symon, there's a lot that we all have to learn about life. there is. much from each other. and i think that if there's enough time for each of us just to listen to each other over the holiday season, we will all find some grain of some new truth.

i agree 100%, batali. but whether you're serving a few friends or a big crowd, here are my party-plating secrets for any size group. now, usually when you have a smaller group, you like to do family style or individual plates. for family style, i think it's very important that you kind of put it all on the plate. you have the sauce. everything is composed, and you create different flavors and textures. so, we are using my habanero glazed ham. you can find the recipe on thechew.com. it is delicious and delightful. so we're gonna lay some of the ham down so people can just grab it. [ blender whirs ] sorry, symon. i'm just making you another drink. thanks, buddy. also a very important thing to do around the holidays -- keep everybody fueled properly. [ cheers and applause ] so we have the ham goes down. i have a creamy mustard sauce. i'm just gonna drizzle it on top. and then, for a little bit of texture and brightness and attitude for my ham salad, i have a simple herb salad -- parsley, some fresh dill, a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil, and some orange juice.

and it's just gonna brighten the whole thing up. now, if you're having a larger party and you don't want -- you want finger food or hand-passed things, you can take these same exact ingredients, and you can turn it into an easy sandwich. a ce, you can take these same soft potato roll., we spread it with a little bit of the mustard sauce right down, and then we take a nice chunk of our ham. come here. put that on there. see, this is more my jam. i must agree. i like the little sandwiches -- appetizer-style situation than a big, fancy sit-down. you know, but i think a lot of it is, m.b., is just depending on how many people you have. like, if you have six people, little sandwiches doesn't work as much, i think, where if you have 20, 30, 40 people. and then this is perfect. you put it together. you hit a little "boink." on the tray. people could come by. they could eat their sandwiches throughout the party. it is easy, easy as can be. carla: nice. fantastic. gonna bring those over. carla hall, what have you got rolling, girl? all right, so i've got a simple way to turn a plain cake into a chic and beautiful showpiece of a dessert.

all right, so what i've done -- i'm starting with a store-bought cake. all i have is melted chocolate that i put into a piping bag like this, and then i am going to pipe little trees onto parchment paper. i know. so incredibly easy. okay, so i'm gonna move that to the side. careful of your beautiful table. all i'm gonna do is do a trunk just like this, and then i'm gonna do, like, little trees like this. you're an artist. boom, boom, boom. look at that. back into this. okay, and then i can take some dragées or stars and actually decorate my tree. and then all you have to do is set this in the refrigerator, and it will get hard, and then, once it's hard -- wait for this. i am so excited about this. you arrange these around your cake. [ singsong voice ] love it! you arrange them just like this. just like this. press those right on. you know, and if you want, you can do it with white chocolate and press it around.

imagine this cake if this was a coconut cake, and the coconut is the snow. was like the snow! oh! so awesome! susi cahn is gonna go crazy for that. it's incredible. you've made this amazing centerpiece, it looks like you've spent hours, and the store did a lot of the work for you. i love it. love it. love it. so incredible. i'll drink to that. drink to that. thank you. cheers. do you want a sip? did you make a virgin one for carla? uh, sure. oh, boy. [ laughs ] so, what are you doing for the holidays? going to michigan. going to michigan. going to michigan, hanging out. it's gonna be covered with snow. the lake will be nearly frozen over. we wander out into the forest and watch all the beautiful trees and birds and everything. we have such a good time. it is a million miles away from new york city. i love that. i'll be in cleveland. we have a lake. i don't live on it, and we don't have a forest, but i will be with friends and family, and i just cannot wait to be at home, chill, lots of snow, dogs in the snow, me in the snow, everybody in the snow, carla.

dude, that's gonna be nice. what are you doing? i'm gonna be, actually, in new york city for christmas. a little city christmas for me. it'll be fun. usually i'm in connecticut, but i'll be in new york. how about you? i will have a city christmas in washington, d.c., with my husband and family. i cannot wait. i'm so excited. i'm probably gonna do this right here -- this cake. and i'll do -- this is fabulous. delicious. nice work, guys. let's have a sandwich. all right. here. get in there. all right. oh, yeah, let me try a sandwich. okay, cool. watch out. there's a toothpick. all right, you guys, we're gonna eat these sandwiches, but when we come back, we're gonna show you some festive gift favors that your guests will absolutely love. but first, a foolproof way to spread holiday cheer all over your home. don't go away. announcer: it's not the holidays unless it smells like the holidays. so try these fragrant decorations with items you already have in your kitchen. crisscross, then tie a piece of ribbon around an orange. poke the orange peel with a toothpick. then insert cloves in a pattern of your choice. let your house smell like the season.

ho, ho, ho from "the chew." [ cheers and applause ]

announcer: welcome back as we show you our "ultimate countdown to the holidays" here on "the chew." welcome back to "the chew's ultimate countdown to the holidays."

we're bringing you our most inventive and festive ways to celebrate the season. whoo-hoo! all right, now, we have two ideas to share the holiday spirit with your guests -- easy gifts and favors. all right, here we go. woot, woot! [ applause ] all right, nothing says "happy holidays" like an edible gift, so here's how to turn old foil or plastic-wrap boxes into pretty cookie packages. i love, love, love this idea. so, what you're gonna do is you're gonna carefully peel off that metal cutter that's inside, that's right there inside. we've already taken them off here. oh. oh, this is like aluminum foil or plastic wrap. exactly. oh, okay. now i get it. you are quick. i didn't understand. yeah, exactly. holiday spirit. yeah, the aluminum foil and plastic -- yeah, that's great. i love it. yes, exactly. i didn't even recognize it. so then you're gonna paint the boxes, and you can do whatever you want. you can do the chevron. you can take these little stencils, and you can put it into your paint and just paint the boxes here. but i want to show you guys --

before you start painting, mario. you guys continue. you're gonna make some cookies. but before you're baking the cookies, place your cookie cutter in the box to make sure that your cookies will actually fit in the box. ah! it is a very simple thing. i know. don't start making these big-ass cookies, and then it doesn't work. [ laughter ] so, now what you're gonna do, you're going to paint those however you want. just let your freak flag fly, and just get festive with it, all right? so you guys are painting. if you are using glitter, what i would suggest you do first is do the splots, the blots with the glitter first and then tap that, let it dry, and then go back. because if you do the glitter last, the glitter will get everywhere, all right? you guys, that is so beautiful. now, what i want to tell you all is while you are painting, it may take a couple of layers of paint. so paint on, let it dry a little bit, and then paint more. [ laughter ] because you want to just paint over the fact

that this is a foil or aluminum b-- i mean aluminum-foil or plastic-wrap box. plastic-wrap box. okay? then what you want to do -- you can take some of this crinkle-cut paper, and you're going to lay your cookies in the box like this. look at that. and they fit because, why? we actually tested the cutter. and then you fold this up like this. like this. and then you can make these really nice tags to match your box. same paint, same glitter. you have these cute, little tags here. and then you take some ribbon, and you can even give them the cutter because this is what the cookies were made with. and so, you know, the gift of doing it again. i know. it is so amazing. the thing is, you just let your creativity fly. you have these cute, little clothespins, and here you're just gonna pin that like that. "happy holidays!" and everything is looking so gorgeous. isn't that beautiful?

you guys, so what are you doing? i am -- love it. i'm loving that. thank you. i love the polka dots. you have kind of like a chevron-sheer thing going on. yeah, a little sheer. i'm going a little sheer. i love it. i love it. and look at you, mario. you're going gold on tone on tone with a little pop of color. i like it. it's gorgeous. you are quite the -- carla, you missed the funniest part. what? mario proudly showed his to clinton, and clinton went, "hm." [ laughter ] are you kidding me? i love it. no, it's great. i love it. i love it. i love the tone on tone. that looks great. [ applause ] i feel great about it. so, clinton, what holiday magic are you gonna be working on? i'll show you. come on down here, guys. i love making decorations that actually double as party favors, ...and this is one of my all-time favorite things to do at any party. i'm gonna show you guys how to make fabric-wrapped herbs that your guests will love. so you go to your local nursery, and you buy herbs in potted containers like this one, this plastic one. and then you take fabric napkins in festive, holiday colors, for example, like this. and then you take the napkin and put it around the plastic container like so.

and then you just fasten it with a couple of rubber bands -- or one rubber band, depending on how strong your rubber band is. you pull that up. michael, why aren't you doing one? i don't know. i have one for you right here. i thought you were leaving me out, and i was very hurt. i'm okay now. [ laughs ] and then what you do is you take a little ribbon and put a ribbon around that just like so. oh, i love it. around the napkin. and then, you know what else you can do is you attach a little recipe card to the ribbon, because it's an herb. and that way, the recipe you have would be using that herb. oh, and this is for -- this is basil, and it's a strawberry-basil spritzer. yes, and if you did a mint, you could do a mojito recipe. or with cilantro, you could do a salsa-verde recipe. brilliant. so there you go. there you have it. and then you put it on the table and then it acts as decor, and then your guests take it home with them with their best wishes on the card. fantastic. so great. wait, like, look, put it down here. it looks so good. all right. nice. nice. [ cheers and applause ] so cute. so cute.

what do you guys think? i think it's great. i love it. it's cute, right? i love it. it's so simple. very impressive. all right, up next, our countdown is continuing with our favorite tip for ringing in the new year. but first, here's one more punch to get you through the holidays. we'll be right back. [ cheers and applause ] announcer: it's not a party without a punch. combine cranberry juice and orange liqueur. add your favorite bubbly for that holiday sparkle, then finish up with frozen orange slices and fresh cranberries. serve it all up to your closest friends and family to get the party started faster than you can say "cheers." [ cheers and applause ]

announcer: this holiday season, give the gift of deliciousness with "the chew's" amazing cookbooks. get the party started with "a year of celebrations" or the book that'll get a tasty meal on the table quicker than you can say, "what's for dinner?" and don't forget our classic new york times best-seller, "food. life. fun." get your copies at thechew.com or wherever books are sold. [ cheers and applause ] welcome back. so, we've been counting down to the holidays with our favorite party tips to make this season the ultimate celebration. have you guys been having fun? [ cheers and applause ] good. glad to hear it all right, so, there's only one way to end our countdown. it's to make sure you go out with a bang

when you ring in the new year. so what you can do is set up a really quick and festive d.i.y. photo booth with streamers that you can buy at a craft store or a party store. get yourself a banner and a couple of simple props. and since it's new year's-themed, make it a resolution photo booth, which we thought could be really fun. you can write down your new year's resolutions on dry-erase boards and then take pictures holding them. speaking of which, what are your new year's resolutions this year, guys? my new year's resolutions are always, "find more peace within and share it without." aww. aww. how about yours, clinton? i made a resolution three years ago to never make new year's resolutions. so i don't make them. well, interestingly enough, i don't usually do them, but i am just doing something that i want to do anyway, and that is to "de-clutter & go paperless." good. so the new year's resolution is to help me do it. ah, you guys are much better people than me. i just want to start doing yoga again. [ laughs ] good. as you should. all right, let's get into the photo booth. all right. all right, here we go. [ cheers and applause ] should we grab more props? no, that's all right. ready? on the count of three, say "cheese."

one, two, three. all: cheese! [ camera shutter clicks ] oh, boy. happy new year! happy new year! oh! yes. nothing prepares me. come on over, partygoers. come on, partygoers. partygoers, come on in. here, let's take pictures. come on. get in. come on in. come on in. come on, come on, come on. everybody in the pool. all right, here we go. cheese! we're looking at carla's phone. carla. carla. look at carla. up here. up here. yes. got it. all right, there we go. thanks for celebrating with us. enjoy your ultimate countdown to the holidays. go to thechew.com for all of our great ideas, and join us weekdays right here on abc. have a fabulous happy holiday from our "chew" family to yours. bye, everyone. [ cheers and applause ]

>> freezing temperatures. the warning for the bay area about the dangerous temperatures. >> after the cold numbers we'll track a little rain. i'll explain in the forecast. >> new details on a deadly confrontation in palo alto. what we learned about a man carrying a butter knife, shot and killed by officers. and a large barge is headed for the bay area. the record-breaking voyage. abc7 news at 6:00 starts now. >> good evening we start with a freeze warning. get ready for another cold night ahead. parts of the bay area will see frost on the grass and the roof again overnight. here's a live look from the

walnut creek camera as the east bay gets ready for another freeze. abc7 news meteorologist drew tuma is here to tell us how gold it's going to get. >> as the sun has set, the numbers are dropping as we speak. currently 46 in oakland right now. san jose, a cool temperature of 47 degrees. currently 43 in napa and a chilly 41 in livermore. tonight, temperatures in the upper 20s to lower 30s, the freeze warning in effect begins at midnight, including all locations except the coast and san francisco, where we could see the freeze damage to sensitive plants, tomorrow we are tracking a little bit of rain, minimal storm, one on the storm impact scale but will bring wet weather. we'll go hour-by-hour on future weather coming up. >> thank you. as drew mentioned, that chill will be felt just about everywhere in the bay area.