Bates Cook-Off Recipes

For those who have asked about the recipes that the Bates siblings prepared for last week's Bates family cook-off, we have a couple to share. The network has posted Zach's stuffed mushroom recipe and Erin's stuffed chicken recipe (links below). For more Bates family recipes, visit our Recipes page.

Zach Bates' Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

Erin Paine's Stuffed Chicken Recipe

If you enjoy this blog, be sure to visit Ellie's other blogs (NashvilleWife.com and DuggarFamilyBlog.com).

Photo courtesy of UPtv

Balkas in NYC

Last week on Bringing Up Bates, Josie Bates traveled to New York City to select her dream wedding dress, and next week she will return for a final fitting. Josie Bates is now Josie Balka, and she has been married three-and-a-half months. This weekend, she and Kelton are on their way to the Big Apple for a little getaway. Have you ever been to New York City?

Kelton Balka and Josie Balka

Photo courtesy of Josie Balka

Bates Kids Have Strong Opinions

"I joined up for it because I love to cook and I love to eat, and Erin joined up for it because she's an amazing cook, and we love to eat what she cooks. And then Lawson threw his name in the hat, and we're like, 'Bring him because we will beat him easily and soundly.'"

-Zach Bates

Do you think the Bates kids were a little too hard on their older siblings on last night's Bates family cook-off? What did you think of the dishes? We thought they all looked mighty tasty, but the kiddos had other thoughts.

Photo/video courtesy of UPtv

'A Proposal to Plan & Wedding To-Dos' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "A Proposal to Plan & Wedding To-Dos"

• Evan meets up with Kelly and Erin at Erin’s house to make an engagement plan. “Evan is coming to Erin and my mom for advice because they’re really close to Carlin,” says Callie. “[Evan] doesn’t know everything.”
• Zach weighs in: “I’m kind of against these guys going to all my sisters and all the women in the family and getting advice on how to do their engagement because each time the girls see one, they’re like, ‘We could go even bigger next time.’ And by the time poor Callie gets married, they’re going to have to do some kind of marriage on Mars or engagement in space, something like that, doing it in orbit.”
• “When Carlin told him, ‘Ask Erin and ask my mom,’ I knew we were in trouble,” says Gil. “We might be just a wee bit over the top,” admits Kelly, who comes up with the idea of a Maine lighthouse backdrop.
• Erin says the highlight of the proposal for Carlin is going to be dancing with Evan. Gil and Kelly admit that they don't do much dancing in their household, so it’s really going to be a “first dance.”
• Next, it's time for a Bates family cook-off! “My family loves competition,” says Erin. 
• “We love food, and if we’re going to hang out, we should eat,” says Zach. “Why not get together and have a competition about food?”
• Lawson, Erin, and Zach compete to see who can make the best chicken dish with a veggie side, while Callie, Ellie, Judson, and Jeb judge based on taste and appearance.
• Erin amazes everyone by coming in with her veggies “pre-diced and cut up all pretty,” as Zach puts it.
• Zach makes stuffed mushrooms and jalapeno popper chicken. Erin prepares chicken stuffed with rainbow colored veggies. Lawson, on the other hand, is “cooking to please the judges,” says Kelly. He makes fried chicken with mac n cheese.
• Zach comes in third with 52 points. Lawson comes in second with 66, and Erin wins with 69.
• “These small children have never been to a fancy dinner,” states Zach. “They don’t know anything about plating.”
• Judson’s opinion is that “the cooks should have made bacon and eggs.”
• Later, Kelly and Josie meet with Kim at the outdoor wedding venue that they have chosen. Josie is concerned about rain, but she still really wants an outdoor wedding.
• Soon after Zach and Whitney find out that they have miscarried their third child, Erin and Chad and the kids come over for a visit. Zach explains to the children that they are going to plant a dogwood tree to show that “life is still there, and it’s still growing. Even when it don’t look like it’s moving, you’ll come back out here in years, and that tree will be a lot bigger, and it’s going to bloom every spring with flowers and remind us of the little lives that are up there in heaven.”
• Zach says that the miscarriage “broke Bradley’s heart.” But Bradley believes that Jesus will put another baby in Mommy's belly.
• “The tree is just a significant reminder of, not just the bad times, but also how good God is to us,” says Whitney.

Tonight: Bates Family Togetherness

Tonight's new episode of Bringing Up Bates is just hours away. After Evan meets with some of the Bates ladies to discuss proposal plans, the Bates family hosts its first annual cooking competition. As you can imagine, it's a bit hectic, but for a clan that loves food and competition, it's the perfect event.

Later, the Paines visit Zach and Whitney to plant a tree in memory of the baby they miscarried. It's a time for the two little families to grieve together and also celebrate God's goodness in their lives.

Photos courtesy of UPtv