In the spirit of the big college basketball tournament, Rachael Ray and USA TODAY teamed up to find the country's top casual party recipe in a contest called March Menu Mania! Thousands of entries poured in and Rachael's staff picked the top 16 recipes. Then, America voted for its favorites each week and the field was narrowed down bracket-style: 16 down to 8, then 8 down to 4, and finally to the Tastiest 2, who are competing in Rachael's kitchen for the championship with the audience deciding the winner. The grand prize -- $5,000 of free groceries!

Meet the challengers:

Mandi, 22, is competing with her twist on a classic party dish, White Chicken Chili. "When my mother-in-law tried it for the first time, I thought she had a spiritual experience," Mandi says. "It is so different from any other chili. I think it's a twist on a Texas classic. I'm from Texas, and if you mess with chili you've gotta bone to pick with me!"

Sara, 28, came up with the idea for her Chicken 'N Ranch BBQ Crescent Squares when she wanted to make barbecue chicken pizza, but could only find crescent rolls in her fridge. "My recipe deserves to win because it's affordable, it's easy to make, it's delicious, and it's a crowd pleaser," she states proudly. "I'm going to win March Menu Mania!"

After tasting both dishes (tough job but somebody's gotta do it!), the audience votes on their favorite ... Mandi's White Chicken Chili! A teary-eyed Mandi is at a loss to describe the emotion of winning $5,000 worth of groceries. "No words," she cries. "No words..."

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