Inspired by the bounty produced in nearby Sonoma and Napa counties, Guy Fieri asks his chef friends to make a meal with local wine as the star. Alex Guarnaschelli uses both red and white in her pecan- and breadcrumb-stuffed mushrooms, and she makes a surprise dessert of lemony cake bursting with juicy grapes. Marc Murphy prepares a cucumber-tomato salad with basil vinaigrette and a delicate stuffed quail with crushed potatoes cooked in flavorful garlic confit. Jonathan Waxman uses his culinary wizardry to turn cheap red wine into a mouthwatering wild boar ragu, and he roasts a succulent whole duck with chanterelles and a Cabernet Sauvignon sauce. Finally, Michael Voltaggio makes the unlikely pairing of wine and cherry cola in a delicious Kalimotxo cocktail, and he serves up perfectly seared bacon-stuffed scallops in a delectable green grape and yeast sauce over cauliflower.
Hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson invite four clever cookie makers into the workshop to put their spins on the North Pole's favorite interactive puzzle game, "Where's Santa?" Ree and Eddie bust out their magnifying glasses to find Santa among all the distractions and red herrings on these richly detailed decorated cookies. The cookie maker who hides Santa in plain sight will be finding the exit, while Ree and Eddie will reveal an advantage in the next round for this stealthy challenge winner. For their final challenge, the remaining three cookie makers create delectable 3D cookie displays showing Santa's favorite North Pole spots, like his beloved burger joint. They'll have to include some of Santa's favorite burger toppings in their cookies: bacon, pineapple rings, mustard or cheddar. Whoever creates the most spectacular versions of Santa's stomping grounds will sleighride home with $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.
Host Noah Cappe's taste buds are brought to life at the Día de los Muertos Festival in San Antonio. Noah does a deep dive into a Loaded Oaxacan Tamale -- a traditional tamale loaded with fried chicharron and sumptuous sauces -- and scarfs down the Elote Dog -- a house made bacon-wrapped wiener loaded with Mexican street corn -- that twist fair food staples together in the most satisfying way. The fantastic food fusion doesn't stop there as he tries the Smash Burger Taco -- seasoned beef pressed into a tortilla and loaded with burger toppings -- and the Breakfast de Muertos -- a sweet and savory breakfast sandwich on a traditional Pain de Muertos bun. Later on, Noah visits Florida for the Florida State Fair in Tampa, where series veteran Mama Jane serves up a Cubano sandwich on a funnel cake, and for the Brevard Renaissance Fair in Melbourne for the sweet, crunchy and fired up Dragon's Breath Brûlée.
It's nothing but hot, hot heat for Noah Cappe, who makes stops in some of the country's most sweltering states. First, Noah checks out the Florida State Fair's Temperamental Hog -- a spicy and savory funnel cake-- plus Philly Pizza Curls that dress ribbon fries with a mashup of pepperoni pizza and Philly cheesesteak. In the deserts of Tucson, Arizona, at the Pima County Fair, Noah makes a pitstop for the Truck Stop Burger piled high with roasted peanuts, bacon jam and a pink snowball cake, served with the Strawberry Shake-Up -- a sweet strawberry boba milkshake with a toaster pastry surprise. Things really heat up when Noah comes face-to-face with the Loco Elote Ramen and its spicy cheese puff dust atop grilled corn ramen. Then, there's more to munch on at Rodeo Austin with the Cajun flavors of the seafood-stuffed Swamp P'Boy and The Sunday Special that packs all the comforts of a roast dinner stuffed into a turkey leg.
If there's one ghoul with a passion for the freaky fun, food and sweets of Halloween, it's Jeff Mauro. And the scary good times are only fueled by the costumed excitement of his young son, Lorenzo. So Jeff heads downtown to do his homework at a place that makes a frighteningly large array of sweet cookies and delicious Halloween-themed ice cream sandwiches. He gets a lesson in some key autumn flavor combos, then heads home and gets busy with some sweet/savory Halloween combo sandwiches to feed Lorenzo and his friends before they head out to trick or treat the neighborhood. The classic flavors of a caramel apple go devilishly well with bacon in his haunted take on a Panini. Then, an eyeball-shaped ham sandwich that stares back at you and Mummy Aki Chicken Fingers straight from the tomb of King Tut will keep his little goblins fueled and focused to bring back bags stuffed with candy.