Christmas is here and the goose is getting fat. That's why we have Hank Shaw, author of "Duck, Duck, Goose," talking about an unusual Christmas goose preparation. Also food writer Dorie Greenspan, pastry chef Christina Tosi, and blogger Joy the Baker share their favorite Christmas cookie recipes. We also have author Maria del mar Sacasa on holidays punches and lifestyle guru Elizabeth Mayhew offering simple but sassy entertaining ideas. Like we said: Merry, merry. Happy, happy. Leave us a message: https://leit.es/chat. Follow @amytraverso and @davidleite.

Josh Wesson is, without a doubt, Bacchus incarnate. He came into the studio to give us a few pointers on what wines to pair with Thanksgiving dinner. Or so we thought. Twenty minutes later, we were entranced and utterly in awe of his knowledge and humor. In this podcast, he offers up wine after wine and wine that work for Thnaksgiving dinner. He discusses sparkling wines, white wines, rosé wines, and red wines--all $20 or under. Leave us a message: https://leit.es/chat. Follow @amytraverso and @davidleite.

Fear not, we have, arguably, one of the finest lineups of Thanksgiving experts to help, soothe, delight, and fortify you. Seattle Chef Tom Douglas serves up remarkable menu ideas. Lynne Rossetto Kasper dishes up some outrageous Thanksgiving disasters and how to avoid them. Wesson talks wines for Thanksgiving dinner. And etiquette expert John Bridges suggests ways to deal with pesky guests. Leave us a message: https://leit.es/chat. Follow @amytraverso and @davidleite.

Ah, school lunches. They ain't what they used to be. Kids today are pickier than ever, and school cafeterias aren't exactly bastions of nutrition. Debbie Koenig, author of "Parents Need to Eat Too: Nap-Friendly Recipes, One-Handed Meals, and Time-Saving Kitchen Tricks for New Parents," offers some sound strategies to get your fussy eaters eating. Leave us a message: https://leit.es/chat. Follow @amytraverso and @davidleite.

Autumn couldn't get any finer especially with David Leite and Renee Schettler talking to author Amy Traverso about cooking with apples; The One and David chat with David Lesniak and David Muniz, owner of London's Outsider Tart bakery; food writer and blogger Michael Procopio reads his essay "Like an Arancino"; and the great icon of Rhode Island, coffee syrup, receives a Leite's Loves accolade. Leave us a message: https://leit.es/chat. Follow @amytraverso and @davidleite.

Michael Ruhlman, food writer, author, and vocal advocate for real food and home cooking, discusses his newest treatise, The Book of Schmaltz: A Love Song to a Forgotten Fat. He explains what schmaltz is, how to render it, and how to cook with it. And most surprisingly, schmaltz can be substituted for butter in baked goods. Think a chicken pot pie nestled in a schmaltz crust. Oy. Leave us a message: https://leit.es/chat. Follow @amytraverso and @davidleite.

Kitchens, kitchen, kitchens. They're are on everyone's mind this episode. David Leite discusses his kitchen renovation, TV celebrity and cookbook author Rachel Khoo chats about cooking in a tiny Paris kitchen, John Bridges--our etiquette maven--is quizzed on all manner of kitchen and dining protocol, and Faith Durand chats about non-baked desserts from her book "Bakeless Sweets." Leave us a message: https://leit.es/chat. Follow @amytraverso and @davidleite.

'Tis the season for parties--pool, cocktail, beach, barbecue, cookout, clambake--and the last place you want to be is behind the bar serving up every which cocktail every which way. Kara Newman, spirits editor at Wine Enthusiast Magazine and author of "Cocktails for a Crowd" comes to your rescue with recipes for bottles, pitchers, and flagons of the most enticing cocktails that even your most jaded hipster friends won't be able to resist. Leave us a message: https://leit.es/chat. Follow @amytraverso and @davidleite.

The hot weather blazed in this week. And to celebrate summer and our First Annual Sweat Fest, Joanne Chang, chef and owner of Flour Bakery in Boston, MA, shares her mom's hot and sour soup. Firefighter and paramedic Nicole Harrison extolls the benefits and responsibilties of cooking in a firehouse. And David and The One go another round of city vs. country in Green Acres. Leave us a message: https://leit.es/chat. Follow @amytraverso and @davidleite.

Food blogger, percussionist, and inimitable host Molly Yeh instructs David and Renee in how to host a salon. Along the way she divulges her most bawdy moments from recent salons, her secret recipe for dumplings inspired by an ale house, and the rules for salons, including the right mix of people to invite. Leave us a message: https://leit.es/chat. Follow @amytraverso and @davidleite.