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Food is often judged on taste and texture. One is as important as the other and the two must jive to obtain the desired overall effect. So it's no surprise that the conflicting sensations of biting into the pastry interpretation of a human finger on Food Network's "Halloween Wars" left Rossi Morreale somewhat at loose ends. "It was a pastry over the top of some sort of cookie type thing," explains Morreale, the show's new host as it opens its fifth season Sunday, Oct. 4, "so it made you feel like you were biting through skin and then biting through bone. ... It was like a scarecrow of some sort and the birds had kind of torn him apart. ... And so we had to pull the fingers off ... . We ate the fingers and it was delicious, (but) at the same time super creepy." As has been the case in previous seasons, five teams of a pumpkin carver, a cake artist and a sugar artist battle it out over four episodes as they create Halloween- themed displays to be judged by cake decorator Shinmin Li, makeup artist Brian Kinney and a rotating panel made up of horror icons Robin Atkin Downes ("The Strain"), Benjamin Papac ("The Walking Dead"), Bex Taylor-Klaus ("Scream") and Elvira (aka Cassandra Peterson). One team is eliminated after each episode and the one left standing in the Oct. 25 season finale is crowned champion and awarded a $50,000 grand prize. Sunday's descriptively titled opener, "Infestation," sees the contestants creating life- size rooms filled with all manner of creepy crawlies. "In some cases, maybe you were supposed to be eating a roach," Morreale explains, "and there was that crunchy kind of outer shell that you literally felt like you were eating some sort of creature – but at the same time it was always delicious. You know, that's when you get a little bit messed up in your mind. It looks creepy, it feels creepy and then it tastes good. Like, what do you do?" BY GEORGE DICKIE Texture gets Morreale a little freaked on Food's 'Halloween Wars' What book are you currently reading? "I'm reading a Jack Reacher book. It's the seventh one and it is called ("Persuader"). I'm trying to get through all the Jack Reacher books right now. I've become a big fan." What did you have for dinner last night? "My wife cooked up this – it was a salad, potatoes, chicken, onions and peppers and then she makes her own dressing. It was just kind of a big salad bowl with everything kind of mixed in, so plenty of vegetables, some potatoes to get those carbs in and then some great chicken that she baked and seasoned up very nicely. ... She's very good at cooking things out of nothing." What is your next project? "My next project is 'American Airgunner.' I'm leaving this weekend, actually, to start Season 4 of 'American Airgunner.' " When was the last vacation you took, where and why? "February. Me and my wife and her whole family ... went to Italy for 15 days. I went to Rome, went to Venice, went to Florence. Checked out the Tuscany area a little bit and then we were up in the Barolo and that northern wine region up there for a few days doing some wine tasting. So it was, I would say, probably the best trip I've ever been on in my life." Page 8 October 5 - 11, 2015 Look to Monday's Food Section for all your grocery shopping needs. Nobody Covers Your Hometown Better! • Carpet • Vinyl • Ceramic Mon.-Fri. 8-5 • Sat. 9-1 65669 US 33 East • Goshen 642-4770 TOLL FREE 1-877-642-4770 Area's Largest Selection of Remnants Large Inventory of Carpet, Laminate, Vinyl, and Luxury Vinyl Tiles! On or Off - Site Catering All Occasions Dine under the glow of gas lanterns Breakfast and Lunch Meals also available Open Tuesday through Saturday OEC Super Buffet 4024 Elkhart Rd Goshen IN 46526 Tel: 574-875-1298 Elk Lunch Monday-Friday 11am-3pm Adult $7.25 Children 2 years old $1.99 3-6 years old $3.50 7-10 years old $5.00 *Saturday Lunch $7.75 Dinner Monday-Friday 3pm-9:30 pm Adult $10.75 Children 2 years old $2.99 3-6 years old $4.50 7-10 years old $6.00 *Sunday Dinner Price ALL DAY $10.75 SENIOR DISCOUNT 10% PRICE Sports Fans Athlon Sports, the college basketball bible with a 3-month subscription to Goshen News. Get yours today FREE 114 S. Main, Goshen, IN 46527 574-533-2151 goshennews.com

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