Giada Entertains (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Party in the Kitchen - full transcript

ALL: Cheers.

It's like a giant hug.

I love to entertain.

Whether it's game night
with the girls...

Little Red Riding Hood!

...family fun day,

or an elegant party,

I've got tips and ideas
to get the party started.

From menus to themes,

decorations, cocktails,
and take-home gifts...

So pretty!



...the best ideas always
make their way into my kitchen,

where the party
truly comes to life.

Cheers.

It's a bright and sunny day
in the kitchen...

SAM: Have you already moved
on to the chocolate?

I know how you roll.
WOMAN: That's why
she's keeping us busy over here,

so she can eat
all the chocolate.

...'cause I'm throwing a party

that feels like
a tropical vacation...

This is the business
right here.
[ Laughs ]

...with Mexican-style food
and a fruity umbrella cocktail.

GIADA:
Vacation in wintertime!
SAM: Whoo!

At least the feel of it,
anyway.
Yeah.

It's my party in the kitchen,
and you're invited.



When it comes to a party
in the kitchen,

the secret for success is making
it feel like a great escape.

Cheers.

You want you friends
to be transported,

and you do that with the
decorations, music, and food.

I think all parties,
at the end of the day,

either begin
or end in the kitchen.

Cheers to being away
on a vacation in Giada's house.

GIADA: Oh, wait, wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Why not have the whole party
in the kitchen, right?

It's wintertime.
It's a little chilly.

So I thought it'd be really fun
to sort of pretend

like we're in a warm climate --
we're on vacation.

Spike it?
Spike it.

Everybody says go.
Go.

All your problems
of winter and work and family

and whatever just wash away,
and it's a moment to relax,

which I think is really
important in all our lives.

Come on.
Put your flip-flops on.

...so that we can continue
on our crazy lives

and this crazy journey.

And I think the kitchen

is a great place
to have these kind of parties.

It's also easier for clean-up,
and the set-up is fun.

My menu is a true vacation
on a plate.

I have a succulent pulled-pork
taco bar,

bite-size tortilla cups

filled with Caesar salad
and fried cheese,

a bright umbrella cocktail,

and for dessert,
my short-cut churros --

fresh, hot,
and ready in seconds.

The pulled pork --
you can start it in the morning

and forget about it.

Cooks low and slow
in the slow cooker.

You serve it in the slow cooker.

You're good to go.

I rub the pork shoulder
with a very warming spice rub,

and then I just brown it
in a pan,

put it in the slow cooker with
all of the other ingredients,

and let it go.

So we're gonna start
with the rub for the pork.

I've got some cumin,
some coriander,

and some oregano,

and we're gonna start
with the oregano first.

Ahh.
Dry oregano -- very potent.

Very herby, and it's really nice
on the pork,

especially since the pork
is gonna be cooked low and slow

for a long time.

You don't want to put
a lot of fresh herbs,

'cause they just kind of
dissipate

and the flavor doesn't really
lock in into the meat.

Put that there.

Then we're gonna add....

Ahh, some cumin.

There's something
very warming about cumin,

and cumin and pork
together are fantastic.

So we'll just use
some ground cumin --

about 2 teaspoons
of ground cumin,

and...

some coriander.

That smells like garlic.

We're gonna do about
1/2 teaspoon of coriander.

Then we're gonna add some salt.

And I just want
to mix this all around.

This is a dry rub.

It's really nice on pork,
especially a pork shoulder,

which looks just like this.

And it's a tougher piece
of meat,

so you want to cook it
low and slow,

and if you can do that
then it becomes almost buttery

because it just falls apart
and it's so tender.

I'm just gonna kind of flip it.

It's a 2-pound pork shoulder,
and these are very easy to find.

Just make sure
that all of the sides

are coated with a little bit
of the flavoring.

Okay, now.
Let's see.

Pan's nice and hot.

We're gonna sear all the sides
of the pork.

There we go.

It's getting nice and hot now.

You want to start
letting it sear.

And I'm gonna use an orange
a little bit later on,

but for now, we're gonna start
with onion and garlic,

so sort of the basics
to adding flavor to anything,

especially when you're braising.

So onions and garlic
are sort of the key.

We're gonna cut up the onion

and we're gonna
put it in the slow cooker.

And the idea here
is that it's something

that you can forget about.

You can go to work.
You can go run errands.

You don't have to worry about
something being on the stove,

and that's kind
of why I think slow cookers

have become so popular
and why I like it, as well.

Plus,
when you get home from work,

your whole kitchen
and house smell

like something
warm's been cooking.

And there's nothing,
in my opinion, more appealing

than coming home to just
a wonderful-smelling kitchen,

filled with the aromas of food
and, in this case,

it can be a mini vacation.

So, we're gonna do
three garlic cloves.

It's all about seasoning
this cut of meat and making sure

that there's enough liquid
in the pan, too, to cook it.

So now we want to grab the onion
and put it in our slow cooker.

I've already turned on
the slow cooker.

I put it basically at low
for about six to seven hours,

and you just let it go.

There we go.
So add that right in there.

Now, let's just flip our meat.

Start to see a nice golden color
on the outside.

Then we're gonna add some
chipotle to the slow cooker,

because this is gonna season
the pork.

So you can see
the chipotle's basically

a smoked jalepeño pepper.

They're not terribly spicy.

So they add paprika, tomato
paste, a little bit of vinegar,

and it really helps the flavor
here.

I'm just adding a little bit
of the juice,

and a little bit
goes a long way,

so you don't have to add
too much.

There we go.
Chipotle is in.

Let's swap, again, the meat

and get the other side
nice and brown.

And, last but not least,
a little bit of beer.

You can use a Mexican beer
if you want,

or really any beer will work.

There we go.

Mmm.

Nice and full-bodied.

Works really well with the pork.

We're also gonna zest
half an orange

right on top
of everything else in here.

The sweet orange with the cumin

and the smoked jalepeño
in the chipotle

is really good with the pork.

It kind of brightens up
the flavors.

Okay.
Pork is done.

It's seared.

Take the pork, and we're gonna
put it in the slow cooker

just like this.

And the slow cooker's already
warm, so that's perfect.

Then, all we have to do
is put the lid on.

We're gonna
let this cook low and slow.

Up next, I'm gonna make
the perfect accompany to this --

a Caesar salad taco.

Up next, the Caesar salad
was invented in Mexico.

Now it gets re-invented
in my kitchen.

And some simple, fun ideas
for turning a party with friends

into a great escape.

GIADA: I'm turning my kitchen
into a great escape

with a menu that takes us
south of the border.

My pulled pork is cooking
low and slow

and filling the house
with tempting aromas.

Now it's time for my make-ahead
Caesar salad taco bites.

I wanted, like, little
bite-size Caesar salad cups,

and Caesar salad
obviously started in Mexico,

so I kind of gave it that flare.

I put little Parmesan cheese
crisps right on the top

for that little extra salty
sort of punch and bite.

Making it fun and vacationy

but also elevating it
a little bit --

that's what makes it so special.

So I'm starting
with my dressing,

and I already have one clove
of garlic,

that I chopped, in the bowl,

and I'm adding
1/4 cup of mayonnaise.

So I'm using mayonnaise
instead of using a raw egg

to emulsify the sauce,

basically to thicken it.

And mayonnaise is sort
of a really good alternative,

otherwise you could use
egg yolks.

It has a little bit of tang
to it,

so it works really well in here.

We're also gonna add...

Ahh.

1/4 teaspoon of
Worcestershire sauce.

And it has vinegar,
it has sugar and molasses,

so it has kind
of a sweet and smoky flavor,

which works really well
with the Caesar salad.

We're gonna just use
a little bit of lemon juice,

and I always add lemon juice
into my Caesar salad dressing.

The tang, the zest, and sort of
that bright citrus flavor,

I think, works really well,
especially since we're gonna add

a little bit of anchovy paste,
you know?

So there's a little bit
of fish in here, too.

So you could use anchovy fillets
or you could use anchovy paste,

and we're just gonna use
just a little bit.

It's that sort of salty,
briny flavor

you can't get
from anything else --

way better than just plain salt.

And then a little bit
of Parmesan cheese.

So about 2 tablespoons
of grated Parm.

And I'm just gonna whisk that
all together.

It's gonna be nice and creamy.

So the dressing is done.

I'm gonna move it over here,

and next I'm gonna show you how
to make these fun little fricos

that I already
started making over here.

I started making one.

You have to make them one at
a time -- laced Parmesan cheese.

So what you do
is you grate some Parm,

and then what I do is
I take a non-stick skillet --

you get it nice and hot,

and between each
of these little fricos,

you just
want to brush the pan

with a little bit
of vegetable oil.

Make sure it does not stick.

And then...

I take 1/4-cup measure.

You want to keep them kind
of the same.

And I put them
right in the middle.

And then I take my spatula
and I kind of just spread it out

and it'll end up just kind of
melting together

and creating
this little lace cookie.

It takes about 3 minutes
or so for that to happen.

Let's get started
on our romaine.

So I just have romaine hearts
here.

And we cut off the end.

And I just take them,

and we're just gonna sort
of just shred them.

You want to make them
small enough,

because what we're gonna do

is we're gonna make
little taco bites,

and the Caesar salad
is a little cup

and I think it's really fun

when you have a party
in the kitchen and everybody

can just kind of have
bite-size little bits of food.

And we're gonna put the lettuce
right into the bowl.

Then we're just gonna toss
this together

in that nice, creamy dressing.

Romaine is one of
those heartier lettuces,

so you can dress it a couple
minutes before the party.

I just want to taste
a little piece.

Mmm.
Tangy and rich and creamy.

It's so good.

All right, we'll put that there.

So what I do here is I take
these little tortilla cups,

and you can buy these
at the grocery store.

I take a little bit
of the romaine

and I put it right inside.

I take a little piece
of the frico.

Set it right on top.

Isn't that pretty?

All right, you want to let
the frico cool slightly,

so you can take the pan
off the heat

or you can just turn off
the heat for a minute

so that it solidifies and it

makes it a lot easier
to remove it from the pan.

It'll harden, and then you just
have to slide it off

and let it cool.

But while it's still hot,

you want to just sprinkle
the top with a little paprika,

just to give it a little color.

I think all parties,
at the end of the day,

either begin
or end in the kitchen,

so I thought why not have
the whole party in the kitchen?

For me, the kitchen is the heart
of the home,

so I thought it'd be fun
in the dead of winter

to transform it
into a tropical paradise --

create a vibe where my friends
feel transported

to a warm and sunny place

with festive food,
umbrella drinks,

and really cool music.

Make it feel
like a great escape.

When it
comes to the decorations,

I like to create little rays
of sunshine all over my kitchen.

The minute my friends
walk through the door,

they'll see a basket
of flip flops.

It's a great take-away gift.

[ Laughter ]

I think these are girls --
a girl's size 10.

You let go of all of your issues
at the moment

and just enjoy your time with
your friends in the kitchen.

I love to mix and match,

so I have an assortment
of colorful bowls, plates,

and fun napkins to showcase
my make-you-own-taco bar.

It's inviting and encourages
everyone to dig in.

There's something really special

about bouquets
of flowers in the kitchen.

The pop of color sets
a playful mood and, again,

it makes you feel transported.

ALL: Cheers.
SAM:
Thank you for having us.

GIADA:
Vacation in wintertime!
Whoo!

At least the feel of it,
anyway.
Yes.

GIADA:
Up next, nothing says "vacation"
like an umbrella drink.

I've got the perfect tropical
cocktail to kick things off

and a quick-and-easy
Mexican dessert

that my friends and I
can all make together.

GIADA: It's almost time
for my party in the kitchen.

The secret for success is making
it feel like a great escape.

I'm doing that
with the decorations

and a menu of
south-of-the-border favorites.

Time for my make-ahead cocktail.

I think anytime you see
an umbrella, you think vacation.

I'm gonna put them
in the cocktails.

That automatically feels

like you're laying
on a warm beach somewhere

and you're enjoying
this agua fresca --

refreshing and cooling.

Then I like to set up
a little cocktail bar

where everybody
can make their own cocktail.

It sort of helps them
to interact.

I thought Julian
would really enjoy this.

If you so desire, you can spike
it with a little tequila.

I got you a little something --
a little libation.
And Sam!

A little party start.
Sorry, that was a --

I just left you hanging there.
Sorry about that.

My friend Sam
brings a bottle of tequila,

so we can add a little tequila
in there

to kind of liven us up
and have fun.

I think that with the beautiful
color and the wonderful aroma,

especially from the basil
and the strawberries --

you take a sip and you think...

Ahh.

All your worries float away.

It's 1 pound of strawberries
that I've already hulled,

and...

1/2 cup of sugar,
'cause you got to sweeten it up.

4 leaves of basil,
nice and fresh.

I always think, when you have
these kind of parties,

you want to make a drink

that kind of makes everybody
feel like they're vacationing,

and this is, to me,
one of those types of drinks.

4 basil leaves,

and then we're gonna
add some citrus --

some lemon juice

to kind of bring out the flavor
of the strawberries.

Do 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

This is juicy!

Okay.

Lemon juice is in.

Now I want to add some water.

We're gonna add
a total of 4 cups,

but we're gonna start
with two in here.

There we go.

There we go.

Look at that beautiful
pink color!

Ahh, and it smells so good.

The strawberries
with the basil...

They're so fun.

Then I like to pour it
over a pitcher of ice --

keep it nice and cold.

I mean, if that doesn't look
like a whole lot of fun,

I don't know what does.

It is so great,

plus it smells great.

We're gonna add
another 2 cups of water,

so 4 cups of water total.

And...

Here we go.

Give it a nice stir
to mix everything together.

Then I am going to taste it.

Pour some of it right in there.

So what I like to do is just add
a nice little umbrella.

It makes it really festive
and really fun.

Now you feel like you're
laying out in the Caribbean

or you're on a Mexican beach
somewhere just relaxing.

Then I take this out and...

Mmm.

Mmm!
Fresh and citrusy!

Mmm.

This is gonna be a fun party.

You can't go on vacation
and not indulge.

I've got a sweet twist
on a classic Mexican dessert

and a take-home gift
with an extra dash of spice.

GIADA: Time for my party
in the kitchen.

My friends have all slipped
into their flip flops.

I think these are girls --
a girl's size 10.

The pulled pork has been cooking
low and slow all day long,

so the taco bar's ready to go.

Want to taste it?
I want to try it.

Yeah.
Taste that.
It's so good.

Sam, since you brought
the tequila,

you want to do some drinks
over there?

Jonathan, you want to help him?
Or Havana?
All right.

And there's frozen strawberries
there

to put in your drinks
to keep it cold.

Okay, there are Caesar salad
little tortilla cups over there.

So, you guys, grab plates
and start making your tacos.

Here.

What are the must-haves?

The must-haves?

I think avocado, lime juice,

a little bit of cheese,
radish, and cabbage.

Mmm. So good.

I'll start frying
the desserts.

I'm ready to whip up
my short-cut churros.

When you make something fried,
you got to fry it and eat it.

Having said that,
another great idea

to do it in the kitchen, right?

And it engages people.

This is sort
of a short-cut churro

because I buy the dough
at the grocery store.

I don't make my churro dough.

Just cut them into strips
like this.

WOMAN: Oh, fun,
and then we fry them.

Yeah.
Okay, so you do that one.

You do this one.

Sam, how's it going?
Delicious.

You making drinks?
I am.

Okay,
so when the dough gets hot,

it starts to stretch,
but it doesn't really matter.

You take it like this
and then you twist the dough.

And then you want the oil
to be about 350-ish degrees --

vegetable oil.

And then you just drop it.
Yeah.

And they start to fry up.
Oh, fun!

And it doesn't matter
how it happens, like,

they just look festive and fun.

And you eat them hot.

And, to me, there's something
so amazing about hot churros.

I think the crispy one's
the best.

SAM:
Have you already moved
on to the chocolate?

Yeah, well, but you know
that's how I do it.

I know how you roll.
That's why she's keeping us
busy over here

so she can eat
all the chocolate.
Right.

I think that,
at least with me,

people want to come over
and learn a little something,

and I think it's really nice
when you can share

a little tidbit of information
as something special.

Ooh.
Thanks, Sammy!

Sam, gracias muchos.
You might want to taste.

Should we try it?

So they only take
a couple of minutes to fry up,

and then once
they're fried up...

we put it
in a little cinnamon sugar,

and I thought Julian
would really enjoy these.

I think we need
more tequila.

Lulu says you need
more tequila, Sam!

I put three quarters
of a bottle in there.

Uh-oh.

ALL: Cheers.
Thank you for having us.

Vacation in wintertime!
Whoo!

At least the feel of it,
anyway.
Yes.

Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Put in
the cinnamon sugar.
Okay.

This is so...
Yeah, go ahead
and put it in there.

Take the cinnamon sugar

and just kind of put it
all over the top.

I'm telling you,
Julian would love these.

My sister and I,
like true De Laurentiises,

have moved on to the sugar,
right?
Mm-hmm.

Cheers.
Nice.

[ Laughter ]

What is this, like a churro?
This is everything.

GIADA:
Yes, but it's like --
Oh, my goodness. Try it.

That is delicious.
It's chocolate, baby.

She doesn't want
any churros.

She just wants
the chocolate.

Mmm. Okay, guys.
I have gifts for you.

I have gifts.
I have gifts.

I have parting gifts.

I also wanted them
to get something

that was soothing
and comforting,

so Mexican hot chocolate, to me,
is very soothing and comforting.

Chocolaty,
but slightly spicy and warming,

and I figure they can enjoy
a cup of hot chocolate at home.

Hot chocolate.
Do you drink hot chocolate?

Thank you.
Yes, I love hot chocolate.

Good.

It's Mexican hot chocolate.

So you drop it in some warm milk
or warm water

and you make some really
yummy, spicy hot chocolate.

SAM: I like the pom-poms.

Cool idea
instead of a bow.

Isn't it cool?
Really cool.

Thank you.

Right?

Cheers to being away
on a vacation in Giada's house.

[ Laughs ]