Giada's Holiday Handbook (2015–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Kids' Gingerbread House Party - full transcript

♪♪

Yeah!

GIADA: I love the holidays.

And I also love to entertain.

Thank you.
WOMAN: Thanks so much.

Thanks, Giada.

In fact, over the years,

I've gathered together

my favorite recipes and ideas

to create a one-of-a-kind
holiday handbook.

It's filled with pages and pages
of cherished recipes and menus,



unique party themes,
cocktails for every occasion,

and some really fun
decorating ideas.

Whether it's a classic
Thanksgiving dinner, open house,

or Christmas with the kids,

I have everything you need to
make the party truly sparkle.

Cheers, you guys.

May, that is adorable.

Today, I'm hosting
a gingerbread-house decorating

party for Jade
and some of her friends.

Will, you're doing good.

And making a playful menu
of holiday treats.

Sandwiches are so good.

Plus, I'm digging
into my handbook

to share
some of my tried-and-true ideas



for making
the party extra-special.

Hey, who wants some of these?

Oh, can I have one?
Can I put some
on my house?

Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah.

It's my Gingerbread House
Extravaganza,

and you're invited.

The inspiration
for the gingerbread-house party

was based on a party
that I threw for Jade

for her 7th birthday.

And I did it at my friend
Duff Goldman's pastry shop.

He made six-inch cakes
for all the kids,

and everybody got
to pick their own flavor, right?

And then
they all decorated them.

And I noticed the excitement

on their faces and the ability
to be so creative,

and to actually take something
physically home with them

and create such a great memory.

Julian's good -- He's decorating
and eating. I love it.

The key to a kids' party

is keeping the kids interested
and engaged.

You have to create
an environment

that stimulates them.

They need to be able to just
touch and feel and move around.

Oh, that's cool, Owen!

Which is why the gingerbread
house is so great.

Gingerbread houses are part
of the holiday season.

Why not do a party that really
engages all these kids?

Very nice, baby.

That includes the food,
the decorations, everything.

Make it fun, colorful,

and unexpected.

I thought, why not make a menu

where there's savory food
for the kids to eat, right,

so they're
not just eating candy,

but at the same time
while they're eating,

they could also
be using their imagination?

So I'm making
my s'mores popcorn,

a modern twist
on the campfire favorite.

Veggie forest
with Parmesan-ranch dip --

a fun way to get the kids
excited about vegetables.

Pizza grilled cheese --

two things that kids love,

blended
into a very happy sandwich.

And my hot chocolate affogato,

a playful spin
on a classic Italian treat.

The holidays
are about indulging,

so I want the kids
to be able to do that.

Jade loves s'mores,
so instead of making s'mores,

I made popcorn
with a s'more topping,

with all the flavors of s'mores.

And I thought all the kids
might enjoy that,

because who doesn't like
s'more popcorn, right?

So I'm melting 1/2 cup
of bittersweet chocolate chips

for my s'mores popcorn.

And I got to tell you,
this is a really fun treat

for the kids and for me.

And I usually make this
on the weekends for Jade.

It's all the flavors
of a s'more,

which Jade loves,
but on popcorn.

I thought it'd be really fun
while the kids

decorate their gingerbread
houses for them

to have some snacks to eat.

Let's grab some mini
marshmallows, oh, yeah,

some crushed graham crackers,

and my popcorn.

And I just popped 1/2 cup
of popcorn,

put it in a Dutch oven with
a little bit of vegetable oil,

and let it pop
for about 3 minutes.

And then pour 2 tablespoons
of melted butter over the top

just to kind of give it that
little bit of buttery flavor.

I'm gonna sprinkle about 1/2 cup

of crushed graham crackers
right over the top.

It's about 5 or 6
graham crackers altogether.

And who doesn't like
mini marshmallows?

I mean, honestly, right?

About a cup of mini marshmallows
right over the top.

The glass bowl
can get kind of hot,

so you just have to be careful.

So I always like to use a mitt,
just to make sure.

And then we just
drizzle the chocolate

right over the top.

There we go.
Okay, so we've got all of that.

Now what I want to do
is just mix it all together.

My s'mores popcorn is done.

Up next, I'm gonna get started
on my little vegetable garden.

It's a magical forest
that makes eating veggies fun.

And some handbook tips
for keeping kids excited

and engaged.

GIADA: I'm opening up
my holiday handbook

to share
some of my tried-and-true ideas

for a festive gingerbread-house
party for Jade

and some of her friends.

My secret to success is keeping
the kids interested and engaged,

so the menu is playful and fun.

The s'mores popcorn is ready,

and now I'm starting
on my veggie forest

with Parmesan-ranch dip.

Got to have some vegetables.

Got to figure out
how to do that.

But I don't want
to sneak it into the food.

I want them to actually look at
it and go, "That's super cool.

I want to eat it."
So, I put it on some wheat grass

so it looked like a field
or a forest of vegetables.

And Jade loves ranch dressing,

so I made
a homemade ranch dressing

and took the vegetables
that most kids eat,

and it looks cool
when you present it.

I'm starting
with my Parmesan-ranch dressing.

I'm adding 1/4 cup of buttermilk
to 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt,

which is nice and thick.

So the combination of the two
creates this nice tang,

but the buttermilk loosens up
the yogurt so it's creamy.

It's the basis of making
a homemade ranch dressing,

which is really, really easy.

Okay, so now we're gonna

add a little cheesy goodness
to it by adding 1/4 cup

of Parmigiano-Reggiano right
in there.

So it gives a sort
of a cheesy flavor

to the ranch dressing.

Okay, a little Parmesan cheese
right in there.

Gonna add a little bit of salt,
even out the flavors.

And I'm gonna chop up
a little bit of dill.

And the dill works really well
with the creaminess

and the tang of the yogurt
and the buttermilk.

And if your child
doesn't like dill,

then you can just leave it out.

But I'm telling you,
it adds a lot of flavor

and some freshness as well.

I usually never add or use
garlic powder or onion powder,

but for this particular part
of the recipe,

it works really well.

So we're gonna add 1/2 teaspoon
of garlic powder...

and 1/4 teaspoon
of onion powder.

And it's that intense sort
of garlic and onion flavor,

but it's also mixed
with a little bit of salt,

so it's very mild
but gives it a pungent flavor

without being too, too garlicky
for the kids, especially.

So, it works really well
in here.

I bought us some wheat grass.

And you can buy it
at your local juicery place

or even at
a home-and-garden store.

And you buy it in pieces or you
can buy a whole bed of it.

And you break it up
and you put it in a bowl.

And then I put these little cups

inside of it like this so it
looks like a little garden.

And I'm gonna add some snap peas
and some carrots

and some bell pepper,
we're gonna do right now.

Jade likes bell pepper.

And I find a lot
of kids like it.

It's a really nice,
colorful addition,

and slightly sweet,
so it works really well.

And it's crunchy,
and it's a nice little way

for kids to eat their veggies.

So I'm gonna cut it
in little strips

so they can kind of dip
it in the ranch dressing.

And this is one
of my favorite ways

to get kids to eat veggies,

'cause I think veggies
are such a great --

obviously wonderful
for kids to eat.

But a lot of times,

you've got to be really creative
with how you do it

because they don't want
to otherwise eat them.

And then I take a cucumber,
just 'cause, again,

it's something
that Jade really likes.

So, you can kind of figure
out what your kids like

and then you can use
whatever vegetables they enjoy.

I find that overall, cucumbers,
bell peppers, carrots,

and snap peas are a favorite
across all kids.

And then I take my little forest

and I take a few snap peas,
a few carrots.

I kind of put them in there.

I take a few slices of cucumber.

I take a couple of pieces
of the red bell pepper.

And I put that sort
of assortment in each one,

so all the kids can grab, right?

And then I fill one of these
with some of the dressing,

and they can kind of dip
and go along.

Which reminds me,
I should probably taste the dip

just to make sure.

Mmm, that's good.

A tad more salt,
and we're good to go.

♪♪

When it comes to a kids' party,
decorations are key.

They inspire and stimulate
creativity.

So, when I'm thinking about
how I'm going to visualize

the party in the kitchen,

I really think about
what's the wow factor.

So I thought, "Oh, you know,

I could do
like a winter wonderland."

It feels very warming

and loving and colorful.

It's the Christmas holiday,
so I think red.

But not traditional.

So I'm going with hearts --

heart-shaped bowls, little cups,

and red-and-white straws.

When it comes
to the gingerbread houses,

I got a little gingerbread-house
kit online.

Which you can find anywhere.

So, I gave each kid
just a basic gingerbread house,

which is very easy
to put together.

And then I went bananas
when I bought the candy.

I have gum drops and candy canes

and just a plethora
of different candies that I

thought they could use to build
their own gingerbread house.

The ability to be so creative

and makes something
as a centerpiece

and it's also edible
for your family

through the holiday season
is to me what makes the holidays

so special.

And those are the memories
that kids and adults

take throughout a lifetime.

Coming up, all the flavors

that kids love
in one very friendly sandwich.

And a delightful little cup
of holiday cheer.

GIADA: I'm digging
into my holiday handbook

to share some of my go-to ideas

for hosting
a gingerbread-house party.

The secret to success is keeping
kids interested and engaged.

So, I've started on a whimsical
menu of holiday snacks.

My next dish
will make everyone smile.

I know that kids love pizza,

so why not do like a pizza
grilled cheese?

It's easier to do
a grilled cheese

with all the flavors of pizza

than it is to actually
have a pizza there.

What we're starting
with is the cheesy part.

A cup of ricotta cheese.

And we're gonna add 2 cups
of shredded mozzarella.

So we're basically gonna make
this nice sort of cheesy spread

that we're gonna put
on the bread.

And then I have a really fun way
to grill the cheese

and make these
into grilled-cheese sandwiches.

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.

We're gonna reserve the rest
just to put on the actual bread.

Then I'm gonna
add a little bit of basil

to kind of have the flavor
of a pizza on a grilled cheese.

So, we're gonna add that.

Then we're gonna
add some pepperoni.

So, any kind of pepperoni
that you can find.

Jade really likes pepperoni.

One of her favorite pizzas
is pepperoni pizza.

So, thought it would be nice
to add that in.

You know, you just go
to the deli or you can just

find it in the deli section
of your grocery store,

whatever kind of pepperoni
or salami your kids like.

And then you want to chop
it up so

that you can put it into the mix

and you can easily spread it
on the actual bread.

All right, so it's about 1/2 cup
or 12 large slices of pepperoni.

There we go.
Just want to mix this all up.

And I love the color of it, too.

The mixture is done.

We're gonna put butter
on both slices of the bread.

So this is gonna be the top
of it.

And the butter just obviously

will help the Parmesan
cheese stick to the top

and also create a nice sort
of golden crust on top.

Now, flip 'em over like that.

And we start
with about a tablespoon

or so of tomato sauce.

Marinara.

On both pieces.

And you just want to spread
a little bit of tomato sauce.

Not too much,

because you don't want
to make the bread wet.

But you just want to give it
a little tomato-saucey, sort

of marinara flavor
like you would have on a pizza.

Then you take some
of the cheesy spread like that.

And put that on both slices.

So you can prep
this in advance, too.

You can make
this all ahead of time.

And we spread that over it.

You know, just create a nice
spread so there's a nice amount

of filling in there.

All right,
then take the sandwich,

and I just flip it like that.

And kind of press
it down a little bit.

I use some of
the remaining Parmesan cheese,

and I just kind of sprinkle it
right over the top.

'Cause you want a nice,
cheesy, buttery crust

that gets nice and golden brown.

Flip it over.

Press it down so
that the Parmesan cheese

sticks to the butter.

All right,
first sandwich is done.

♪♪

So I heated up my two sheet pans
at 425

for about 10 minutes
to get them nice and hot.

And that's kind of the trick
to this.

Then I sprayed the bottom

of this sheet pan
with a nonstick cooking spray

and then I sprayed the bottom
of this one the same thing.

Gonna place all four sandwiches
on the sheet tray.

And remember that this is hot.

So just get them all to kind
of snuggle in there.

Then take your oven mitts,
'cause they're hot,

and we tend to forget
that I have heated it.

And we land it right on top
and kind of press it down.

And then we're gonna pop
this in a 425-degree oven

again for another 10 minutes
to melt all the cheese

and get a nice crust
on the outside

of the grilled cheese.

To elevate the pizza
grilled cheese,

I put little smiley faces
using olives and pepperoni,

all the flavors that they love.

Because what?
They're visual, you know?

And they like to see it.

So, they look at it
and they're like, "That's not

just a grilled cheese.
That has a happy face on it."

Oh, my goodness.
it just brings joy.

So my grilled cheese
have cooled.

Then you cut the grilled cheese
in thirds.

Then you take each piece.

I take a little bit
of mozzarella first.

We're gonna make a really fun
face using olives and pepperoni.

And mozzarella.

So this is what we do.

You put one here.

Little mozzarella there.
A little mozzarella there.

To create the two eyes.

Then a little mozzarella
for the nose.

And then just a little
mozzarella for the mouth.

The reason you want
to put the mozzarella down

is 'cause it acts like glue.

'Cause here we go.

You take two black olives,

and I put them right on top.

Then I take a piece
of a cocktail olive

that has a little pimento
in the middle,

and you buy them whole
and you can just slice it.

And that can be the nose.

So he has a little red nose
in the middle.

And then you
take some more pepperoni

and you cut strips out of it.

And the ends
are gonna be the happy faces.

So you go just like that.

And that is my happy face.

Isn't that cute?

And then I put them
back on the tray,

because I'm gonna pop them
in a 200-degree oven

and keep them nice and warm
until the kids get here.

And the mozzarella will melt
and everything will stick to it.

Coming up, a festive drink
that doubles as dessert.

GIADA: I'm opening up
my holiday handbook

to share
some of my tried-and-true ideas

for a colorful
and fun gingerbread-house party.

When it comes to a kids' party,
the secret to success

is keeping them engaged.

That starts with the food.

So, I've created a menu
of eye-catching dishes.

Now time for my very
special holiday hot chocolate.

An affogato is a classic
Italian dessert, very simple --

ice cream with espresso.

But obviously I can't do
that for the kids, espresso.

So I decided to do a little bit

of vanilla ice cream
dunked in hot chocolate.

And that would be a really fun,

warming, holiday-like drink
that they could have.

It's sort of chocolaty.

It's a wonderful dessert.
It's decadent.

It's fun.

And it's with all the flavors
that they love.

I'm heating up 2 cups
of milk for my hot chocolate.

So, I'm using 2% milk

just to make it a little
bit lighter for the kids.

And I'm gonna add 1 cup
of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

And then to just reinforce
that chocolate flavor --

this is gonna be really fun --

I'm gonna add 2 tablespoons
of cocoa powder.

Unsweetened cocoa powder.

Right into the milk.

All right,
and then you just want

to give it a quick little whisk

and start melting the chocolate
and the cocoa powder

into the milk.

I also want to add a little bit
of salt

just to balance out
the sweetness.

Chocolate is melted

and the cocoa powder
is all incorporated.

So let's grab our ice cream.

I'm gonna
use some vanilla ice cream.

The idea here is that you
can keep the vanilla ice cream

pretty cold until right
before you want to use it,

because you want to see
the vanilla ice cream

being drowned
by the hot hot chocolate.

That's the whole idea.
Affogato means drowning.

So, the ice cream is drowning
in the hot chocolate.

I'm gonna do two scoops.

Because I can.

But you can definitely
just do one.

I like to do it in little cups
because it's pretty rich.

I ladle a little bit
of the hot chocolate.

Make sure it's hot so it drowns
and melts the ice cream.

Let me pour it
right over the top.

You want to see a little bit
of the ice cream, still.

And then I like to decorate it
with a gingerbread cookie.

Since we're doing
a gingerbread-house-decorating

party, I thought it'd be fun.

Then I take a mini candy cane
and I just kind of decorate it

and put it on the side.
It's super cute.

And I think the kids
are gonna love it.

They're gonna feel like it's a
little hot chocolate tea party,

which I think will be
really fun.

All right, the kids
are gonna be here soon.

I'm gonna finish
off the hot chocolate affogato

and then get ready for
my gingerbread-decorating party.

I decided to have the
gingerbread party in the kitchen

because it's a lot easier
to clean up.

And with these type of parties,

you have to prepare for a bit
of a mess.

So, I thought the kitchen
would be a fun place

to do it on the counter,

and all the kids
could be at the same level.

And the kids
could also look at each other.

You know, you want them to be
able to engage with each other,

and you want a space
that you can put the food out.

So to me, the kitchen seemed
like the perfect venue for that.

The kitchen, to me,
is the heart of the holidays.

There's also jellybeans
over here

and there's candy canes
and gum drops.

Where are the gum drops?
Yeah, they're right here.

Everybody feel free to grab
whatever you want.

Mommy, can I try something
before I put it on?

Try everything, Jade.

The more you try,
the better we are.

It's so cute,
the coconut!

Now, you pick candies,

and you're gonna
decorate it any way you want.

Did you guys try the drink?

Hot chocolate with ice cream,
guys.

And you have some sandwiches,
you guys.

It's a pizza.
GIRL: This is so good.

Look -- lookit!

Sandwiches are so good.

Okay, we'll both go.

Go.

Mmm, so good.

It's all the flavors
of a pizza.

Lucy, you got to try.

Ooh, May's
trying affogato.

I like that.
With the hot chocolate.

Go, May.

Go, Skyler.
Ladies.

You're good.
Will, you're doing good.

Julian's good -- He's decorating
and eating. I love it.

I want them to fall in love
with the kitchen.

And I want them to want
to spend time there

and have great memories
spent in the kitchen.

I found
the marshmallow!

Yeah, you found
the marshmallow. See?

Ah! Ah!
Ah! Ah!

Julian's my favorite --

my favorite little eater
over here,

and so is Will.
Good job.

This is literally
like a grilled-cheese pizza.

It is like
a grilled-cheese pizza.

Grilled-cheese pizza
is great.

[ Laughs ]

Does anyone want to try
some veggies in this forest?

I'll have a carrot!

Oh, my gosh.

You're gonna have a carrot,
Lucy? That's awesome.

Jade's favorite is ranch
dressing. There you go, baby.

How is it, guys?
Really good.

Yeah, the veggies
are good?

May, that is adorable.

Look at her chimney
with the red candy on top of it.

Isn't that neat?

Just to watch their sense
of imagination coming to life,

their sense of color and touch
and all of those things,

it's very special.

That's so cool.

Ooh, cute, Jade!

Oh, that's cool, Owen!

GIRL: Can I put some
on my house?

Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah!

Everybody is doing
such a good job.