we're back now with more of "today" on a thursday morning. it's the 17th day of november, 2011. lots of birthdays in the crowd today. lots of nice people standing under some slightly overcast skies in new york city but not a big issue. you know, it was chilly last time. >> yes. >> better safe than sorry. >> always good. i'm matt lauer with ann curry and al roker. coming up our money 911 team is here to answer your money questions. for example, when you should start to collect social security. how about this one? when would you want to consider renting your home in this market as opposed to keeping it on the market and trying to sell it?

>> here's a question. you know, everything in your medicine cabinet? i mean, you know how much stuff you got in there? >> yeah. it seems to duplicate or multiply overnight. >> exactly. well, for a lot of us it is jam packed. creams, toothpaste tubes, old and new prescriptions. coming up we'll tell you what should be stored in your bathroom medicine cabinet and the stuff you should keep other places. >> okay. >> do you well dressed gentlemen ever have a style question? do you want an expert to give you the right answer? bobbie thomas is in the house to answer your questions on everything from fashion after the age of 50 to helping keeping your man, get a cool look, and also from coast to coast searching for people with great style. we'll find out all about that coming up. all right. let's go inside. natalie is on assignment. savannah has the headlines. good morning again. good morning to you guys. in the news today at least six people are dead after severe weather tore through the south and southeast on wednesday. there were at least 19 reports

of tornadoes from louisiana to north carolina. dozens of people were injured. thousands are still without power this morning. a pennsylvania attorney says more accusers are surfacing in the child sexual abuse scandal surrounding former penn state defensive coordinator jerry sandusky. nbc's peter alexander is in state college, pennsylvania with more. peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. that is right. according to multiple lawyers jerry sandusky's tv interview has led several potential victims of alleged child sexual abuse to come forward and consider sharing their stories. sandusky's voice and his refusal to admit any wrongdoing has reportedly triggered past memories, some dating as far back as the 1970s. at jerry sandusky's home wednesday delivery of a new elliptical machine for the man who has been largely in solution since the child sexual abuse scandal broke. it comes as penn state officials told nbc news in a brief statement, jerry sandusky has

been barred from university facilities. on wednesday sandusky's attorney defended his heavily criticized decision to allow the alleged sex offender to be interviewed monday night by bob costas for "rock center." >> i say that i am innocent of those charges. >> innocent? completely innocent and falsely accused in every aspect? >> well, i could say that, you know, i have done some of those things. >> i thought it was time to hear from jerry. i've known jerry for a long time. we had to let people know jerry has maintained his innocence. >> reporter: amandola also addressed sandusky's startling admission to activities that outraged many people listening to the interview. >> people said, how could you let him say he was in the shower with the kids? how could we not let him say that? he was. >> i have horsed around with kids. i have showered after workouts. i have hugged them and i have

touched their leg without intent of sexual contact. >> but you guys have to understand these showers are large shower rooms. they're not the showers you have at home in your house or apartment. >> reporter: late wednesday joe paterno was spotted publicly for the first time in days, leaving a building near campus. because of six decades of service to penn state, paterno's reportedly in line for a huge pension in excess of $500,000 a year. the university says the pension is run by the state. also this morning nbc news has learned that mike mcqueary, the man who allegedly witnessed jerry sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in the shower in 2002, just three months after that participated in a charity golf event alongside sandusky for his children's charity, the second mile. savannah? >> all right. peter alexander in state college, p.a., thank you. today a man suspected of opening fire on the white house appears in federal court in pennsylvania.

oscar ortega hernandez was arrested wednesday after a four-day man hunt. authorities say the 21-year-old idaho man was obsessed with president obama. one of the bullets cracked a white house window but the president was not home at the time. a scare in the air this week on an airlines flight from north carolina to new york city. it started when the pilot took a bathroom break and then got locked inside the restroom. desperate to get out, he pounded on the door and that's when someone with a thick foreign accent heard him and went to the cockpit door to get help. well, the copilot didn't believe him, feared it was an emergency. fighter planes were alerted. finally the pilot got the bathroom door opened, explained to air traffic controllers about the broken door latch, and said, there was no threat. the fbi was there when the plane landed and then of course realized it was all a big misunderstanding. and finally, an unusual race in arizona. girl versus camel. check it out. alex has raised her pet camel

necessa nessie since it was just a few weeks old. they go for walks and sometimes race each other and usually nessie wins. alex says mostly she just tries to get out of the way. now 9:05. back to al with a check of the weather. >> thanks so much. as we see what's happening for today, we had that big storm system move through causing all those tornadoes and at least five deaths. the remnants of it cutting through central florida this morning causing thunderstorms from tampa to cape canaveral. out in the pacific northwest, another storm system coming in. that's bringing in some heavier rain, windy conditions along the coast, and heavy mountain snows inland and we're expecting a little bit more activity like good morning. next couple of temperatures will be falling into the afternoon. the warmest part of the day will be in the morning.

♪ money makes the world go around the world go around the world go around ♪ >> we got a new song. i like that. "today's money 911" where we answer some of your biggest financial questions. we have our crack team assembled this morning. jean chatzky, david bach the author of "debt free for life" and sharon epperson cnbc's personal finance contributor. good to see you guys. >> nice to see you. >> we got dennis from grape vine, texas. good morning, tdennis, what is your question? >> caller: good morning. i am 64 1/2. my wife is 63. our full retirement age is 66. we both are retired and receive monthly pensions. we have money in a joint

brokerage account as well as our i.r.a.s. in order to supplement our pensions should we consider taking social security early or draw funds from our joint account? >> all right. jean, i guess a lot of folks think of this. >> so many. it is a very confusing question and you're in great shape, dennis. you have a lot of choices. i would delay social security because for every year that you put off taking social security, you get about an 8% bump in your eventual payouts. you're at the age at which you can pull money out of your i.r.a.s and other retirement accounts without penalty, which is just terrific. so i'd draw what you need from there and let those social security premiums run up. >> good idea. if he's healthy he could get another part-time job and something he has always wanted to do. >> the guy wants to retire. >> do you want to get another job, dennis? >> not so sure that's in the cards. >> caller: no thank you. i like the first answer. >> okay. >> all right. let's go to skype. we've got melanie.

good morning. what is your question? >> good morning. how are you? >> great. >> i would like to know if we should sell our house in houston for less than what we originally paid for it or if we should take the risk of renting it to potentially unreliable renters. >> all right. what do you think melanie should do? >> mel niganie i don't want you go find an unreliable renter. that wouldn't be any good. the question is first of all do you want to keep the property? the notes i saw said you might come back to houston in four to five years. >> right. >> if you want to keep that property then the real key is you only need to find one reliable renter so i would go back and either find a new realtor if your realtor is not doing the job to list that property and consider what is called a lease option to buy. what a lease option to buy is that somebody can come in and lease that property for a year or two and then apply part of those lease payments toward the buying of the home. the reason that is important is it makes them -- they care more about the property because they hope they'll buy it.

try a lease option to buy but i'd try to trent right now. houston markets are improving. didn't drop as far as the national markets. i think you'll be happy in five years if you keep that property. >> now we'll move north to walnut, california, on the phone with cheryl. what's your question? >> caller: good morning. i have a one-year cd maturing the end of november. i have searched the internet for the best interest rates but i'm confused by the vast number of banks and rates available. how do i go about choosing the best one? >> good question. sharon? >> the first thing of course, cheryl, make sure the bank is secure. that means it's federally insured either by the federal deposit insurance corporation, fdic, or national credit union association ncua. make sure the bank is insured and that way your money is insured up to $250,000. you'll be fine if you're in one of those banks. the thing you want to make sure when you look at all the different websites that offer rates, make sure those companies are -- if you go to bank

rate.com all the companies there are federally insured. the other thing to look at if you're not familiar with the company, look at what's called their safe and secure rating. that'll let you know the financial health of the company. you want to get one in really good stead. >> she wants to keep these cds really short right now because rates are terrible. they're all bad. >> she knows that. she's keeping in the one year. one year or less is a great way to go. >> ken in columbus, ohio on the phone. good morning, ken. hi, ken? i think we may have lost ken. all right. well, let's head to an e-mail right now. we've got an e-mail from elizabeth swanton in ohio. she writes, we have a 4.75% mortgage. instead of refinancing and incurring closing costs couldn't we realize a lower rate by making extra payments? which approach would be most effective? >> here is the key thing. the rate won't go lower, al, but the interest cost will go lower. so if you make extra payments on that mortgage what is going to

happen is you'll reduce the principal thereby reducing interest payments. yes it will help you shrink the mortgage which is good. you should do it. also at 4.75% right now great time to refinance. you can easily shave 3/4 of a point if not one full percentage point off that mortgage rate by refinancing. lowest rates we have seen ever right now. >> you do both. >> do both. >> refinance and pay the mortgage down. >> double down. thanks so much. coming up next behind closed doors. what you should and shouldn't be storing in your medicine cabinet. later on, street smarts style for men and women from bobbie thomas. but first, these messages. [ female announcer ] lactaid milk is easy to digest.

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this morning on "today's" daily dose what's in your medicine cabinet? from prescriptions to a collection of toothpaste tubes and face creams what should stay and what should go? dr. rash, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> seems obvious medicine should go in the medicine cabinet but you say -- >> no, ironically no. you're right. there are a bunch of things in there that really should not be. >> why is that? for example, prescription drugs. >> right. >> you are saying you shouldn't put them in the medicine cabinet under any circumstances. >> the problem with the medicine cabinet is it's in your bathroom so a very high humidity area and that's not good for medications. it can cause them to deteriorate more quickly, degrade, and possibly be less effective. so you want to keep it out of

the bathroom. maybe in your night stand or a high cabinet. somewhere that's not so exposed to heat and humidity. >> they do say store in a cool, dry place which is the opposite of the medicine cabinet. this goes for over-the-counter drugs as well? >> absolutely. over-the-counter drugs as well are subject to degradation due to humidity. you really want to keep everything out of the high, humid areas. you really need to check expiration dates on your medications, prescription, and over the counter. at least twice a year you should go through everything and throw out everything that is expired. >> does that mean it loses potency or is dangerous? >> usually it's moraine effectiveness problem but it could be dangerous sometimes. the best thing to do is actually give it back to your pharmacist because you don't want it getting into our water supply, you don't want people, kids, animals exposed to it if it goes into the garbage. >> there is an exception to the rule with medicine. you say birth control pills can be stored in the medicine cabinet? >> right. they are usually in the blister packs so with the tin foil which keeps each individual pill safe

from humidity. the other thing about birth control is you use it every day so you don't have old pills waiting around for months that could be exposed to humidity. this is one you can keep in the medicine cabinet. >> let's talk about tooth brushes. in or out? >> tooth brushes you do want in. a lot of people just keep it on the counter. it's easier to get to that way but the problem is your tooth brush is something you put in your mouth every day. a couple times a day. you don't want it exposed to the germs just free floating in the air of your bath room. when you flush your toilet you're spraying germs throughout the air of your bathroom. >> come on, doctor. >> sorry. but it's true. keep your tooth brush in the medicine cabinet. might take longer to dry out but it will be safer from the germs. >> okay. face creams. would you put those inside the medicine cabinet? >> those you can. most of the topical creams are fine in the medicine cabinet. they won't really degrade too much. >> make sure the lids are tight. >> yes. exactly. if you notice any discoloration or like a separation where you see the oil on the top and the cream on the bottom it's time to check it and get a new one. for the most part they are safe behind the medicine cabinet.

>> we've already talked about tooth brushes and floating toilet germs. so let's move on to tweezers and nail clippers while we're at it. >> exactly. >> is it okay to keep those in the medicine cabinet? >> those are kind of in or out but you want it in its own private receptacle because those are, tweezers, nail clippers, touching areas of your body that may have potentially fungus, other germs. you don't want it exposed to things like cotton balls and things you might use on your face. you want to keep them separate. do you want to wash them with soap and water before and after use? if you ever draw blood or puncture the skin you want to disinfect it with alcohol before. >> so store them in like a plastic jar or bag? >> a little plastic case with a zipper or something to keep it away from everything else. >> finally perfume. does it lose its fragrance if you store it in the cabinet? >> usually it's okay. the perform oil is normally dissolved in alcohol which makes it more resistant to degrading and humidity. so for the most part you can keep it in the medicine cabinet. after a while if you notice the smell is off it is definitely

time to get a new bottle. >> all right. thank you so much. why do they call it a medicine cabinet? >> i'm not sure. >> a renaming contest. thank you. coming up, home for the holidays. last-minute fixes to get your house ready for thanksgiving guests. but first these messages. ( upbeat rock music playing ) ( men vocalizing ) there's a place called hidden valley where kids not only eat their vegetables, they can't get enough. hidden valley ranch makes vegetables delectable.

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coming up in our next half hour today's style editor is here with her street wise answers to your fashion questions. >> then in "today's home" our resident handy guy has stuck around -- ha ha -- he's getting ready to help your house get spruced up. in today's holiday kitchen using seasonal fruit to dress up your holiday recipes. >> all coming up after your local news and weather. got thisd and started earning loads of points. you got a weather balloon with points? yes, i did. [ man ] points i could use for just about anything. ♪ keep on going in this direction. take this bridge over here. there it is. [ man ] so i used mine to get a whole new perspective. ♪

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is a wbal-tv 11 news update. >> temperatures in the 40's this morning. still a few sprinkles or spotty showers around. " front has already moved through. today high temperatures will be steady or falling. maybe if you sunbreaks by that end of the day. end of the day. falling into the 30's by

♪ i feel earth move under my feet i feel the sky tumbling down ♪ ♪ i feel my heart start to trembling whenever you're around ♪ >> she is simply a legend. that's the great carole king crooning one of her classics. she'll be here live on the plaza next tuesday on "today" as part of our thanksgiving week concert series starting with country singers rascal flatts and special guest natasha bettingfield and have we mentioned, on wednesday justin bieber -- >> i had not heard that. >> that's why there is bieber fever breaking out everywhere.

he is going to be here wednesday. huge week before thanksgiving. right here on "today." >> wow. all right. meanwhile -- >> sorry. i told her i had bieber fever. >> i see. >> i don't want to be well, al. >> okay. well, no worry there. coming up in this half hour, thanksgiving one week from today. christmas of course right around the corner. that means your home likely will be packed to the rafters. and you may have some friends over, too. lou is here with some fast fixes to make sure your home is in tip top shape for guests. that's a little party game that lou has for guests. >> right. >> they come in and they go fishing for dollars. >> happy thanksgiving. >> oh, wow. >> unbelievable. of course you'll want to treat those guests to a delicious feast after they see that. >> yeah. >> oh, boy. so in today's kitchen we got some ideas for your holiday meal. tradition with a twist. >> yeah. ham instead of turkey. it looks great. bobbie thomas is here to help you look good not just for the holidays but really every day. she is solving our fashion

frustrations with style ideas for your man, for busy moms, and women over 50. but before we get to all that let's get a check of the weather. >> we just showed a couple busy moms there. >> busy moms on the red carpet. >> let's show you what's happening as far as your weather is concerned. on the weekend, sunny skies mid-atlantic states into the gulf coast, showers down in florida. frigid weather in the northern plains. wet weather northern california. sunday we expect more sunshine here in the northeast but rain in western new york back down through the mississippi and ohio river valleys. wet weather northern california into parts of coastal pacific northwest and the frigid conditions continue to start to move east. >> good morning. temperatures will fall into the 30's. it will be a breezy and chilly day.

and that's your latest weather. >> thanks. coming up next how to get the glamorous red carpet look and make it work every day in your wardrobe. that's right after this. keurig has a wide variety of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. because it is.

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you got viewers' questions and you answered it with looks you saw on the street. >> every day across the country i see women i love their looks so why not get to the quick answer? >> the first question, kathy writes in. i am a 52-year-old who works for a boutique in our local mall. one of the requirements of the job is being, quote, fashion forward. i am the oldest of the staff and would like simple ideas on how to update my look. >> the simple answer, accessories. so many women are going back to school or working in trendy boutiques. i found roseanne in new york and she had on a classic denim jacket but it was a bit boxy. i wanted to do something she could update her look with. you'll see the after picture. a great item you'll get more mileage out of, a statement jacket. you'll see that i updated her with this modern jacket and then one big thing, the statement earring. it doesn't have to overpower but it will do a lot and instantly you see that there is a fashion forward update. >> that's really cute. it feels age appropriate. i'm sure kathy and the viewers don't want to be in something

that doesn't feel right for them. >> you don't want to wear spandex. you just need a few accessories. the next woman i found on the street, stephany has a scarf on and it's fantastic. the basic is the wrap dress. and that's a great thing. stay with the basic foundations but just add the pop of color, the trend and the scarf. i found ebony who also had a great example of a scarf on. she had a basic blazer. again something that everybody might have in their closet but it's really about the trend in the scarf and even the little pop of lip stick which is great and the nails. experiment with those things that you can layer the trend on and move forward inexpensively. >> let's get to our next question from margaret. she writes my fiance isn't into fashion and feels frightened by things like skinny jeans. how can i help him -- i actually can't blame him. how cane help him take baby steps to being more stylish? some help for the guys. >> p.s., i'm frightened by skinny jeans. men, scarves can go a long way, too. this is philippe. i loved that he had this really

great red scarf on in the airport. and something that's a little tough to see maybe in this photo he has a brown shoe on with the sort of black cords and a charcoal gray jacket. and that mix is really cool. it mixed the basic neutrals and add the pop of color. >> it looks great. >> and joshua, you know, a statement jacket is great for a guy, too. this leather jacket really works on him. it may be a cordoroy blazer or something else for your man but again, a statement jacket can work for the guys. >> and the messenger bag looks good too. i don't know if he did it on purpose but it looks fashionable. on to something glamorous at the office. amanda asks, i'm obsessed with all things sparkly and glamorous but my lifestyle doesn't exactly involve walking red carpets. how can i incorporate special items into my day time wardrobe without feeling over dressed? >> i think we can all relate. instead of buying a sequinned dress for a holiday special occasion invest in separates. i really like this look on gabrielle. i stopped her in the street and said, wait. let me take your picture. you see this? she has a sequinned blouse on

and a satin skirt so these are separates she could wear to a holiday party but the key here is really the low key ponytail and this over sized bag which really dresses down the sparkly outfit. and i think it's a fantastic idea so you can get more wear oust the special occasion pieces. the little yellow shoe is great but josephine she had a nude shoe it could further dress it down. >> or if you want to buy the sequinned dress maybe throw a blazer or something over it to neutralize it? >> the only thing i would caution if you're going to work make sure it's in black or jewel tone color. no hot pink sequins, no neon sequins. >> note to self. there goes tomorrow's outfit. let's get our next letter from new mom christine. she says i'm a new mom with a hectic schedule so i need to be comfortable during the day. i want to wear sweats but they don't make me feel great about myself. how can i add some polish? >> who doesn't want to wear sweats? >> or p.j.s, too. >> exactly. i think the key here i would advise is don't separate your sweats and put them in a drawer separate from your regular clothes.

go ahead and mix them in. hang them in your closet by, you know, arm length. you'll see on grace from san francisco i stopped her, great example of her sweat shirt, but the keys that really added polish was the, you know, this button down shirt that was crisp and tailored and the patent shoe. this was a really great addition to make the whole look work together. you can't, i mean, essentially this is just a sweat shirt and jeans. but the other two items, op sits attract, are a little dressier. >> that's cute. >> you can do that in your wardrobe and sometimes when you open your closet be inspired by what you see sitting next to each other. >> great ideas. good questions from viewers and good looks on the street too. thanks so much. all right. coming up next getting ready for all your thanksgiving guests. lou has some last-minute fixes to spruce up your house. it's coming up right after this. the target 2 day sales is almost here and the last thing that's

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this morning on "today's home" ready for the relatives. this is the last weekend before thanksgiving and probably the last chance to get your house in order. lou is the host of the syndicated tv show "house smarts" and is here with a few easy last-minute priorities. good to see you. >> nice to see you too. >> you're going to have people coming in, maybe pulling chairs out of the basement. maybe a little creeky. what are you going to do? >> your aunt rose is coming over and the last thing you want to do -- >> are you saying something about aunt rose and her weight? >> no. i have an aunt rose and she is a beautiful woman and i never want her to fall out of a chair. there is all this different glue. >> rose is already on the phone. >> she's on the phone. really. i love you. i just like the regular old wood glue for this. okay? get it on -- if you have chairs that are tyined like this the ky is to pull it apart. get the glue worked in there and get back into the spot where it

goes. you can use a little hammer to drive it back in. go ahead and give that a tap. keep going. you're pretty good with a hammer. all right. we'll stop right there. now you're going to work that all in and put the glue in there. then when you're done, once you get it all done get a little bungee cord if it is not super tight and strap it around and tie it to the chair so it holds it together. give this 24 hours. >> right. >> these chairs are going to be so solid and the rickety chairs you're worried about somebody falling out of won't be a problem. >> or if you don't have time to do that use the bungee po put aunt rose in the chair. you're set. >> she is the sweetest, most wonderful woman. >> fantastic. yeah. the coffee table with some nicks and stuff. >> get your rubber gloves. this is a product that i love out of california called howard's restore finish. >> oh, yeah. sure. >> this is a great product that you go back and forth to take -- it's almost -- you're just taking a little bit of the film

off the top. you work it with the grain a little bit. >> is it like a fine steel wool? >> this is a fine steel wool. quadruple zero steel wool. the more zeros the finer the steel wool. you wipe this away. what it does is it revitalizes the finish but it doesn't refinish the whole table. so if people are nervous, i don't want to worry the stain. >> it's a neutral color. >> there are also some with color if you want to do that as well. and it really does a terrific job of brightening that table back up so when your mother-in-law is looking, boy, your table is really scratched. what's going on? very easy to do. >> okay. people come in and want to examine your cook wear. >> your cook wear or your stainless steel. whatever it may be. what i love about this product, this company employs people with disabilities to make the product, package the product. $10. it's basically a set of very fine sand papers that you can use to work back and forth whether on the cook wear. you're actually sanding the stainless. use this on the grates inside the oven. the kitchen sink if you have a

stainless sink. >> oh, yeah. >> those have lots of scratches. it works wonderfully well there. >> all right. people are going to be using the loo. >> yes. >> not you. >> not me. today what i want you to do is go find some antimicrobials and flush them down the toilet. >> okay. >> this is going to help clear everything out. you know, the friday after thanksgiving is not just a big shopping day. it's the busiest day in the plumbing industry. >> wow. >> because everybody is pouring stuff down the drain they shouldn't be pouring. this helps to keep you ahead of the game. because it eats away stuff inside the drains and all you have to do is pour it down the toilet. >>kay. now if people f. the sink is running slow. >> the number one reason why your sinks and tubs run slowly is hair. these little tools -- >> not in my house. >> no, no. >> well maybe. i don't know. >> could be. >> this is a little velcro tip on the end of this thing. this product is called a drain claw. you put this down the drain and work it down and pull this out. >> and wala. >> yuk. >> yowsa. >> that's what it looks like. amazing disgust with one pull.

if your disposal is smelling there are these cute little lemon drops you get at the hardware store. put it in the disposal and run it. these things get chewed up inside there and the odor goes away. >> right. >> don't pour the turkey dressing stuff down the drain. >> no. because that will make the clog and no fun. >> yes. i can't help you. >> all right. but aunt rose could. >> happy thanksgiving, aunt rose. >> thanks so much. once your home is ready for the holidays, set that menu. we have new ideas for traditional holiday recipes. but first this is "today" on nbc. ♪ [ female announcer ] we know you've got a lot on your plate at thanksgiving. which is why safeway has everything you need to get it all done. right now, get a safeway frozen turkey 8 to 24 lbs, for just 58 cents a pound. cook your thanksgiving turkey perfectly with our free chef assistant app.

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♪ there's no place like home for the holidays ♪ >> this morning on today's holiday kitchen we're having such a good time. food editors amanda and meryl are here with new ideas. >> they are the authors of the

food 52 cookbook. recipes from exceptional homecooks. >> ladies, good to see you. we're making a smoked ham. >> we are. >> why do you like the smoked ham? >> well the flavor obviously is pretty sensational but also it's nice because it's cooked through so you just have to heat it through. >> all right. and we're making a glaze. >> we are. i'll score the ham and amanda will make the glaze. >> i have pomegranate molasses which is nice because it is sweet but also a little tart. >> do you buy these or make it? >> you buy it in a bottle. order it online. >> a little mustard in there? >> yes. and here is the secret ingredient. >> wallace ihat is it? >> whiskey. >> why whiskey? i'm all for it. >> adds a nice little touch. coarsely ground pepper and salt and all spice. you just want to mix those in and then you brush it on. >> all right. tell us about your book. i think it is so cool. you found the best recipes around the country from home

cooks? >> yes. it's really a celebration of home cooking. the recipes are from home cooks around the country. we vetted the recipes then put it out to the audience to vote on the recipes that ended up in the book. >> you really got the best ones. do you put the whole glaze on there? >> you save some so at the end you cook it down and have a nice sauce. >> once you have the glaze you put it in the oven for how long? >> about ten minutes a pound. so depending on the size of your ham. you're just warming it through. then once it's cooked it looks beautiful like this. it's kind of shellacked. >> yum. >> do a little slicing here. >> sure. >> make a plate for you. >> please do. thank you for reading my mind. okay. what are you serving it with here? >> you want to serve it with very kind of like pungent little sides so pickles, dijon mustard. >> love that. >> yeah. >> what's that? >> and also this is the glaze. it's been cooked down. just want to reheat it a little

bit. >> okay. >> you just want to put it on the side, put it on top. and there you go. >> yum. >> it's a really great dish if you don't want to serve turkey or you want to make this for lunch. >> let me take a bite. >> sure. fantastic. >> savannah said she never really liked the cranberry sauce her mom sent. >> al! that was off the record. >> i'm sorry. >> okay. >> i'm so sorry. >> we're going to change that. >> my mom did take the cranberries out of the can. sorry, mom, but you know you did. this is an alternate recipe. >> yes. this is super easy. just take a bag of cranberries and put them in a pot. >> yeah. just wrapping up some cinnamon stick and black pepper corns. kind of interesting. >> that's interesting. and some cheese cloth. >> you add some brown sugar. >> just like my mother is on the phone. protest protesting. >> here is a great detail. grate pear and add it into the pot. >> why do you grate it? >> because it gets too chunky.

>> exactly. >> our secret ingredient? >> whiskey! >> brandy. >> close! booze. >> booze. >> exactly. pour that in. >> yeah. and then you just -- you cook it all down. okay. how long? >> until everything sort of breaks down. >> okay. >> there's the phone ringing. >> amanda and meryl, thank you so much. >> coming up hoda and kathie lee get the guys to tell all after your local news and savannah's mom gives her a dressing down.