[ cheers and applause ] we're back now with more of "today" on a friday morning, the second day of december, 2011. you know, we said it a couple of times this morning. it's a sensational day in new york city. not a cloud in the sky. moderate temperatures and a wonderful crowd. people from out of town here in the plaza. i'm matt lauer here with savannah guthrie here while ann is on assignment. al roker joins us as well. coming up we'll talk about a serious story, the case of the

missing florida mom, michelle parker. for a second day police and divers have searched a lake near where they traced her cell phone. the last place they heard it pinging some two weeks ago. do they have new leads? we'll talk more about the case in a few minutes. >> all right. also ahead, another serious topic this time of year. financial infidelity. a lot of married people go through it. hiding your expenses, having secret bank accounts. hiding the shopping you have done. this is a sign your marriage may be facing trouble. we'll talk to experts about how to keep it real. >> speaking of real, we are talking about today's real estate. barbara corcoran shows us homes for sale for $300,000 or less from california wine country to the gulf coast. later, whether you've got high blood pressure or a bad cough, we've got natural remedies that really work. >> and it's nice to see your mom and sister in the area.

even though they don't want to have dinner with me, that's okay. >> nancy and annie. >> right. tamron is here while natalie is on assignment today over at the news desk. >> hey there. good morning, everybody. we begin with economic news. the nation's unemployment rate dropped to the lowest point since march 2009 falling from 9% to 8.6% in november. 120,000 jobs were added last month. however part of the reason the unemployment rate fell was more than 300,000 people gave up looking for work and were no longer counted. an american aid worker is being held as an al qaeda hostage. ayman al zawahiri said in a message the group is holding the 70-year-old warren weinstein and will release him if the u.s. meets demands. he's the first american civilian kidnapped in pakistan since wall street journal reporter daniel pearl was abducted in 2002 and

executed. the mystery of missing mother michelle parker is deepening today as her family establishes a new timeline of the hours after her disappearance. mark potter has the latest from orlando. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, tamron. if the police have any new kribl leads in this case they are not saying so publically. none of the searches has led to michelle parker but the local community strongly supports her family. at a bar in orlando called the barn where michelle parker was a popular bartender a fund-raiser for the family and the search effort drew a large crowd. >> these are all of our friends, family, her friends and family. it's just good to be surrounded by a lot of love here. >> reporter: meanwhile police searched for a second day at a lake near the area where a ping from parker's cell phone was last heard two weeks ago. orlando police and sheriffs divers combed the waters and the shoreline. a spokesman said nothing of

importance has been found here. police say the only suspect in the case is parker's ex-fiance dale smith. they have not arrested him. smith knocked a news photographer to the ground before a child custody hearing wednesday insists he had nothing to do with the disappearance. a timeline put together with the help of parker's family shows how quickly they became alarmed for her. >> this is the defendant, michelle parker. >> reporter: at 2:00 p.m. november 17th, the people's court episode featuring parker and smith, her ex-fiance, arguing over an engagement ring airs in orlando. at 2:30 michelle's family last sees her at a salon. at 3:15 according to a police source michelle is seen on a security camera arriving at smith's home, but the angle doesn't allow them to see her leave. smith said he then took the children to his parents' house an hour later. at 4:26 michelle's brother dustin gets a one-word text from

her cell phone which the family insists is uncharacteristically short saying waterford. at 6:50 michelle's son calls the family asking where is his mom. at 6:53 michelle's sister sends her a text, call me asap, please. gets no response. at 7:20 lauren calls police after michelle fails to show up for her 7:30 bartending shift. at 8:15 the ping is found from the lake. an area she never frequented. the next day her hummer is found in a parking lot miles from her home. a sign in the truck advertising her business is missing. family members say they are not giving up hope of finding michelle alive, but this now two-week-long search without results has been painfulor them. >> thank you. the skating santa isn't looking

so sharp these days. paul chernowski arrived, fetched his $900 skates out of storage but left the skates in a taxi. santa's making due with rental skates but said he isn't getting the same performance from them. he'll take you off the naughty list if you return those skates. not a good thing for santa. >> we have to get him on his own skates on the rink. thank you very much. now let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> thank you. this side said they weren't feeling the love. we're showing them the love. hello and merry christmas. let's check your weather. out west we have stuff going on. santa ana into sunday. not as bad as they have had over the last 48 hours but windy.

another storm system through the southwest on into texas. a look for mountain snows through the four corners and a lot of wet weather from austin, brownsville up into oklahoma. over the next 48 hours we could be talking about a half inch to an inch. some areas may pick up a little bit more. >> we don't expect any rain today but there should be a front coming through. front coming through. and one of the great shows from the '60s, my three sons.

savannah? >> thanks, al. this morning on "today's money" financial infidelity. a money magazine survey finds 71% of americans keep secrets about spending from their spouses. before you head out for holiday shopping we have good advice to keep the peace in your relationship. jean chatzky is today's financial editor and we have the host of "you're cut off." appropriate title. good morning. jean, define the term financial infidelity. >> it's lying about money and if you are just hiding information by not revealing it, that would be included in financial infidelity as well. >> keeping secrets or maybe not saying how much things cost. that kind of thing. >> exactly. >> from your perspective what does the survey say about why couples commit financial infidelity? >> they do it to keep the peace. they don't want the scorning look from the spouse or an argument about what you spent on

x, y or z. the result is when things are uncovered it's a bigger problem. >> in terms of the damage this can do to a relationship, do you think it's as serious as cheating in some cases? >> it's obviously very different in the sense that infidelity, regardless of what it is, exposes what's going on in the relationship. it exposes the fact that you cannot be honest with your spouse. it's not as grave but it says you can't communicate well. >> you say sometimes it's about control issues. >> without a doubt. and i don't think financial infidelity is that bad. women need to have independence in their relationship. they have to have private money to do whatever they want with. >> okay. i agree. but let's acknowledge that we are each going to have a pool of money we can do with what we

want and we don't have to talk about it. >> that gets us to the tips. i want to get to some ideas. you think couples need three bank accounts. >> one for you, one for me and one for the house. the house is taken care of first. >> this is controversial. some people think you shouldn't. >> without question you should have separate bank accounts. you should be able to do whatever you want with your money. >> once you have provided for savings and taken care of the household expenses. >> when that budget gets cut, every budget gets cut. just because you get your nails done doesn't mean that gets cut. his money gets cut, food, everything equally. >> you say you should use the money in your account to further educational opportunities. >> yeah. education and feeding yourself with opportunity is like spanx for the future. it tightens it all up. it gives you the opportunity to

remember you can be independent outside the relationship. >> we were talking about the numbers and unemployment fell to 8.6%. people who have done well were educat educated. >> you say to trade places with your spouse financially. >> if a f they don't understand why you can't get out of the grocery store for under $150. let them go to the store. >> don't let them do your clothes shopping. >> walk a mile in your high heels. >> good advice. thank you. coming up on today's real estate, what you can get for $300,000 or less. later, what some fast food restaurants are doing to beat a ban on free toys with kids' meals.

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this morning on today's real estate what you can get for under $300,000. barbara corcoran is here to show off great homes across the country. good to see you. >> good morning, al. >> let's go to napa. i'm surprised. it's a one bedroom, one bath bungalow. >> the average listing price there is $1.3 million. this is the tiniest house on the best block. the porch is great because every house in the neighborhood participates in porchfest. you go from house to house. a really cozy neighborhood where

people like each other. this is only 754 square feet. little or big, whatever you want to call it. look at the fence. you get a big fence with this little house. inside it has a modern kitchen with big glass doors that open the room to the outside. i like the brown touch on the wall. it really pops the cabinets. black granite counters. it's fresh and sexy for a nice little house. the living room isn't big but has bamboo floors which suit it is house well and two hopper windows and the brick fireplace make it a friendly room. it's not that big. there is a sunny blue office and it has a separate entrance. you can feel like your business is away from home. the panel door leads to the great outdoors and there is a private backyard which needs a new fence and furniture. the fact is it could be nice and it's the only thing in the house that's not perfect.

>> now to the home of brett favre, hattiesburg, mississippi. >> this is a southern style house with a shaded covered front porch. it has a separate garage you see off to the left. the kitchen has old fashioned white cabinets, tile counters and a leaded window over the sink. that middle thing -- >> it makes everything so small. >> get rid of it immediately. the sunny breakfast room has plantation shutters. it feels spacious, appropriately designed with a glass door and a nice window above. charming. the living room light is blocked by the shades that really ought to come down because it is a sunny room. it has long windows, a stone fireplace and nice crown molding. let that sunshine in. >> what about the big armoire thing? >> it's nice. big. it just lacks light in the room.

the faster bedroom has an oversized window. that's a charmer. that window is a knockout. an inviting seating area and wood floors. out back you have your own private forest. look at this. >> gorgeous. >> lovely. just small enough to feel cozy and private surrounded by mature trees. >> now to phoenix, arizona. nicknamed the valley of the sun. we have a contemporary three bedroom home for $282,5 00. this is a nicely landscaped contemporary home on a cul-de-sac. i like that they were clever enough to photograph it at dusk. much prettier at that time of day. the kitchen looks straight out of a magazine. blond wood cabinets, granite counters and an open dining rare area. that's a lovely family space. the living room photo is photographed again at night. unusual but it shows off the

recessed lighting. >> looks like a magazine. >> it's great. it's sexy. that was a great move. there is a snug office clever as can be off the corner of the living room. that's a smart move. it's carved out of the entry hall but counts as another room. the backyard looks like an oasis. it's elegant. man cured. >> is that a fire pit? >> i think they don't use the fire pit because they are busy mowing that lawn. perfect for that climate. you need that cover. >> lastly, frisco, texas. just outside of dallas. >> not only outside of dallas but it's the fastest growing city in america by population and jobs. shopping, museums and lots of jobs. a whacky looking front. >> almost looks like a mall. >> yes. it does. people like that kind of thing in that part of the country.

there you have it. it's grand and impressive. five bedrooms, three and a half baths and 4,000 some square feet. look at the nice stepway. makes you look like you will see something special and you do when you get inside. formal dining room. a stop sign red, orange, whatever. wrong move. but it is what it is. that's the dining room with a great picture window and lovely molding. the house is fancy enough to have a parlor with crown molding. that's a spare room to hang out in. the kitchen is big enough to land a plane in. look at that thing. miles of expensive cabinets and counter tops. flagstone patio with two umbrellas. they're opposites. i don't get it. >> what's going on there? >> a lovely backyard if you get those umbrellas to match. beautiful home. $299,000. >> for that you can get matching umbrellas. >> you bet.

>> good to see you. >> thank you, al. >> we're back with much more of "today" after these messages. 's new baked pasta romanas. ruffled pasta, layered with creamy fontina and asiago cheeses, and oven-baked just for you. try it with pan seared chicken with toscano tomatoes.

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executives. tell us about your donation. >> good morning. thanks for joining thanks for having us. we are so excited to donate 10,000 ugly dolls. this brings our total over a million dollars to donate. it's important to give and we are happy about it. >> you come back year after year. what is it? >> there are kids all over north america and the toy drive that you do is so amazing. it allows tous reach kids from new york to california. everybody in between. it's important to give for the holidays. >> nice to give things kids love. my dog loves the ugly dolls, too. >> i love them. >> i love your hat. >> thank you. >> why are kids crazy about us? >> they're like us. they love candy, cookies. i had them on my bed and backpack. >> how many do you have? >> like all of them. my friends love them. >> thank you so much. we appreciate it. don't forget, we need everyone's

help to get needy kids toys. kids up to age 18. donate on the plaza. the nbc experience store. details at today.com. >> coming up, natural remedies after your local news and weather. can you believe it another thanksgiving. oh your turkey was delicious like always sweetheart. ah...thanks mom. bye. drive safely. yes, we will we will love you. ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ♪ ♪ toys in every store.

egg nog? ♪ the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be on your own front door ♪

>> good morning. there is sun out this morning, a little weather disturbance to the north, the moisture will stay to the north. we might pick up a few scattered clouds. a mixture of sun and clouds. chilly side but low to mid 50's for the high. saturday and sunday looked dry

an through my attempts to get pregnant through ivf we sadly found out that i have early stages of breast cancer. and it's been a shock. >> that's giuliana rancic, e news host and reality star. back in october she announced here on "today" that while going through fertility treatments she found out she had breast cancer. she's going to be back here on monday on "today" to tell us how she's doing. of course as you might imagine she's had quite the outpouring of support after she came forward with the shocking news. >> we all wish her the best. in the meantime just ahead we'll

look at something you're really into. natural remedies, things that will cure the things that ail us. traditionally you think of them as old wives tales but some work from cherry juice to dark chocolate and chamomile tea. what can treat everything from cough, high blood pressure and why they work. >> when it comes to your kids out in san francisco they have actually banned the high calorie fast food meals that come with toys because they want to curb childhood obesity. now big names like mcdonald's and burger king have come up with a clever way around the rule. it's controversial. some say, now you're violating the spirit of the law. we'll tell you about it. >> all right. who doesn't like a nice steaming bowl of hot soup? >> who doesn't? >> right now. >> it would be very nice. in today's kitchen, we are going to be showing you how to make

fantastic butternut squash and crab bisque. first let's check in with our own weekend bisque -- >> that's bisque. >> sounds like you were going to practice that. >> that was dangerous. >> he pulled it off. >> this weekend. >> my heart is thumping. we have a big show. 23 days left before christmas. i don't know if you mentioned it once or eight times so far. we have to get shopping. we'll talk about the biggest mistakes consumers make while holiday shopping. we'll tell you how to avoid pitfalls that can cost big money. plus, from "happy days" and "pretty woman" gary marshall tells us his plans for "new year's eve," the movie. probably not his personal plans. we'll ask him. and who's that girl? she just turned 5 and looks just like mom. can you tell? wait until you hear who she is.

>> who is she? >> no, no. >> you may get up early saturday and sunday to watch. >> i'll tell you. >> oh, my god. you've got to watch this weekend! >> crazy. >> in the meantime how about the weather. >> that's comedy. >> let's show you what's happening as far as the weekend is concerned. saturday and sunshine. showers on the eastern coast of florida. heavy rain in texas into the mid mississippi river valley. nice but windy out west. then on sunday, the sunny and mild conditions continue along the east coast with the exception of new england. heavy rain in the gulf coast to the mid ohio river valley. look for frigid conditions in the plains. >> you will see cloud cover drifting in from time to time.

drifting in from time to time. the high now that it's friday that means we can get ready for the best night of the week, sunday night, football night in america. get them lions from detroit down to new orleans. the mercedes benz superdome. it's a dome, so the weather will be good inside. but outside it will be cloudy and mild. temperatures mid to upper 60s on the best night of the week. sunday night, football night in america. >> how are we supposed to go on after that? >> i don't know. that's not my job. >> al, thank you. now let's bring in charles from

"neverland" a new syfy series. it tell it is back story of peter pan and captain hook. >> it's a prequel. it's how "neverland" came about. i play a 500-year-old apothecary. i made "neverland." it's the most extraordinary place. i created it. i harnessed the power of two as steroids and it's fantastic. >> the thing we didn't realize, captain hook wasn't always a bad guy. >> indeed not. something happened to him and his life changed a little. >> sounds like "wicked," the back story of oz. i think keiera knightley is the voice of tinker bell. so we have familiar faces. >> and a unfamiliar faces. captain hook, that's a strange

mixture. you have to see it. but it takes you on a most wonderful trip. for sure. >> that sounds cool. fantastic. thank you so much. you can watch part one of "neverland" this sunday at 9:00/8:00 central on syfy. >> charles, thank you so much. >> nice to see you, al. >> and smartly, he leaves. he knows how to make an exit. hey, what ails you? we'll try to help you cure it with all natural remedies. first, these messages. sally, you don't need toys when you have... ♪ imagination ♪ imagination imagination ♪ ♪ helps you see the world in different ways ♪ yay! yay! ♪ this is a pony ♪ and this is a choo-choo ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. and this is a... [ male announcer ] with a wii twist. what is this? [ male announcer ] netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through wii and nintendo 3ds. all for only 8 bucks a month.

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there's only one cascade. love it, or your money back. it's good. honey, i love you... oh my gosh, oh my gosh.. look at these big pieces of potato. ♪ what's that? big piece of potato. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. this morning on today's health, natural remedies. 4 of 10 adults are turning to alternative medicine to help with certain health problems, but do they work and are they safe? today nutritionist joy bauer is here with a list of the most effective natural health remedies. >> good morning. they work. >> that's what our grandparents told us. we would hear people pass along great advice and they work. >> some of them do work. the ones we'll go over are natural food remedies. there is no down side. you may as well try them. you can alleviate lousy symptoms

you may be having. >> what are the natural concerns we should have here? >> certainly if you have a serious medical condition like diabetes or high blood pressure, first you want to go with your doctor's advice. a lot of times that will involve prescription traditional medications. these are natural food remedies and things we'll go over are safe. but the intense concentrated herbs, supplemented herbs and things, check it out with your doctor. >> the first thing you have is vinegar for lowering blood pressure. >> blood sugar. >> i love this strategy, particularly for people with type 2 diabetes. if you take in two to four teaspoons of vinegar with the meal or before the meal it can blunt the rise in blood sugar you get from the meal. nobody wants a shot of vinegar, but mix vinegar with olive oil and start your meal with a salad

or drizzle balsamic on a vinegar, tomato and onion along with your meal to reap the benefits. >> mixing it with the food makes it the same. >> we have honey. for years we have honey that helps with a lot of things. >> plain old honey helps your child falls asleep when coughing. again, regular honey helps to coat and soothes the throat and loosens mucus. for kids 1 to 6. no honey for kids under 1. half a teaspoon 30 minutes before bedtime. if kids are over 6 you can have one teaspoon up to two. >> same effectiveness in adults? >> absolutely. this is good news. the american academy of pediatrics is not recommending cough syrup for young kid spms for menstrual cramps, a specific

tea. >> chamomile tea. the herb has been around for years used as traditional medicine. the reason i particularly like chamomile is it elevates glycine in the body which is an amino acid which squashes muscle spasms. it will help women who struggle with cramps to feel better. one to three cups a day during the menstrual cycle. it's caffeine free so you don't have to worry about it interrupting sleep. >> and pepper mint oil for people with irritable bowel syndrome. it relaxes the muscles in the lining of the intestines. pick up pepper mint capsules and take one three times a day, 30 minutes before a meal. it can really help. >> that's a nice list of things. put those many your medicine cabinet. >> food as medicine. we love it. >> up next, the ban on kids' meal toys.

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it's me? alright emma, i know it's not your favorite but it's time for your medicine, okay? you ready? one, two, three. [ both ] ♪ emma, emma bo-bemma ♪ banana-fana-fo-femma ♪ fee-fi-fo-femma ♪ em-ma very good sweety, how do you feel? good. yeah? you did a really good job, okay? [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson. in an effort to fight childhood obesity san francisco has banned fast food restaurants from giving away free toys along with kids meals. now big chains have a plan that a critics say violates the spirit of that law. nbc's george lewis is in los angeles this morning with the latest on this. good morning, george. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. if you're a parent or a grandparent with small children, this happy meal and the toy that

comes inside are no surprise to you. but now in san francisco the toys will no longer be free. that's because of a new law in the name of public health. >> who is that? >> hello kitty. >> they first think about the toy. >> reporter: san francisco stirred up a national debate last year when it passed a law designed to keep fast food chains from using toy giveaways to sell the type of high fat meals that nutritionists say kids should avoid. >> so it's low in nutrients and high in calories. and the toy is an attraction to get the kid to eat the food. that's not a good connection. >> reporter: now that the law has taken effect, mcdonald's found a way for kids to have their toys and eat happy meals, too. the solution? selling the toys for ten cents apiece with the purchase of a happy meal, of course. the company says that proceeds will be donated to the ronald mcdonald house charity. burger king says it's planning to do something similar.

supervisor eric maar who drafted the ordinance said it is a cynical way around a law designed to fight childhood obesity. >> they are being sneaky and manipulative about getting around a local law. >> reporter: franchise owner scott roderick who has ten mcdonald's locations in the city says the new system is driven by what customers want. >> they wanted us to provide choice on our menu. they wanted us to follow the letter of the law. >> reporter: roderick calls the law misplaced saying that mcdonald's added a variety of healthier options to its menu in recent years. >> customers want lower fat items, more nutritious items. >> we have healthier options but we want them to meet basic standards. >> reporter: supervisor maar says mcdonald's and burger king are manipulating the spirit of the law, but maintains san francisco's efforts sent an important message to the fast food giants. >> we have raised childhood obesity and the connection of big fast food to a national level.

>> reporter: mcdonald's in a press release notes that it is making the happy meals more healthful, downsizing french fries and adding things like apple slices as san francisco keeps up pressure on the fast food chain. >> weren't there ten french fries in there earlier? now there's just one in the bag. >> there is nothing like day old french fry, savannah. >> george lewis in los angeles, thank you. up next, a bowl of warm goodness for the long winter nights. first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning in today's holiday kitchen, butternut squash and crab bisque, perfect for cozy nights in front of the fire. here, the star of chef roble and company. good to see you. >> good to see you.

>> excited for the new show? >> very excited. >> we're excited about the soup. first of all, butter nutsquash, one of my favorites. this is an easy soup to make. >> straightforward. >> how do we start? >> i have onions sweating in the pan. going to add in the ginger and garlic, get your aromatics in there. let it sweat down in the pan for a few minutes. add in white wine. >> nice. >> and chicken stock right here. get that in there. stir it around a little bit. now for the star of the show, the butternut squash. >> right. >> we have raw squash cubed here. >> which you can buy already peeled in the store. >> actually, yes, sir, they have that. go with that or roast it off. oil, salt, pepper, 400 degrees for 20 minutes. >> i make this as a side dish at home. >> definitely. it adds another level of flavor. >> sweeter. >> yes.

it's good to get the char on the edges. right in the pot. let it simmer for an hour. everything's pretty much cooked. you're just bringing the flavors together, letting them marry. then once it goes down you have all the veggies and aromatics. take two ladles of that into the blender. blend everything together. we need to season it at all. hook me up with a little salt and pepper. all right. there we go. >> all right. >> and give it a little whiz in the blender. nice and easy. like that. super simple. >> uh-huh. >> little bit more. and right into the bowl. we have the crab already in the bowl. see if i can do it without making a mess.

>> here we go. >> all around, just like that. >> very nice. >> here i have creme fraiche flavored with rum and vanilla. normally you would have heavy cream. >> there is a little bit of heartiness there. >> little bit of that around. >> ooh! >> beautiful. >> there we go. >> just in time. >> you can serve them socially like this at a cocktail party. >> i like that. >> cheers. >> chef, thank you so much. you can catch the series premiere sunday night at 10:00/9:00 central on bravo. >> coming up, hoda and kathie lee choose lucky ladies for an instant ambush makeover. >> there is no crying in catering. i love that line. first your local news and we