♪ we're back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning. it's the 14th day of december, 2011. let's just stop and take a gander, shall we, at some of the nice people who are waving to their friends back home. even as they enjoy the holiday season here in new york city. >> better a gander than a goose. >> exactlyright. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with al roker and savannah guthrie. ann has apparently decided to -- there she is. you know what, can i be honest with you? you know what happened? >> i was eating all of mark bittman's food, sorry. >> she ate her body weight in finger food. >> a programming note -- 9:00 open is like 9. not 9:00ish. >> i apologize. forgive me. >> we have a lot to get to in this half hour. serious story in the last 24 hours.

former assistant football coach at penn state, jerry sandusky, waves his right to a preliminary trial in his child sex abuse case. that would have given him the opportunity to hear from some of thinks accusers face-to-face in court. so what happens next? by the way, his attorney then spoke out after court and fanned the flames a little, saying some of the accusers, he feels, are in this just for the money. how do the accusers' attorneys feel about that? we'll hear from one of them in a kip couple minutes. the third leading cause of death, stroke. we'll examine what some of the risk factors are from smoking to high blood pressure to lack of exercise and why there are some symptoms specific to women. we'll get some good information coming up. also this morning, we're going to talk about a dream i think most of us have. and that is to retire early. >> oh, that dream. >> that dream. it's a dream i think for a lot of people they question how. we'll think about the logistics. but we have some advice this morning on how much you want to be thinking about saving, your

pensions, all that good information. you can have that dream and make it come true. >> all right. and a programming note. tomorrow here on "today," the golden globe nomination being announced. and we are going to have that for you. but right now, we've got an exclusive world premier. if you like borat, we think you'll love the new sasha cohen movie, "the dictator". ♪ >> ah, america. >> welcome to new york city. and while you're here, i highly recommend a visit to the empire state building. before you or one of your cousins takes it down. ♪ >> on your mark, get set. [ shotgun ] [ more shots ]

>> sasha cohen. he's going to be here to tell us about it when the movie comes out in a few months. >> is it true that every single role he has taken in a major movie, he has to tape at least one scene in his under pants? >> he does not in "hugo." but he is with the dog. >> there you go. >> and he's in his underwear. >> let's go inside, natalie standing by at the news desk. hi, natalie. >> good morning once again. in the news this morning, former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky is preparing to put his life on the line in a court of law. this morning, sandusky's attorney said his client maintenance he is innocent of child molestation charges and will not accept a plea deal. i spoke to an attorney for one of the alleged victims earlier this morning, and he said he is outraged some people think the accusers are looking for a pay-out. >> you know, if you gave my client the option, you could have a blank check and throw in as many zeros as you want, or you can take back what happened to you with mr. sandusky, every

single time he has gone and requested to take back what happened with mr. sandusky. >> two other penn state officials charged in connection with an alleged cover-up face a pretrial hearing on friday. two former ball boys for the syracuse university basketball team have filed a lawsuit against the school and the team's coach for defamation. the step brothers and another man say they were molested as children by former assistant coach bernie fine who was later fired. but when the allegations first came to light, coach jim boeheim said the accusers were lying and just looking for money. real estate mogul donald trump is pulling out of a gop presidential debate he was set to moderate in iowa. trump says he wants to keep his options open for a presidential bid of his own, but the debate had raised eyebrows, as only newt gingrich and rick santorum agreed to participate. time is ticking away for congress to pass an extension of the payroll tax cut. a republican bill to do it easily passed in the house, but the senate majority leader, harry reed says it's dead an arrival there.

democrats opposed the measure, because it would force work on a big pipeline and cut spending without raising taxes on the wealthy. lawmakers face a january 1st deadline before the payroll tax would jump. if the government has its way, you won't be able to make any phone calls while you're driving, even with those hands-free devices. according to the national transportation safety board, talking while driving is simply too dangerous in any form, and they're urging all states to enact a ban. and here's proof that love can warm your heart, even in the world's coldest place. a photographer in antarctica captured these incredible photos of these two penguins looking like their holding hands. ate fellow showed up, but gave him the cold shoulder, because we all know two is a company, three is a crowd. if you haven't done your christmas cards yet, this might not be the family to give you inspiration. but the johnson family has a tradition that started cute when michael, valerie and erica were kids. but now that they're grown up,

it has gotten ridiculous. for 20 years, mom sue has gotten whatever she wants for the christmas card family photo from toy soldiers to tree ornaments. this year, she roped in the family dog and her new son-in-law as the sheep to her shepard. oh, boy. watch out, she says. this new year's she is going to make a card with everyone in diapers. six minutes past the hour. let's turn it over to al with a check of your weather. al, be grateful you're not born in that family. >> getting a head start on the card. we'll show you what's going on for today. a risk of strong storms from austin all the way to oklahoma where we could see some tornadoes. you can see just to the north there, we've already got some active weather going on from chicago, minneapolis, back into st. louis, heavy storms. we could be looking at anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of rain for kansas city, chicago, down to st. louis. and that could cause some airport delays, dallas, kansas city, st. louis, chicago, detroit and minneapolis. >> good morning.ing on around

the average high temperature is 46. we will be above that mark this afternoon. but the clouds will be thickening up. ♪ money money money >> and time for today's money 911. that's where we answer your financial questions and dole out some expert advice. this morning we've got jean chatzky, the author of money 911. david backe, author of "debt free for life." and sharon epperson, personal finance correspondent for nbc and cnbc.com. good morning. >> good morning, al. >> we go right to skype with y

von skyping from santa barbara, california. good morning, yvonne. >> how are you? >> good. what's your question? >> good morning. i'm 55 years old, and about a year-and-a-half ago, i was able to take advantage of an early retirement offer. i haven't started drawing my pension, but i'm thinking about starting. so i received some estimates, giving me an idea of how much i could expect in terms of a monthly annuity, based on the age at which i begin. but what are the options given is to take my pension benefits as a partial lump sum payment with a diminished monthly annuity. so i have a couple questions. one of which is, are there any consequences to beginning my -- to collect my pension benefits now, as opposed to waiting the ten years until i'm 65? and secondly, what are the advantages or disadvantages of taking that partial lump sum payment? >> okay, jean? >> okay. so the consequences of taking the money sooner rather than later just the way it works with social security, is that if you wait, you get a larger payment later on.

and that's because the calculations figure, if you take it when you're older, you'll live fewer years, the money will last a longer period of time. the lump sum is a different story. if you take a lump sum, the biggest worry is that something will happen with that money. you will not manage it properly. and for that reason, it won't last as long as you live. so if you need some money now and you choose to go the lump sum route, talk to a financial adviser, make a plan, make sure you know how that money is invested and that you're doing it in a way so you can be sure you're not with drawing too much too early. >> thank you, yvonne. now we go to twitter. this one sent in by mark reads, i received a $15,000 a year raise, raised my 401(k) contributions 10%. what's another investment? >> i love it. this is one of those questions, al, where mark, if you take that increase in pay, your raise, and you don't spend it -- most get a raise and increase their lifestyle. if you don't spend the extra

money, live like you never got the raise and save that money, it will change your entire financial future and probably make you a millionaire by the time you retire. here's what i would do, i would take that raise, a third of it, and throw it into the 401(k) plan. you said on twitter you're putting 12% into your 401(k) plan. i would up it to 15% if your 401(k) plan let's you up it more, i would up it to 17%. then i would take what's left, and you're going to have about another $10,000 left. i would put half in into a bucket for emergency purposes. we always talk about that. get your emergency savings up and take the other half -- other $5,000 and put that into a savings account for a down payment for a home, assuming you haven't bought one. so i would start saving to buy a home. those three buckets, don't touch the money and you will have a sound financial future. and most importantly, don't put that money into a checking account. >> all right. now -- >> yeah. let's go to the phones, we have mark from florida. mark, good morning. >> good morning, al. how are you today? >> good. i like that voice. digging your voice, mark.

what's your question? >> well, we are presently current on our mortgage. however, to stay current, we will have to start using our retirement funds. we were told that we now qualify for the hamp program, but need to stop paying our mortgage to be considered. our question is, what will happen to our excellent credit score, which is over 800 ask associated credit rating, which is an a-plus? >> wow. well, you definitely don't want to stop paying your mortgage, because you won't have the excellent credit rating any longer. and, of course, you want to get into this hatch program, the home affordable modification program, but you don't have to be did he lynn equipment on your mortgage to qualify. the requirement is you show financial hardship. and what that generally means, your mortgage payment is 31% or more of your income. if that is, in fact, the case, then you may qualify for this modification program. now, some lenders have their own modification programs, and they have other requirements, which is why the lender may have told

you this. what you want to do, though, think about whether this modification program really works for you. we know that refinancing with mortgage rates now at record lows, that may be a better deal, because if you go to the federal program, you try to modify, and it takes often three, nine months, you get the reduced payment and at the ends of the trial period you don't actually get it, then you have to make those payments to be current on your mortgage. you still may face foreclosure. this is something you really want to be careful about. and one of the reasons why i think a refinancing may be a better deal for you right now than trying to do the modification. >> good advice. jean chatzky, david backe and sharon epperson, thanks so much. coming up next, understanding the risks and warning signs of strokes. what every woman needs to know right now. and later, one of the hottest gifts of the year. pajam pajamas! we're going to show you some of the best looks right after these messages. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic low back pain. imagine living your life with less chronic osteoarthritis pain.

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this morning on "today's" health, understanding stroke. they are the third-leading cause of death for women, but often women are unaware of the tell-tale signs or how to prevent one. dr. carrie peterson is a contributor to "health" magazine. good morning. >> good morning. >> let's lay it out, what a stroke is, and how common they are with women. >> sure. a stroke is when the blood supply to your brain is compromised. and when that little piece of brain is not getting oxygen or nutrients, it starts to die. and there's really two different types of strokes that can do this. the first is called an ischemic stroke, and that's the most common one. about 90% of strokes are ischemic. this is when the blood vessel is obstructed or blocked from either a clot or argument row clear owesis in contrast to a hemorrhagic stroke, known as a brain bleed and the blood vessel leaks. >> and then there tias, a mini stroke. >> that's a temporary disruption

of the blood supply, so the symptoms usually resolve on their own. >> are men and women equally at risk of getting a stroke? >> well, the statistics for strokes for women are actually quite distressing, savannah. first off, women die twice as often from strokes than breast cancer. as you may have mentioned, it's the third-leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. and women get more strokes than men. and the simple reason is that strokes increase as you age, and women outlive men, so they have more strokes. and they get more disability from strokes. >> let's talk about risk factors. i know some men and women have in common and some risk factors are specific to women. >> sure. the ones they have in common are similar to heart disease, family history, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes. being overweight and lack of exercise. but women have additional risk factors that are specific to them. and the first is that if you have a thick waist, greater than 32 inches, your likelihood of

stroke goes up six times. >> wow. >> another is high triglycerides, a contributing factor. migraines, women who have migraines are three to six times more likely to have a stroke than women who don't. >> is there a particular age where women are more at risk for a stroke? >> it's really as you age. so once you hit age 55, every decade after that, your risk doubles. >> let's do symptoms. some symptoms men and women have equally, some symptoms are specific to women. >> that's right. so symptoms that both men and women will have, you may be familiar with. weakness or numbness on one side of the body, confusion, trouble with speech or sight, trouble walking, and severe headache. but women may get additional symptoms that they may not identify as being a stroke. for example, hiccups, kind of a surprise. >> really? >> an unusual one. nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath and palpitations all unique symptoms for stroke. >> but you would expect to have some of these symptoms in conjunction with other symptoms. >> yes. you may have a combination, correct. >> okay. now, talking about preventing a

stroke. i mean, what are the -- your best prevent active tips? >> prevention is very similar to your prevention for heart disease. you want to reduce your blood pressure, reduce your cholesterol. don't smoke. control your diabetes. maintain your weight. exercise regularly, and drink in moderation, if at all. >> if you have had a stroke, i know sometimes doctors prescribe a medication to prevent another one. or do they ever give this medication, proef lactically if they think you're at risk for a stroke? >> that's true. they do. it's called primary prevention are. what your doctor will do is assess your factors and if you fall in a high-risk category, you will be placed on an agent with thins the blood. >> okay. so bottom line, what age do you and to really start paying attention to this? >> you should start initiating lifestyle factors that we discussed in your 20s. in your 30s. >> yeah, okay. dr. carrie peterson, good information. thank you so much. >> thank you. and coming up, comfortable, affordable and just about everyone has a pair. we have the hottest looks in pjs.

but first, these messages. [ female announcer ] everybody loves that cushiony feeling. uh oh. i gotta go. [ female announcer ] and with charmin ultra soft, you can get that same cushiony feeling you love while still using less. charmin ultra soft has extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent. so you can use four times less versus the leading value brand. ah. [ female announcer ] using less never felt so good. we all go... why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra soft. mom, we're dying. no you're not, you're just hungry. make some totino's pizza rolls. we don't have any! front... left, totino's. [ male announcer ] well done mom! less drama, more fun! totino's pizza rolls. less drama, more fun! why se ttle less drama, more fun! for a why se one-note cereal? ♪ more, more, more... get more with honey bunches of oats 4 nutritious grains come together for more taste, more healthy satisfaction. get more with honey bunches of oats.

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the toys collected this morning by robin wright of the much-anticipated movie "the girl with the dragon tattoo" on their way to a lot of kids, and matt damon as well helping out. pretty nice. >> "we bought a zoo". we want to thank everyone who helped us for bringing toys for underprivileged kids. they have been sent and we will continue to send them through

next week. so please be sure to send more. >> joining us now, chris daught daughtry. thanks for being here. >> thank you, sir. >> it's really terrific. >> we're partnered with duracell, we use them all of the time on the road, so we're doing the holiday insurance program, giving to families in need. and they're donating 180,000 packs of batteries for the toy drive. >> great. >> a lot of charities have asked for the batteries. that will go a long way. and you have a concert on facebook. how do we get on? >> 3:00 p.m. today. log on to facebook.com/duracell, and we'll be in your living room or wherever else you facebook. >> thank you so much. we know you just got back from visiting and performing for the troops. >> thank you so much. >> and we want to remind everybody that the toy drive continues to december 21st. you can still donate online, today.com. and coming up next, colin powell here, will tell us how to make our tables look pretty for the

holidays. but first your local weather. what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. developed with dermatologists... it's clinically proven to remove 99% of dirt and toxins and purify pores. and with natural willowbark it contains no dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. dirt and toxins do a vanishing act and my skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena naturals. no exclusions. with jcpcash get $10 off when you spend just $25. storewide. unlike other stores, we don't make you come back to save. get $10 off with... ...no exclusions. we make christmas affordable. you make it yours. jcpenney. that's why i take doctor recommended colace capsules. [ male announcer ] for certain medical conditions where straining should be avoided, colace softens the stool for effective relief from occasional constipation. go to colacecapsules.com for savings.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is a wbal tv 11 news update. >> we will have a stretch of mount weather over the next few days, but the chance for rain will go up as well. we will not get rain until tonight. mostly cloudy for today. slight chance for rain showers tonight did better chance tomorrow. high of 55.

what kind of adult is he going to turn into? >> i don't know. that's what i have you for. >> could be one of those guys who falls in love with the very first boss -- owe i mean beautiful -- lady who tells him what to do. >> like write the check? >> how is that for star power? that is sandra bullock with tom hanks in they're new movie "extremely loud and incredibly close" and sandra will be here to tell us about that and more tomorrow on "today." >> i loved that book. it's one of my favorite books. >> powerful, powerful movie. >> heartbreaking but also whimsical. i'm really looking forward to the movie. coming up in this half hour, we are dressing up your holiday table, and, in fact our busy little elves are dressing up, creating the most spectacular parties around. here with budget-conscious

centerpieces that can jazz up any holiday gathering. we had a chocolate mishap over there. >> you would never know it. >> and then as we artfully zoom into our next segment. according to an online source, top trending gifts of the year, you're looking at it, pajamas. so whether they're for you or someone you love, we'll show you the best and most affordable looks for men, women and kids. i think pajamas are the best gift. >> especially with a flap in the back. >> i saw hannah anderson, the candy canes. >> in the meantime, in "today's" cooking school, the three of us get in on the action today. we are going to learn how to make juicy and tender pork chops with three different recipes. >> all right. delicious. >> chris kimball. first a check of the weather. >> absolutely. today we have sunshine up and down the east coast, some strong storms possible. texas on into oklahoma. rain into the ohio and

mississippi river valleys. air stagnation alerts continue in the pacific northwest. tomorrow, rain moves into the coastal sections of the northwest. more rain, new england, new york state, down on into the gulf coast. some windy conditions around the central great lakes with a few snow showers. that's what's going on around t' >> good morning. expect increasing clouds today. temperatures will be slightly above average. >> and that's your latest weather. next, affordable ideas to make your holiday table the center of attention. coming up right after this. [ female announcer ] ornaments are not for decorating.

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and this time of year, i send out a lot of gifts. sweater for mom, free shipping from brian. i'm brian andrews. i ship the gifts that last. the holidays are made here at l.l.bean. no, i wouldn't use that single miles credit card. hey, aren't you... shhh. i'm researching a role. today's special... the capital one venture card. you earn double miles on every purchase. impressive. chalk is a lost medium. if you're not earning double miles... you're settling for half. was that really necessary? [ male announcer ] get the venture card at capitalone.com and earn double miles on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? cover for me. i have an audition. hellmann's and holiday leftovers become irresistibly creamy turkey casserole. real delicious hellmann's. make it real. make it different.

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"today's" countdown to the holidays is brought to you by sears. this morning on "today's" countdown to the holidays, budget-friendly decor for a festive table. colleen cowie has ideas that will wow your guests. good morning, colin. >> good morning. >> happy holidays. always great to have you here. so you say we can pull together all of these centerpieces in it no time, right? >>. >> the most interesting thing, most comes from the supermarket. they're all edible. >> ooh, even better. okay, so let's get to it. >> for the first one -- when it comes to doing a buffet or bar, you want vertical to give more space. start with a foundation -- these are colors, orange and red. >> beautiful together. >> this is a top airy and we take a cone, wrap it with aluminum foil to keep it

hygenic, put toothpicks in there and secure. >> just the toothpicks is enough? and same with the apricots. and you like to serve it with whip cream? >> absolutely. the dipping sauces and whipped cream. and we have de this with shrimp and cocktail sauce, well. >> great idea. encourages your guests to get involved. >> and you can put this in the bottom of a candlestick holder. i loved the idea. >> put pineapples on, all secure. >> really easy and decorative. he hadable element. >> this is beautiful. i love that. now we love ginger bread houses. these have our theme here. >> this is actually a kit you find at target. really easy. it comes with everything. you can go the traditional route, it's so easy to make these. but then i kind of like the idea of doing something -- >> pepper mints? >> yeah, this is an easy one. we did the rocco one. this is the traditional.

>> okay. >> and this is the rocker, where they would be living in their gingerbread house. >> this is metallic candy. >> exact same frame. we put the swarovski elements in the bottom for a foundation. >> beautiful. >> easy to do, glue these on with icing. they stay on. works real well. >> perfect. >> it's mono chromatic. >> exactly. over here for the sugared fruit, this great display here. and this is a little more of the classic look. mpt absolutely. more opulent. >> how do you get the sugar to stay? >> egg white. paint it with egg white and put the sugar on top so everything is edible. and you're talking about a half dozen roses afterwards and something beautiful and elegant, fragrant, a satellite bowl with oranges and cloves inside. >> love the smell of cloves. >> and i always love candles. they make us look younger, like we have come back from somewhere fabulous. >> mood lighting.

festive environment. >> and ambiance. >> and sugar -- this is again the rocker look. you like the edge. >> exactly. this is mixed metals. >> what did you do? >> egg whites on the fruit. and we did sugar and glitter -- mixed glitter with the sugar. >> how did you get gold and silver? >> sprayed them first. >> can i eat those? >> this one you can't eat. and holiday ornaments, a nice foundation with the mixed metal runner. >> runners. >> silver and gold and good to go. and the great thing, all these will last for five days. >> beautiful. they are absolutely stunning centerpieces. colin coulee, always great ideas. coming up next, put on some slippers and comfy pjs, because we are throwing a pajama party. you're invited right after this. jeff. i'm a dad, coach... and i quit smoking with chantix. knowing that i could smoke during the first week was really important to me. [ male announcer ] along with support,

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done done done done done,done,done,done,done done done done ♪ "today's" holiday gift guide is brought to you by target. this holiday, santa has elves. you have target. this morning on "today's" holiday gift guide, pjs for the holidays. it is the hottest trending gift of the year, according to aol,

so whether you're treating yourself or your family, we have options. we have the editor of "in style" magazine. good morning. i can't be objective. i love pajamas as a gift. >> you can't go wrong with pajamas when you're gifting. there's something that people don't want to gift for themselves but when you get it as a gift from someone, you get excited because know you're going to wear them. >> we want to show off pj accessories. >> yeah, first are sleep mats. those are a great stocking stuffer from mary green, great for travel, cute and fun. >> yeah. >> and next we are going to do slippers. who doesn't love slippers? these are really great. they're a little more of a splurge, because they're really durable from you goes, great patterns and colors. >> you go out for the newspaper in those. >> lace is a really big trend right now, and these are great because you can wear them for day under a blazer. >> now we know -- you've got to put a blazer over that. now let's bring out our models. our first look is -- we've got

the kind of -- what do we call it long jane? >> long johns. >> lang long janes. >> vicki is our first model wearing the long john style pajamas from victoria's secret, $49.50 and they're great, a pastel pink color and pastels are great now. it fits her, they're not frumpy. >> it looks like her slippers match. >> they're from aerie, $19.50, fun prints and cozy. >> thank you so much. now we have paul who is rocking the classic pj look. >> yeah. paul looks really dapper in this classic style men's pajama set from j crew, $59.50, any man would love this as a gift. clean and crisp and wearing them with old navy slippers that are actually only $8. >> a screaming deal. >> yeah. >> feel good, paul? thumb's up? great. let's get you -- vicki was our first model.

marie is the next one. she is really getting into the holiday spirit. marie, come on out. these are so cute. this is josie natori? >> yes for target. limited edition. only 34.$34.99, beautiful print cozy and comfortable. they're sexy without being overly sexy because of the bright pattern. >> very sweet. and you could wear a tank cop. >> you could wear a tank top, the top open, really cute. >> very, very cute. and comes as a set, you don't buy it separate? >> comes as a set, yes. >> thank you very much, marie. now we make it a family affair. come on, family. >> beautiful family. >> how cute are you guys? so should we start with dana? >> dana is wearing american eagle from head to toe. and pajamas don't have to match. it's really modern when you mix it up with plaid bottoms and a solid top. the top is $39.50. the bottoms are $29.99 and we paired them with moccasin style slippers that are $39.50. >> okay. sandra looks great, too. what is she wearing?

>> just the classic plaid pajamas. everyone has owned these at some point in their life, comfortable, not tight-fitting, she can breathe. and paired them with a booty style slipper and they're great, because they go to her ankle so they keep her whole leg warm. >> and we saved the best for last. tyler. hi, cutie. >> tyler is adorable. she is wearing a onesy from j crew. this is what you want to see kids in during the holidays. really fun. kids love them, slip them on, they come in pretty prints and nice colors. >> kind of the union suit. >> the union suit, exactly. >> let's bring all our models out one more time for our pajama party. thank you so much. great idea for the holidays. good tips. >> thank you so much. all right, coming up next, the secret to juicy pork chops in today's cooking school. first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ silent night this morning in today's cooking school, pork chops. we are taught how to grill, bake our way to tender chops. >> still trying to figure out why we're playing "silent night." the illustrator of "cook's illustrated" magazine. good to see you. >> "rock around the clock." i'll take it. >> you said there are three basic approaches to pork chops. >> yeah. three kinds of chops. this is a blade chop, front of the pig, connective tissue, long, slow cooking. rib chop, very thin, we're doing that right now and a boneless center cut loin chop. the problem with pork, it doesn't have a lot of fat. and we like fat. >> it is the other white meat. >> no, in vermont, possum. >> wow! i'm going back here. >> okay. so we're going to do our week

night pork chops, starting with the rib chop. >> salt and pepper on one side. >> okay. >> and bone-in. >> bone-in -- bone has flavor. we're going to have a little bit of a sugar, 1/8 teaspoon. what we're doing is unusual. you don't want to overcook these. high heat is terrible. you start in a cold pan. >> cold pan. >> with a little bit of water. >> water? >> oil. sorry. always oil. >> i was like water, what? >> and salt on the other side. turn this on. this is going to cook five to ten minutes until you get a crust and the sugar helps -- >> caramelize, the brown yumminess. >> seven minutes later, there you go, the chops here. and turn that over. and this is going to get just another three or four minutes, something like that. >> it's always hard to get it just right in terms of the juiciness. what is the secret there? >> the secret is, there's three points when pork is overcooked, 125, 145, 165. 125, we're not eating raw pork. >> right. >> but 145 and over really

starts to lose moisture. you want pork out of the oven or pan about 140 or 145. once it comes out, we take them, plate them, add the juices back and now you have the juices. just reduce this down, add salt and pepper. reduce it down by half. you're going to go. >> that's it. and 12 minutes. >> 12 minutes cooking total. >> perfect. let's move over -- we're going to do the breaded chops. now, breaded coating -- you can't do shake and bake. >> i wish i invented shake and bake. we grind this, quarter cup of table salt, quarter water, problem is no bone. >> why do we brine? >> it allows the meat who hold moisture. >> but why use boneless? >> we're going to bake these. if you brine them, you don't need the bone. shake and bake with a bone -- >> all right. >> shake and bake with a bone. >> show us a preview.

>> we have a little bit of flour, egg whites and flour in here. and we also have a little bit of mustard. >> oh, i like that idea. >> and a chick coating, because -- thick coating. >> is that how you get them to stick really well? >> stick really well. the secret also is to do this in the oven 350 degrees, 15 minutes, prebrown the bread crumbs. we have garlic and shall lot, and then put it in here. >> gotcha. >> ooh. cover them up. >> and we'll get a nice, thick crust. >> when does this come in? >> you can add those, too, a little parmesan and parsley. >> sprinkle it? >> sure. >> like that? now i'm getting it on your fingers. >> that's okay. >> i know, but -- >> parmesan on my fingers. >> the other side? >> there we go. okay. >> all right. and how long does that guy go in the oven? >> high heat, 425 for about 20 minutes or so. and this works because we brined them. >> okay. looks good. >> finally, let me grab this. of this is the blade chop. the problem with a blade chop, a lot of connective tissue.

a couple tablespoons of oil, cup of onions, cooked them down five or ten minutes. now we add back garlic. two tablespoons of flour, chicken the sauce. and this is about apple flavor. so we have apple butter, two tablespoons of apple butter. and we also have -- cook that -- i believe you've cooked before. >> once or twice. >> a cup of apple cider. and now we get that going. and put these chops which we have already browned into -- there you go. he just puts his hands right over. >> real cook for you. >> there you go. would you like one of these? >> thank you. >> and then we're going to cook this with the top on for an hour and a half. this goes into an oven. and bracing. >> should you add liquid? >> you can add liquid. in the oven, hour and a half.

what happens, it's nice, even heat. if you put this on top of the stove, the heat comes from the bottom. so that way everything is nicely cooked and you end up with that. at the end, cider vinegar, apple butter. >> thank you so much. >> pleasure. of course, the recipe is on today.com. >> coming up, hoda and kathie lee, mail-order gifts you can eat. have a great day. ♪

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