we're back now with more of "today" on this thursday morning the 29th day of december, 2011. it is bright, beautiful, sunny in new york city. it's also a little chilly. it's 24 degrees. so our thanks to these nice people for sticking around and spending part of their morning with us. i'm matt lauer with savannah guthrie. savannah has been here while ann was taking some holiday time off. al is off as well. meanwhile, coming up, a bit of a change in the iowa gop presidential race. we have just five days to go until the primary. new polling showing that newt gingrich the former front-runner

has now fallen to fourth place behind that man right there in third place now the former senator rick santorum. so what's causing the shakeup? we'll talk to rick santorum and have the latest from the campaign trail coming up. >> pretty exciting race right now. also ahead have you already eaten and drank too much over the holidays? guess what? there's still one more night to get through. we'll help you enjoy your new year's without overdoing it and start 2012 off on the right foot. >> also ahead the question, what were the biggest celebrity moments of 2011? the ups and the downs? we'll take a look back at some of those. but before we do all that, let's go inside to natalie's office. tamron hall is at the news desk. >> hey, matt and savannah. good morning, everyone. it's a wild ride on the january 3rd iowa caucus where the gop presidential race is certainly heating up. nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd is in des moines. chuck, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, tamron. in this volatile republican race there's only been one candidate

who has tried to campaign the old fashioned way in iowa one county at a time, former senator rick santorum. he might finally see his efforts paying off. a new poll of iowa republicans shows rick santorum surging into third place behind mitt romney and ron paul and ahead of former front-runner newt gingrich. >> we feel the bigger numbers and feel very, very good about how everything is going and nice to see that reflected in some of the polls but we have a lot of work to do, a lot of work. >> reporter: gingrich is trying to spin his declining support telling nbc news he'd settle for a third or fourth place finish in iowa in saying he has his sights set on another key early state. >> south carolina. everyone who has won in south carolina has been the nominee. >> reporter: gingrich aiming to be the lone alternative to mitt romney compared that matchup to ronald reagan's old battles with moderate republicans like george h.w. bush. >> it's exactly the fight that

reagan was in with the establishment. it's amazing how none of the fault lines have changed. >> reporter: gingrich also used reagan to defend his own rhetoric. >> you seem to use a lot of charged words that only seem to throw gasoline on a partisan fire. as president are you going to tone that back? >> reagan wanted to communicate clearly and vividly to the american people. i want to communicate clearly and vividly to the american people. >> reporter: the former speaker then doubled down with even more combative rhetoric against president obama. >> i do believe he is a saul olinsky radical and i believe he taught that stuff in chicago and lives it in his mind. he believes in olinsky's world. >> reporter: one obstacle with christian conservatives pivotal in iowa is his marital history. asked about his relationship with his two ex-wives -- >> with my first wife we had a relationship because we share two daughters and two grandchildren and i think it is very respectful on both sides. >> your second wife? >> we don't have a relationship. >> reporter: if gingrich doesn't

get the republican nomination he isn't expecting a call to be the number two. >> can't imagine you'd be asked? >> i can't imagine i'd be asked. >> why? >> too strong a personality. would you want to be a presidential nominee with me as your vice presidential nominee? >> reporter: mitt romney, sensing an opening, is now redoubling his efforts here in iowa, blitzing the state with his electability argument. >> this is a critical race. i think to beat president obama we have to have someone who has a vision of what america can be and will make it stronger and more prosperous and create jobs. >> a little drama out here in iowa last night. the campaign cochair for michele bachmann left her campaign and announced his support for ron paul. kent sorensen said it had nothing to do with money as the michele bachmann campaign is alleging, but, clearly, bachmann doesn't have the resources to do a get out the vote effort a lot of her supporters would like to have happen. tamron? >> thank you, chuck. as he gains traction ahead of

the january 3rd caucus gop presidential hopeful and former senator rick santorum told us this morning his campaign has viability outside of iowa. >> this has been different than anybody else that's risen in this race. they haven't been tested and we have. people know there is authenticity here. they can trust me. what i say i'm going to do is what i've done in the past and we've got a good, strong record and a great vision for the future of shrinking the size of government dramatically. i've put out a plan to balance the budget in five years. i voted toughly over the years to cut spending and rein in entitlements. i've led on those things. we've got the record to back it up. >> santorum is projected to finish third in the iowa caucus next week. the u.s. navy is warning that it won't tolerate iran closing the strait of hormuz, a strategic oil route iran is threatening to close if the u.s. imposes sanctions against it. 1/6 of the world oil passes through the strait of hormuz. and this morning's memorial service for kim jong-il in

pyongyang marked the official start of his son's rule. kim jong un has been named supreme leader of the ruling party. the military and the people of north korea. he inherits the absolute rule of his father and grandfather before him. you might expect men to behave badly but what about holy men? police had to storm the church of nativity in bethlehem this week after rival groups of clerics clashed with broom sticks over the jurisdiction inside the church. the end of the year is a time to make a fresh start for some. that's why wednesday was good wednesday in times square. from bad relationships to bad vacations people wrote down their worst memories of 2011 and tossed them in a huge paper shredder except for one woman who needed a sledge hammer. she wanted to get rid of her ex's motorcycle helmet. he wore a pink helmet. there you have it. it is six past the hour. now back to stephanie with a check of the weather.

sledge hammer included in that one. >> i like that one. tamron, we have a family visiting from miami. the rest of the family is dressed properly with the scarf and the jackets. now he has the idea right with three shirts but just t-shirts. dad, why isn't he dressed properly? >> he is a teenager. >> good answer. he is starting to shiver. how about a family hug to warm up? that feels nice and good. all right. here is a look at where else you need to do a family hug through the great lakes where we do have some of that frozen stuff. otherwise the sunshine is in the south and down into texas. look at miami. 73 degrees. that's what you're missing out on. otherwise through the northern >> good morning. today is softly colder start but without the wind, it does not fail to bad. a mixture of sun and clouds.

savannah, i'm going to hook the family from florida up with these two from wisconsin. they know how to dress. no messing around in the midwest. >> thanks. this morning on "today's health" avoiding pit falls as you ring in the new year. if you're not careful you could wind up feeling lousy when 2012 arrives. our guest is the author of the book "what the yuk?" good morning to you. >> good morning. >> really is there a way to party smart? if you want to have fun on new year's eve? >> yeah. a little more time on damage control here. things can get a little out of control but we want to make it a healthy end of this year and healthy start to 2012. >> okay. let's just take this piece by piece. let's start with food. >> first of all, you go to the holiday party, new year's eve party. my first piece of advice is step away from the buffet table.

so of course we'll all want to eat a little something there but there is a way to strategize and kind of minimize the damage going on. number one, instead of using a full dinner plate try to use a salad plate. it's smaller. you won't pile on as much food. the other thing is before you start loading up with the plate, take a look at all of the options there so you can pick the ones you actually want rather than going from dish to dish taking a little bit of each thing you might not even end up really liking but eating because it's on your plate. >> right. >> the other thing definitely have a no seconds rule. whatever is on your plate you can eat but you're not going to go back. >> some of these parties are dinner parties. you can't eat before hand. >> i think it makes sense to have at least a snack before hand. often you're eating a little later than normal so you are very hungry and by the time you get there you'll have too much to eat. so get at least a snack in before you get to the dinner party. >> and appetizers can add up. i just think they're little and won't count often they're pretty high calorie so just watch what you're doing. >> let's not avoid it any

longer. you say pace the drinking. >> i know new year's eve is coming but yes. there is a way to drink a little more responsibly. so number one, do not drink on an empty stomach. we all kind of know this but you have to make sure that something is in your stomach to help absorb the alcohol so it doesn't get to your blood stream quite so quickly. the other thing that is a good trick is drink a glass of water in between every alcoholic drink you have. it's going to make you a little more full, less dehydrated and definitely help pace yourself. >> if you drink a lot of water maybe your hangover won't be as bad. >> exactly. you don't have to drink at every single party you go to. you get three parties in a row, pick one. >> what about sleep? this is important on any night but in particular on new year's. >> yeah. well the holiday times we're going out a lot, often sleep deprived. catch up the next day with a brief cat nap, just 30 or 40 minutes. a lot longer than that can often make you feel even more tired but a brief nap can really help energize. sleep deprivation is a problem. it can lead to depression. other things even short term. you want to try to get as much sleep as you can even if you're going to a lot of parties.

you don't have to be the last man standing. get home early. >> you can choose the events you really want to go to. you don't have to go to everything. >> exactly. >> let's talk about exercise. a lot of people fall off the exercise wagon during the holidays. >> yeah. unfortunately many people sort of take december off from their routine and this is not a good idea because this is a time when you're eating more, packing on pounds, and it's much easier to gain weight than to lose weight afterwards. so try to stick to your routine as much as you can even if it's a shorter workout. try to maintain it as often as you can and there are other ways to get exercise. if you're at the party get on the dance floor and boogie away. >> i love that tip. >> i love it too. you're not at the bar or the food table but having fun with your friends and burning calories. >> burn off all the little pigs in a blanket you couldn't pass up. >> exactly. >> this is a hard one. don't stress. >> this is supposed to be a happy time but it is very stressful. it is the end of the year. a lot of people thinking what did they accomplish? what more do they need to do? give yourself a break. don't over commit to too many things or too many people. if there are new year's eve

parties don't spend your time in a car. pick one or two. be kind to yourself. have some reasonable expectations for the new year. don't set really huge goals for 2012 but realistic, achievable ones. you don't want to be beating yourself up the whole time. >> thank you so much. i'll see you on the dance floor. >> yes. still ahead hot hair styles for your new year's party. create them at home. coming up next, from alec baldwin getting the boot from a flight to charlie sheen and his shenanigans we'll look back at the most memorable celebrity moments of 2011 right after this. you shouldn't just get it fast, you should also get it for free. that's why at h&r block... you could get money that's both fast and free on an emerald card. just bring in your tax information and get a refund anticipation check... in 7-14 days, for up to $9,999. you pay nothing out of pocket. hurry. this offer ends february 4th. why pay for fast money when you can get it for free? call 1-800-hrblock to make an appointment. h&r block. never settle for less.

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moments you're looking forward to... what if they were stolen from you? by alzheimer's. this cruel disease costs americans more than $180 billion a year, and could cripple medicare in the near future. the alzheimer's association is taking action, and has been a part of every major advancement. but we won't rest until we have a cure. you have plans... help the alzheimer's association protect them. act now, go to alz.org. from xufgs in the sky to hollywood heart break there was no shortage of entertainment news in 2011. many are calling it the year of the celebrity.

we have the global entertainment editor for the associated press with a look back at the highs and lows. good morning. >> good morning. >> we look like twins. good company. >> some of these celebrities may not make good company when you look at their behavior over the past year. >> this is our annual wacky and tacky list. we have the top five moments for your today show viewers. >> number five. >> celebrities blaehaving badlyn planes. you have alec baldwin booted off because he wouldn't stop playing a game. armstrong from green day was booted off a flight. celebrities run from the plane. >> i can forgive maybe on your little tablet but your name on the plane, unforgivable. >> alec was cute about it. he tweeted after. forget american airlines. just said, hey. i was wrong. i'm sorry this happened. >> all right.

at number four on your list? >> number four, arnold and maria. you know, maria doesn't make the list. arnold schwarzenegger does. he hit us with a triple whammy. we found out maria was filing for divorce and then found out why. arnold had been cheating with the housekeeper. had a child with the housekeeper. and the child is the same age as one of his children with maria. he just hit us with it. >> and i think he's been keeping a low profile. does that help him with the tackiness factor? >> i don't know if you can take away from that. this is a woman who was in their house every day. he was having an affair. in this case there is nothing arnold could say to defend it. he better keep a low profile. >> i think a lot of people would agree. let's move on to number three, certainly a wacky one. >> okay. so justin bieber who looks like a baby was accused of having a baby. >> he looks like a baby but it could be possible but in this case it is not. >> this woman comes out and says i have a young son and justin bieber is the father. justin came on the "today" show and told matt, the closest

you'll ever get to a maury povich moment that he is not the father. he took a paternity test. the lady later withdrew his claims. wasn't true. >> he handled it really well. he tried to at first keep a lightness about it but then handled the nature of it in a serious manner. >> he did. he got on top of the rumors. he didn't do a tiger woods where you stay back before releasing a statement. he said no. this isn't true. i'm not the father of this child. i'll take a paternity test. it's not mine. >> on our list as number two or your list as number two i believe it's actually should be called number 72. >> that's good. >> i didn't write it. >> i like that. kim kardashian's 72-day marriage. okay. so this -- >> is that wacky or tacky? >> both. just because of the fact that they cashed in on this and made an estimated $250,000 a day for every day they were married. so they had the e special we're seeing right now. they had the limited edition perfume. they sold the photo rights to the marriage. it was absolutely everywhere. her mother says it was not about the money.

kim thought she was in love and, you know? >> who are we to judge? we're not inside a marriage. >> but we will. when you put it out there, every time i watched it, i want those hours in my life back. is nothing sacred? >> no chance they'll reconcile? >> i don't think so. if you look back a year ago they are exactly where they were before they met each other. he is playing for the nets and she is doing well with reality tv. >> he got booed. >> big time. >> by the fans of the knicks. >> there was a reents poll saying he is the most disliked athlete. he has taken a hit because of it. but we americans have short memories. we'll forgive soon. >> we'll see. coming in at number one i think i hear a drum roll. >> winning. >> duh. i've got my tiger blood and i'm ready to roll. >> we have not seen a breakdown like this since britney spears shaved her head. charlie sheen this year, he introduced us to his goddesses. >> they are no longer his goddesses. >> they're gone. he went on a standup tour. he talked about having tiger

blood. he went completely off the deep end but also was in on the joke. he started to cash in on it on the comedy tour. >> i love your up side. but he was in on it. >> eventually. i think he lost it and then said wait a minute. this is my short little bit of fame. he has a new show in development. he got a big pay day from "two and a half men" and he is winning. >> will his career recover? this is considered the recovery? >> it is definitely going to recover. he got roasted this year. he is laughing all the way to the bank. you have to admit charlie sheen is the bad boy. we like to see charlie sheen act a little bit naughty. >> i think there needs to be another level past bad. >> he crossed over this year. >> interesting and entertaining. thank you very much. merry christmas. >> happy new year. still ahead speaking of new year want to celebrate the new year with an intimate night at home? we'll have the recipe for the ultimate romantic dinner for 2009. jamie lee curtis?? oh, hi, yes...wow, you really went all out on the decorations, huh?! yeah, but i'm so slow taking them down

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is a wbal-tv 11 news update. >> today should be a little nicer than yesterday. pleasant this morning. temperatures in the 20's and 30's. warm front out to our west. we will be watching precipitation. basically, it is a dry forecast. mixture of sunshine and an mixture of sunshine and an

charlie sheen, his first morning show interview. >> a lot to remember about 2011 and tomorrow we will do just that looking at some of the biggest stories of the year. we'll look back at how we covered them here on today." should be a good one. meanwhile, coming up in this half hour a new twist in the disappearance of a 20-month-old girl in maine. >> her father, who says he was last to see his little girl asleep in her bed nearly two weeks ago is now breaking his silence. we'll tell you what he is now saying about his missing daughter and get reaction from the girl's mother in an exclusive interview. >> all right. also ahead we'll lighten things

up considerably with a look ahead to a new year's celebration. we have easy, do it yourself hair styles so you can look your best on the big night. there's one of them. >> very glamorous. we'll see what the trick is for that do. then we'll head to the kitchen and learn to create the perfect, romantic dinner for two. ifou want to skip the crowds and celebrate with a special someone this year. i love this. >> filet mignon, a little chocolate. first a check of the forecast. >> let's look at your forecast for new year's eve. already got shut down yesterday by carl and savannah on any resolutions. they were like no we don't have any. i'm scared to ask. see? nobody does. your forecast at midnight, quite nice across the country and then as we focus in on what's happening here -- >> that is a baby crying?

>> a horn. >> oh, the new year's horn. hopefully you'll get a better horn. temperatures 40-degree range when the balan >> good morning. it will feel better into the afternoon with much less wind today. we will have increasing all that mild hair is going to give way to seasonal temperatures next week. >> thank you, stephanie. up next, where is little ayla? the missing toddler's mother speaks out in an exclusive interview right after this. is this your normal? jamie lee curtis?? oh, hi, yes...wow,

you really went all out on the decorations, huh?! yeah, but i'm so slow taking them down after all the fatty holiday food. but that's normal. what do you mean that's normal? it doesn't have to be. to me, normal, means feeling good inside. not slow. try some activia. activia helps with occasional irregularity, when eaten 3 times a day. keep a video diary and let me know about your new normal. love your new normal or it's free.

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[ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. today investigators are still looking high and low for a missing toddler in maine who disappeared nearly two weeks ago. we'll have an exclusive interview with ayla reynolds' mother in just a moment. but first let's get the latest from nbc's ron mott outside the house in waterville, maine where the little girl was last seen. ron, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, savannah. good morning to you. it's been 13 days since ayla reynolds disappeared from her dad's house here behind me. in that time authorities have searched the neighborhood and surrounding areas looking for the missing 20-month-old toddler

but have not found her yet and will not give up. for the 12th consecutive day police searched in and around the home of missing 20-month-old ayla reynolds and they're not giving up. the reward for information is now $30,000. police say they've received nearly 400 tips and investigators are looking into every one of them. since ayla disappeared, her father justin dipietro has not spoken to the media. on wednesday he released a statement saying, it's important that the public hear it from me personally that i have no idea what happened to ayla and that i'm not in hiding. dipietro told police he put his daughter to bed on december 16th. when he checked on her the next morning he says she was gone. at the time, investigators say ayla was wearing a soft cast for a broken arm. police describe her injury as an accidental fall. but her mother was suspicious. the day before ayla disappeared, trista reynolds filed for sole custody. >> since she's been there she's had a broken arm.

she's ended up missing. you know what i mean? i wasn't trying to be secretive by going to the court. i just didn't want to fight with him anymore. >> reporter: justin dipietro responded to the accusations, saying i would never do anything to hurt my child. the questions of ayla's arm or bruises or anything else being said are simply ludicrous. i have to believe that ayla is with somebody and i just want that person to find the courage to do the right thing and find a way to return her safely. the father has not been named a suspect in his daughter's disappearance. he says he is pleased with how police have conducted this investigation so far and he remains hopeful that someone will bring ayla back safe and sound. >> all right. ron mott, thanks. earlier this morning matt spoke to ayla's mother trista reynolds in an exclusive interview. he started by asking her what police have told her so far about the investigation. >> the same thing i hear on the news. they'll call me now first before i hear it on the news but it's

the same thing, that they're still investigating, they're still where we were 13 days ago. >> ayla was with her father when she was last seen. now he has not spoken publicly but he did release a statement through the police. first of all, let me ask you, do you think that justin dipietro has anything to do with your daughter's disappearance? >> i don't know. part of me feels yes and part of me feels no. it's just -- >> explain the part of you that feels yes. >> just, you know, he says he's not in hiding but why won't comb out and talk to me? why is he staying away? you know, like just what is he so afraid of to not come out or to talk to me? >> we should mention that in a lot of these situations in the past parents do come forward and go on television but it is everyone's right not to do that. >> right. >> in his statement he says it's important the public hear it from me personally. i have no idea what happened to ayla. i am not hiding. i've been in full cooperation with everyone in this effort including not adding additional

media hype. so your response to that? >> i am still in shock with what he wrote, like what he put out in his statement. >> a little background on your relationship with dustin. according to you, you and dustin had an agreement he would take care of ayla while you were in rehab back in october. other reports suggest that child protective services gave justin temporary custody of ayla. i don't think you afwree wigree that. after you got out of rehab a month went by where you never saw ayla. why? >> i had went like two and a half weeks without seeing her when i first got out of rehab and then after the first week of november i didn't see her again until the 21st of november and then after the 21st of november i did not see her again. >> have you been critical of justin's parenting? do you worry she was not safe in his care? >> yeah. >> for what reason? >> just, you know, for the reasons like he would never let me see her. i would call to talk to her and he'd get mad about it. i mean, like if i did see her

and i would notice something on her like a bruise or just something instead of reacting in a calm manner he would lash out about it or kind of like go into defense. >> i have to ask you at the end here. you filed for sole custody of ayla the day before she disappeared. did you have anything to do with her disappearance or did you send anyone up to that house to take your baby back? >> no. and i didn't file for sole custody. all i filed for was parental rights and responsibilities. it wasn't sole custody. >> if you could speak to justin dipietro right now what would you say to him? >> just come talk to me. just talk to me. you know? like he is the only one that can answer some of my questions. you know? like we have a daughter that is missing. we used to be able to get along all the time. just talk to me. that's all i want. just -- he was the last one to see her alive. >> that was matt with trista reynolds, ayla's mother, earlier this morning. just ahead we'll make a turn with the new year fast

approaching lewis bicardi is here and will share some money saving do it yourself hair styles for your big night out. i see glitter there. right after this.

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this morning on today's countdown to the new year holiday hair tips. you don't have to head to the salon to spend a fortune to stand out. to ring in 2012, we have some simple, do it yourself ideas. louis, good morning and good to see you. >> good morning. >> i'm very excited about this because i am just not good with my hair. hence the reason i keep it short. these ideas are easy. >> the simplest ideas plus they're cheap, cheerful, but they look like you spent a fortune at the salon. >> i love it. let's get to it. we have a couple things we're starting out with hair extensions. you brought a model to demonstrate. >> right. here is marian. new year's eve is meant to be special so why not add a different color? show us how easy it is to put in. here she is. >> this is a clip? >> this is a clip-on extension. easiest way to change your hair dramatically in seconds. it's done. we can play with it of course.

>> right. i love the contrast. this looks elegant. >> if she chose to she could go to a paler blonde or even a strawberry. it all works. >> i like it. lus ha you also have little head bands. >> remember this is new year's eve. your one chance to go over the top and add sparkle is new year's eve. >> i like this. >> i usually say less is more but more is more here. >> all right. you look beautiful with it. and next up? >> here's my favorite. >> the glitter. all over. >> okay. diamonds are a girl's best friend. >> indeed. >> we love to light up like the windows of tiffany's. >> mission accomplished. >> basically why don't you show us how we do this. >>. >> five, four, three, two, one.

you already have it on. >> it just stays in your hair. >> yes. >> do you want to try one? >> i would love to. >> okay. >> here. >> okay. here we go. let's go. >> you're going to do it. okay. >> just to be safe. >> okay. one -- five, four, three, two, one. >> perfect. >> there it goes. >> beautiful. >> oh, nice. >> genius. okay. >> you can put it all over. >> you can put as many or as few as you want. >> and how do you wash them out? >> you can just brush them out. they can last a night or a week. >> i need more, louis. >> come see me afterwards. >> you look beautiful. i love this. again, we're looking at adding a little hair but especially in the bangs area. >> bangs are sultry because it's

that peek a boo look. you can cut bangs but, you know, she was a little nervous about cutting her bangs and wanted to try them on. sometimes you see a cute guy and want to go but don't want to necessarily bring him home to your parents. >> for the rest of my life i will think of men and bangs. >> okay. take them off and show. look. there she is. watch this. say she wants to change into a chiccer hair-do and wear it up in seconds she can literally just throw her hair up. >> right. >> she can do this. she does it all the time. this is great for during the year when you're rushing off to work and you have five minutes and didn't wash your hair. your lip stick is not even on and you have to leave in two minutes. one, two, three. >> don't mind the bump here. >> i dream of genie. wow. amazing. >> first of all -- >> that matches her hair

perfectly. >> when you match the hair and pick a ponytail pick a shade lighter than your color because as your hair grows long it becomes lighter from the sun and elements. >> my gosh. >> if you want to pick the bang color, also pick that a little lighter but it'll brighten your face. >> you look beautiful. louis, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> can i have another one? i have to set up my hair here. >> okay. >> in the meantime that is all we need to know. thank you very much. what do i do? >> okay. here you go. let's do it one more time. >> also coming up, up next as git my hair spruced up everything you need to pull together a romantic dinner for two for new year's eve. bling included. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today's holiday kitchen" a romantic new year's eve dinner for two.

if you're looking to skip the crowds and celebrate the new year at home we have some ideas. eric is the chef and owner of restaurant north here in new york. good morning to you. >> good morning to you. >> you ready for our romantic dinner? >> i am indeed. >> some people don't think cooking in dishes are romantic but you say this is a really stress free way to do it. >> yeah. i mean, if you keep it simple, keep simple ingredients, and you limit the amount of time that you're spending doing dishes and cooking on the stove tops, what better way than to sit on the couch and watch new year's at home? >> i'm all about that. first tell me about the souf you've got. it looks beautiful. >> a really simple soup with a few ingredients. >> it's a hubbard squash soup. hubbard squash is a winter squash that is really delicious, a little less sweet. has more of a savory component to it. >> nice. what do you have on top? >> a little whipped cream we finished with maple syrup and black pepper to garnish but five ingredients total in the entire dish. delicious. >> here's our main course. >> how did you season those up? >> just salt and pepper really pretty much the go-to on any

steak. >> okay. >> the important thing is to sear it, bring out the sugars. not necessarily to seal in the juices but bring out the sugars and it makes for a flavorful steak. >> how long do you cook it? >> about two minutes on each side will get you to medium rare. maybe medium. >> i know letting it rest is a key thing. >> so important. letting it rest is so important because you kind of, all the juices kind of go crazy and you want to let them settle down so that it, you know -- >> how long do you want to let it rest? >> five minutes. a thin piece like that five minutes tops. >> this is really cool. this goes with the filet. this is hash. >> a fun take on hash, a little more healthy. it's sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts. >> how do you do it? >> boil the sweet potatoes ahead of time and dice them. then we roast them in a pan in olive oil, add the brussel sprouts and a little bit of thinly sliced garlic. kind of bring this all together.

>> what's that juice? just a little olive oil. >> okay. got it. >> bring this all together. and then what we do is a little bit of bruju, a little bit of grape juice from unripened wine grapes. you can get it in a gourmet store, direct from the wineries. this is from a winery in long island which we love. >> okay. how long do you satta utee it t? about three minutes to glaze the vegetables and sweet potatoes. >> smells fantastic. >> that's the end product. >> now you've got the hash, the meat. this looks like that sauce -- >> it's a greek yogurt sauce. it's finished with a little herb and olive oil. it's just -- for me it's how can i limit that long process so we think about a flavorful, wonderful way to again keep it healthy a little bit with just a greek yogurt and whip in some herbs and olive oil. >> it looks delicious. let us go to dessert.

shall we? now, how are we making this? this looks absolutely beautiful. what do you call this? >> our chocolate fudge cookie skillet. we bake a lot of fresh cookies and cakes in skillets and serve them and if you ever want to see a grown man turn into a child, serve them a freshly baked cookie. just turn it on. we have it almost all the way done. >> where the on button? >> forward to two or three. right there. and all we're doing from this point is just a basic cookie dough recipe which we've already made. cream the sugar, add the ingredients. now we'll just fold in some beautiful chocolate which you're welcome to drop in. >> just putting it in there. >> put it in. >> look at me. i'm baking. >> my gosh. >> okay. okay. you put that chocolate -- that's it. really fine, dark chocolate. 73% coco butter. we'll incorporate it all together. >> yes. then let's get to the skillet part with about 30 seconds left. >> awesome. cool. so we'll take this off and -- >> you put it in the skillet and

then what? >> when we press it down into a skillet -- >> we heat it up. >> 13 minutes in a 350-degree oven. >> i'm in love. thank you for our romantic dinner. again, restaurant north in new york outside of new york city. thank you. >> kathie lee and hoda have a look at some of the new movies in 2012. first your local news and weather.