we're back now with more of "today" on a tuesday morning. 24th day of april, 2012. that's the wanted. the very popular british boy band. we're going to hear more music from them in just a little while. we are out on the plaza in the middle of the wanded frenzy. i'm matt lauer with ann curry. al roker and savannah guthrie. nice to have you back. coming up we're going to talk about a very tearful day on the witness stand for oscar and grammy winner jennifer hudson. she, of course, testified in the trial of a young man who's accused of killing members of

her family. >> that's right. it was happening in the chicago courtroom. she was struggling to keep her composure at the trial of the man who's accused of killing her mother, her brother and her nephew four years ago and she's expected to be in court every day. we're going to have more on what she had to say yesterday coming up in a live report. >> turning the tables, to visit another joy bauer today's health -- helping us with our diets, she's going to answer those dieting questions, got a little verklempt there, whether you can trust the calorie count on menus when you go out to eat. yeah you may be surprised at what one recent study found. plus how to incorporate some unusual veggies in your diet when you go out. >> hmm. >> and also, friendly reminder so your mom doesn't have to remind you, mother's day, coming up in 2 1/2 weeks. and for that reason we have a special edition of "jill's steals & deals." she's got everything from note cards, hand bags, jewelry, some of those hair straighteners.

>> you give your mother a hair straightener? >> you could. it's a steal. up to 80% off. >> yeah. >> just some ideas. >> doesn't always work. >> not necessarily good ideas but we have some ideas for you. let's go inside, natalie is standing by at the news desk with a check of the headlines. >> good morning to you guys once again. good morning, everyone. more controversy today for the city of sanford, florida, in the wake of the shooting death of unarmed teen trayvon martin. that city's police chief turned in his resignation after facing mounting pressure for not charging admitted gunman george zimmerman. but on monday city leaders voted to reject police chief bill lee's resignation. u.s. defense secretary leon panetta spoke out about the ongoing prostitution scandal during a visit to colombia on monday. saying his primary concern is whether or not the alleged misbehavior posed a security threat. 12 members of the u.s. military, including members of the secret service, are now under investigation, and have lost

their security clearances. meantime, the latest target in the probe is a u.s. army soldier who works at the white house communications agency. this, according to the pentagon. the prosecution's star witness returns to the stand on day two of the john edwards corruption trial. former aide andrew young says he helped edwards hide his pregnant mistress during the 2008 presidential campaign, even claiming the baby was his own. prosecutors say edwards used illegal campaign contributions to pay for the cover-up. mitt romney is expected to sweep presidential primaries today in five eastern states, including new york and pennsylvania. romney appeared with florida senator marco rubio that a campaign stop on monday. but dodged questions about rubio as a possible running mate. excuse me. oscar winning singer and actress jennifer hudson broke down in tears monday as she testified at the murder trial of her former brother-in-law, william balfour. nbc's katie tur is in chicago with more. katie, excuse me, i lose my voice here.

jennifer hudson was on the stand yesterday for 30 minutes. during that time she told the court that she's known the defendant, william balfour since they were in middle school. now for much of the testimony she did fight back tears. but she broke down when she was asked to remember the last time she saw her mother, brother, and her young nephew alive. >> jennifer hudson! ♪ >> reporter: from center stage to the witness stand, jennifer hudson was the first person called to testify at the murder trial of her ex-brother-in-law william balfour. holding back tears, hudson told the court she tried to warn her sister julia, saying i would tell her over and over again not to marry william. and when asked about the last time she'd seen her mother, brother, and her 7-year-old nephew she nicknamed hugabear hudson broke down, took a second, and described a surprise family reunion shortly before they were murdered.

i was playing my piano, and my mother sat on one side of me, and my brother sat on the other side. i was singing them a song. and it was just us being a family. hudson wasn't with her family when they were murdered in october 2008. she recently told lester holt on "dateline" that a last-minute phone call from her fiance likely saved her life. >> i was literally picking up my bag to walk out the door to go to my mother's house, and he called me like, can you come out here, instead of going. that one decision. that one thing, i wouldn't be sitting here. >> reporter: prosecutors say balfour, in a jealous rage, shot and killed hudson's mother and brother inside hudson's childhood home. her 7-year-old nephew julian was found dead three days later in an abandoned suv. chicago criminal defense attorney sam adam jr. is confident jurors won't be unduly sympathetic to the dream girls star.

>> nobody is going to find balfour guilty because it was jennifer hudson's family. >> reporter: the defense claims there are no witnesses, and no physical evidence tying balfour to the crime. instead they say the family was targeted because hudson's brother, jason, was an alleged drug dealer. jennifer hudson remained in the court when her sister julia testified about balfour's alleged threats when they broke up. recounting how he told her, if you leave me, you will be the last to die. i'll kill your family first. the trial is expected to last about a month. jennifer hudson has said she plans to be here for every day of it. natalie? >> katie tur in chicago. thank you, katie. and check out this gorgeous view of our home. nasa released this video called walking in the air. it's a series of time lapse sequences shot on board the international space station. from auroras to comets to storms, it really is a wonderful world. it's just beautiful.

could look at that all day. right now let's go back to al with a check of your weather. >> do they have speakers outside the space station playing that music? >> exactly. it's an orchestra, al. >> very cool. natalie, thank you. let's see what we've got for today. and it's really the tale of two countries temperaturewise. here in the east, way below normal temperatures. we've got a big, strong ridge in the west. pumping up the jet stream up to the north. that allows things to heat up nicely. byings up to 84, coming near a record. 87 should break the record in salt lake city. casper, wyoming and denver should break records, as well. then you head to the east and look at these temperatures, 38 degrees for a high in bradford, p.a., 20 degrees below normal. binghamton is 25, 12 degrees below normal. albany is 7 degrees below where >> good morning. the average high temperature this time of the year is 68 degrees. we will be 10 degrees below the mark. warmer than yesterday.

kinder breezy an it is time for joy's diet s.o.s., answer your daily diet dilemmas. nutritionist joy bauer, author of the new book "the joy fit club" has advice. look at that picture. on everything from portion sizes when you eat out to picking to splurge every once in awhile. congratulations on the book. >> thank you so much. so excited about the book. >> i can't wait. let's check in with cristina, coming in on skype from san ford, california. good morning and what's your question, christina. >> in an eford to be healthier my husband and i are making better food choices, watching our portions. and exercising more.

when we go out to eat we try to choose dishes with a reasonable amount of calories. but sometimes it seems like too much food. how do we know if the calorie amount is per portion or for the entire dish? >> that's a great question. >> it's a great question. so typically, the calories that they list on menus or on the website are going to be for one portion, one entree. and if that entree is like family style, and several portions, it should clearly state it. so if you don't see that it's for one portion. so that being said, restaurants notoriously present you with oversized portions. and there's even a recent study out of tufts university and they collected random samples of restaurant entrees from around the country, and it winds up that an average restaurants are undershooting on their calories by 18%. >> whoa. >> you're right. they generally will be more calories than you think they are. the other thing to know is when you look up how many calories are in your entree on the

websites for some of the major chains, sometimes it's just for the entree, for the grilled piece of fish or the turkey burger and they're not automatically working in the side accompaniments like the saucy vegetables or the potatoes or the rice. so look those up, too, if that's the case, and then tally up your totals on your own. but with all of this in mind, i say don't sweat about the details in that restaurant meal. you go out occasionally, you're already picking this healthy, terrific option, compared to some of the other fattening things on the menu. just enjoy every delicious bite. >> all right. thanks christina. happy dining. now let's go to the phones. we've got erica. she's joining us via phone from chicago illinois. hi, erica. >> hi, joy. if i want to splurge on an unhealthy drink every once in awhile, what is better, lemonade or diet soda? >> neither. my gut says pick water and says save that occasional splurge for some sort of indulgent food like

chocolate cake or french fries. that's my opinion. from a health perspective there's really not a right answer. the lemonade is loaded with sugar and the diet soda has art fish sweetener. neither is a bargain for your body. in the moment pick whichever one you want. >> thanks, erica. now let's go to viewer e-mail, comes from grace in new york city. writing i love spaghetti squash but it's difficult to prepare. it's very hard to caught while raw and i don't know the best way to cook it whole. will it be any easier to cut it open if i cook it first. >> i can so relate to this one because so often you're exerting so much pressure on that squash, one small slip and there's blood everywhere. what i would do is put it in the microwave, soften it up for three to four minutes. then cut off the tough outer skin, slice it in half, scoop out the seeds and pop it into the oven on 375, face down for about 30 minutes and it's perfect. if you don't want to deal with

the microwave you can cook it whole. you can put it in for an hour to an hour and a half depending on the size. but before you put it in the oven pierce it several times because you want the skin to ventilate. otherwise the squash is going to explode. and the only downside is you have to let it cool. and it's a little bit messy after it's cooked to get the seeds out. but it's doable. >> okay. >> doable. >> i love spaghetti squash. >> me, too. all right, thanks so much. still ahead we've got the private life of music mogul simon cowell. a new unauthorized biography about his love life, his fort rns, even his tv viewing. he likes cartoons! but up next a mother's day edition of "steals & deals." got jill martin with exclusive discounts on the hottest jewelry right after these messages. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna.

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shh. [ all gasping ] [ announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ [ metal clanging ] back now with our popular series, "jill's steals & deals." today "us weekly" contributor jill martin is here with deeply discounted items exclusively for our "today" viewers. some make great gifts for mother's day. >> good morning. >> remind us again how this works. >> go on to today.com right now and all of these things will be listed. we will link you to the retailer's website. it's only up for 24 hours and a lot of things sell out really quickly. so if you want it now for mom or for yourself, which a lot of people will, go on right now. >> and deliverable by mother's day. >> yeah, yeah. some of it will come within a week or two weeks. then after that it will take longer. again it's just getting on today.com right now and getting what you want. >> let's get to our products.

starting off first with these great jersey dresses from michelle jonas. >> these are $198. high quality, comfy. retail. machine washable. available in four colors and great to layer. you can go over a bathing suit or just a cute little dress to have going into spring/summer. also great for traveling because they are wrinkle free. celebs include angelina jolie. maybe she'll wear this white one to her wedding. j. lo, the retail, $198, the deal $49.50. that's 75% off. >> wow. that is a steal all right. >> okay. over here now, hair straightening. this system or so many people are obsessed with straightening their hair. including moms. >> and including me. i have very curly hair and i do this, too. very curly. this is retail $99.95. smoothing and straightening system. you hear about a lot of people going to salons to do it. this is at home. >> and formaldehyde free. >> and the big deal is everyone said for mom, for mother's day?

my mother and i know so many moms obsessed with getting straight hair but they don't want the formaldehyde. this is a great gift. my mother already asked for it. four step process. natural, at home. great for all hair types including if they're color treated. not that i have to worry about that. and two treatments, retail $99.95. the deal $30. that's 70% off. >> you are a natural blonde. >> right. exactly. in my world i am. >> look at that, $30 for this whole set. that's amazing. this is going to fly. because if you have stationery you know personalized cards are so expensive. you have luxury note cards by stegsery studio. >> the retail, $225 for 100 cards and matching envelopes. you see on the back the return address. so that's $225 retail. it's printed in raised ink on triple thick extra heavy weight stock in white or ivy. you feel it they're very

substantial. it comes in an elegant white box if you want to pick it and send it. it's always nice to send a handwritten card still. the retail $225. the deal $54.95. that's 76% off. >> and that's for 100 cards. >> 100 cards and the envelopes and the return address. >> excellent. beautiful. some jewelry. we have necklaces for moms. they say mom very clearly on them. these are by lisa stewart. they come in a couple different styles. >> the retail $85. comes in three different styles, each available in silver and gold. you see all the different styles here. the open heart, the open circle, and then love mom forever, halle berry, jessica alba, j. lo. the retail, $85. the deal $25. that's 71% off. >> that is great. okay. last but not least, because these are always big block busters. ha bags. this is the mira hand bag.

>> retail, $250. how great is this? a lot of people ask for a new bag. >> right. >> going into spring/summer. available in eight colors. it is faux leather. now there are five pockets inside to organize everything. you can take the strap off. you could wear it as a hobo bag, all different ways. >> and you can bunch up. >> all different ways. what a great schlepp bag. the retail $250. the deal $59. that's 76% off. and lots of great colors. >> it is faux leather. >> faux leather. >> but they feel like the real deal. all right jill martin. thank you from "us weekly." again, the products are going the carmen dress, the keratin earth straightening system, the stationery cards, the lisa stewart mother's day necklaces and the mira hand bags. and as an added bonus we have a secret web only deal for viewers who are fans of "today's" facebook page. logon to find out about our sixth deal and get the coupon code for all of our deals today.

and jill martin with "us weekly," as always, thanks. coming up, indoor and outdoor fun with the newest toys to keep your kids busy. [ male announcer ] at pizza hut, we know your tuesdays are busy. but with pizza hut's tuscani tuesday, we have you covered! get pasta for two for just six bucks, or family-size pasta for just ten bucks on tuesdays. both complete with breadsticks. only on tuesdays. only at your pizza hut.

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and the kids always eat theiry ivegetables.ue because the salad there is always served with the original hidden valley ranch. it's the way ranch is supposed to taste. i like yoplait. it is yoplait. but you said it was greek. mmhmm. so is it greek or is it yoplait? exactly. okay... [ female announcer ] yoplait. it is so greek.

last week's episode of the nbc hit show "the biggest loser" was filled with controversy and team mutiny. bob harper is one of the trainers. good morning. >> what's going on? >> the drama. tell us what happened? >> it literally was crazy. these guys forgot that they signed up for a reality show. >> wow. >> basically they quit. they all walked out. >> yes, they didn't like the twist that the contestants were going to be coming back. >> have they never seen the show? >> that's exactly what i said, al. i said, have you never seen the show? it happens every single season. really. we're not going to do this. we're not going to stand for it. and they just left. >> so mark and buddy physically packed up their things and left. are we going to see them in the finale? >> that's a really good

question. i don't know that. because the -- before if we've ever had anybody quit, which if i really think about it, we've never -- >> you've been with the show 13 years? >> since the very beginning. a long time. >> in fairness to them, from their point of view they're like, look, we made it this far and now we got to meet all these people again. >> right. >> really trying. >> but the thing about it it just goes back to, it's a reality show. there's always going to be a twist. there's always going to be a turn. there's going to be contestants that come back to try to fight for a position back in the house. life isn't fair. that's what you try to teach them. there's the lesson there. >> tell us about conda. >> she's -- >> she's a controversial. >> is she really that tough in real life? >> no, she actually is a sweet girl. she's just, you know, she doesn't really take a lot of crap from anybody. >> she's in the finale, though. >> yes, she is. >> and she can pull a minivan. >> i know, that was a fun day.

>> all right, bob. >> "biggest loser" tonight 8:00, 7:00 sent tral. so much acid in. my dentist said that the acid in fruit, or fruit juice or fruit teas softens the enamel so that then it can potentially erode. once that enamel is gone, it's gone. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel to help harden that enamel so that it's not brushed away. pronamel protects your teeth from the effects of acid erosion. i don't have to cut out the things that i love in my diet. i can have the best of both worlds with pronamel. ♪ you take a message. take a boo-boo and make it better. take a nap? lol. take a breath. you take care of it all. let nutri-grain help take care of you. it's tasty -- made with real fruit, whole grains, fiber... soft and sweet. take a moment. then take on that to-do list with a grin.

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is a wbal-tv 11 news update. >> slow warm-up over the next couple of days. we will make it into the upper 50s tomorrow, back into the 60s. breezy and cool this tuesday. slight chance for rain shower. wednesday, we will make it back

they're some of the hottest faces in hollywood have been sleted as the most beautiful in year's past but who will be named this year's people's most beautiful? well the list is about to come out and we will reveal who will grace the cover and who received honorable mention. that's tomorrow on "today." >> meanwhile coming up, simon cowell. you know him for his golden touch when it comes to picking talent. what's he really like, though, behind closed doors? well a new unauthorized biography called "sweet revenge" reveals everything about his lifestyle and most intimate details of his love life and his penchant for luxury. >> black toilet paper. >> ooh. >> apparently. >> called "sweet revenge."

can that go well for him? >> well, i don't know. >> we're going to find out. coming up. >> all right. also ahead, yachts and private jets may be the choice of millionaires, but forget it. we've got some affordable toys every kid will be clamoring for. we will show you some of the best bets to keep your kids busy outside in the warm months ahead and some fun ones for those rainy days spent indoors, as well. >> and i used to say, mommy, unlock the door! >> that explains a lot about you, al. >> plus another fun activity that will have your kids buzzing, we're making sweet treats with some creative touches. when we say buzzing, we're talking about -- >> really buzzing. >> a bee hive cake with marzipan bees. and so much more. >> ooh. that looks adorable. >> and yummy at the same time. >> ooh, cute. >> nice. >> first al has a check of our weather. >> if i'm not too busy to give that to you. >> whoo. >> sorry. wet weather in the pacific northwest. showers in the central ohio river valley. a few snow showers left over in

western new york and p.a. and plenty of sunshine along the gulf coast with a lot of heat in the plains. then for tomorrow, the warmth continues there. risk of some strong storms in the mid-mississippi and ohio river valleys. clouds in the new england area. look for sunny and warm conditions through the gulf. sizzling west texas into the southwest. and the southern rockies. >> good morning. it will be a breezy and cool today. yesterday we were in the 40's. we'll make it into the 50's today. >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thanks. coming up next, love him or loathe him, the unauthorized biography of simon cowell.

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from the nourish+ hair care collection. only from aveeno. and we are talkingren about activia.llection. i've been eating activia and i feel great! i'm used to having irregularity. i feel like that's normal. if you are not feeling like trying this on, that's not normal. activia helps with occasional irregularity when eaten 3 times a day. feeling regular to me was a new feeling... i came to find my 'new normal' and i love it! ♪ activia and try new silky, fruity activia harvest picks. another way to enjoy activia. a new unauthorized biography of simon cowell is out and it's chock full of details, like it or not, of the mogul's jet-setting life. >> nbc's michelle kosinski sat down with the man who spent time with cowell on yachts, private jets and in mansions to get that inside story. >> michelle is in london with more. good morning, michelle. >> hi there. yes, simon cowell actually gave the author some access. but here pretty much every

single day there's been some big, embarrassing headline coming out of this called "sweet revenge." the intimate details of cowell's over-the-top but very private, private life. >> there's no limit to the vanity. >> reporter: yachts, jets, cars, mansions, women. suitcases full of beauty products and weekly vitamin iv drips. a $4 million birthday party with a theme -- ♪ you're so vain >> reporter: vanity. oh, and black toilet paper. the secret world, according to a new book, of music show rock star simon cowell. investigative author tom bower calls simon -- >> i really, really, really hated that. >> yes, this simon. >> really dreadful. >> needy. insecure, vain. >> simon's world is simon. here is a man who's constantly telling contestants on tv, you're no good and he has suffered the same for 20 years in the music business. people have been heaping,

heaping manure on him telling him he's no good. >> reporter: and now, a reported $70 million a year for shows like "american idol," "x factor," "america's got talent" finally living on his own over-the-top terms. including relationships with women, lots. the book seems to end any speculation cowell is anything but a lady's man. i mean it kind of makes him look like a stud. >> it makes him look like a stud. but he's a 52-year-old stud. you think he's misbehaved. he likes women who are uncomplicated, bit trashy. i said what do you think about the girls you have on your shows and he said, well they're my toys. >> quote simon saying he dated pop star dannii minogue, made moves on paula abdul and sheryl crow. bower spent days and nights aboard simon's rented party yacht. >> they didn't stop breakfast until three in the afternoon and then they just carried on until

5:00, 6:00 in the morning. the hours are just crazy. and he's all about games. constandly taking out these board games. ridiculously stupid games. and everything is about fun. >> what do they talk about? >> well, that's interesting. they don't talk about -- they really don't talk about serious things. they don't talk about the world. >> simon is described as obsessed with fame, perfection, his appearance. one ex-girlfriend describes twice daily bath, four shirt changes, throwing away silver spoons along with empty yogurt containers and spending his morning watching cartoons, but occasionally was still so bleary he would crash his ferrari into the neighbor's wall. it seems almost like a little kid with $70 million a year. >> yeah. he's a big, big, old boy. and he loves to look good for mummy and he wants to look good for the audience and he wants to be famous and he wants to be rich. >> but cowell is also -- privately exceedingly generous. he gave two of his exes

multimillion dollar mansions. do you love him or do you hate him? >> i like him. i like him because in the end he's fun, and there isn't anything bad about him. and we had -- it was an interesting insight into a vulnerable man. >> cowell has publicly said he's embarrassed by the book but denies nothing in it. i think maybe just as interesting is the inside look at the music industry. the enormous amounts of money, and idol finalists were allegedly offered contracts that would earn their managers 20% of their earnings over the following 12 years. >> wow. quite a cut. >> a lot of money. >> these explains a lot. >> why he keeps finding boy bands like one direction. >> he's rich, he likes to spend money and live in nice houses. wow! that's stunning. michelle, thank you so much. >> yeah. >> unbelievable. >> all right. well, from a big kid like cowell to little kids, affordable toys for all ages to keep your

children entertained. flo, and karenre with , for a girls night out talking about activia. i tried it and my body felt so right, for a change. and then there's you... why should i try it? my system gets out of sorts but that comes with age, right? wouldn't you like to feel great? just because we're in that over 50... what does that mean? are we done? activia helps regulate your digestive system when eaten daily. these could be our best years yet. activia and then at 3:15 with my guilt. [ female announcer ] special k cracker chips. 27 crispy chips. 110 delicious calories. same time tomorrow? [ female announcer ] find them in the cracker aisle.

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"today's" mom ises brought to you by p&g future friendly. see the big in the little things you do. >> this morning on "today's moms," new toys for spring. stephanie oppenheim from toyportfolio.com is here with the top picks that will keep your kids busy for hours. the kids brought along a bevy of helpers. >> a lot of our toy testers. >> good morning. >> so we want to start with the little ones. this is a little activity center. >> little tikes garden center. this age it's very hard to find toys that are designed for their size and age appropriate. the balls are big. there are places for them to climb into. this can open up for more room to play but it's sturdy in this formation. even the big kids, everyone wanted to climb into the space.

it has a mailbox, it's got this great door bell here, as well to play with. the telephone. lots of things to do. hi, jack. >> hi, jack. >> oh, yeah, jack, let's try. what's this? >> these are talking cubes. they really do work. >> jack what are you doing right now? are you on tv? >> yes. >> okay. me, too. gotta go. bye. >> all right. now also when you have toddlers who are on the go, you really want to give them things that they love pushing things. this is a new push toy from manhattan toy. but it's very old-fashioned. >> it's sold school. >> very old school. the balls are safely enclosed inside. makes a lovely sound. but this is for a child who is steady on his feet. >> what is that, like 1 1/2? >> it depends on your child. >> tell me about this bike. this is a little bike. >> this is a plasma bike from the people who made plasma car, one of our favorites. >> you want to try one of the

bikes. >> what i love about this is it's technically a balance bike but it's got big, sturdy wheels and it steers. you really want to take kids to the store to try on any ride-on. sometimes the length is too short and they can't get their legs over, or their legs are too tao and it doesn't really fit them. this is really cool, glow in the dark bubbles. >> there you go. now, we had more requests about this toy than any other this spring. and we're going to make bubbles. this is a little experiment in science. we're going to put in "a." put your "a" into the bubble mix here. these are from imperial toy. >> you put the stuff in. >> put the "a" in. >> and now you want to put the "b" in. the activator. >> sorry. >> there we go. >> and then we're going to stir it. now even in the lights of the studio -- >> can you see it? >> yeah. >> these things start really, really lighting up. >> oh, look at that.

>> and our kids really, really loved this aspect of it. >> ready to go? >> here's the downside about this toy. the doubles don't glow. >> why are they called glow in the dark bubbles. >> they glow in the container and they glow when they pop on the floor. >> oh, okay. >> now that said -- >> our testers still really liked these, as well. >> what do we got over here? >> most science kits -- >> okay. >> careful. >> these are terrific in comparison. this is a color clay, $19.95. a new box comes every month. we haven't been able to check all of them. there's a color changing, you're combining yellow and blue to make green. >> you can make your own little top? >> exactly. >> and here we're doing stained glass. we put on special glasses. >> what does it look like with the glasses? is it cool? >> mm-hmm. >> what you don't see is you

don't see a blue. >> and it comes every month? >> what i really loved about it. everything you need is in the box. the instructions are good. if you had a busy day at work you're still going to be able to do it. >> we've got about a minute left. legos for ladies. >> very controversial. i really didn't want to love them but our testers enjoyed bidding them. and gills who never built before are building. that's a great thing. these are max formers which are back and they're magnets. and they go together. >> oh, neat. >> you build just by the end of the magnet. >> really fun. those will be back out in may. and these are laser peg robots. and the kids can configure them any way they want. really good gender free choices. >> our final 30. we've got some games. >> these are all, race to the treasure, from cooperative play. racing against the ogre. this you're having a bee segment

later. the bee looks like jerry seinfeld, don't you think? the idea is to push the pieces without toppling the bee. and quadefy's beautiful new company making lovely wooden older sets for older kids. the idea is to use all of your pieces while staying in the grid. >> good for kids to play with adults or older kids, too. >> exactly. >> stephanie oppenheim, thank you so much. coming up next your kids are definitely going to be sweet on our crafty discerts in "today's kitchen."

this morning in "today's kitchen," delicious desserts, sweet treats for spring. >> hey, savannah! >> woo-hoo! >> i played with all those toys. >> if you're looking for that extra dessert for your next party we've got designs easy to

create. >> the author of the new book sweet designs, baking, crafting, styling. good morning, amy. >> good morning. >> pretty cool stuff. you've taken ready-made stuff. making it kind of crafty. >> the book is all about taking baked items, craft items, and then styling it up to make beautiful dessert tables with everyday items. >> to do with your kids, i would imagine? >> you can absolutely do all this with your kids. i always start by picking a color palette and a theme. today we're doing spring garden theme. so i have over here these bumblebee macaroons. so these are so fun to make. let me show you how to make these. these are great. >> are those store bought macaroons? >> they're store bought macaroons. if you want to make them i do have a recipe in my book. a steady hand. and this is just melted dark chocolate. al, why don't you give it a try. >> oh, sure. >> and then we're going to put in the bee wings. and your guests will be buzzing about these.

and if you don't want to use macaroons, you can use any kind of sandwich cookies. >> are those almond slivers? >> we're just going to tack them right in to the wings. let's do it. tuck in your little wings over here. >> cute. >> and there you have a cute macaroon bumblebee. >> and this is what it looks like when it's done. this is what it looks like when it's done. i always like to have a craft-it item on the table. this is something that you can do with your kids. these are cellophane bags and construction paper you can get at the craft store. i decorated these with my kids. took colorful stamps, put colorful candy in them and they look fantastic. >> always important to have a vertical element on the table. this is our center piece. a wow moment. and so this is a trio of beelife cakes. it's so delicious. honey banana. and notice how i just lifted it up just a little bit.

these are sculpted -- these are not sculpted cakes, you can get a cake fan from a cake supply store and they look amazing and taste delicious. >> but it's not all one piece is it? >> it's actually two pieces that you bake in a pan and you put butter cream in the middle and stick it together. and that's a honey glaze that goes on top. >> what's the little bee made of? >> they're marzipan. >> is it pretty easy to make these? marzipan you can mold it into anything, right? >> you just put a little food gel on them and you can make it any color you want. >> and if you don't have the marzipan, just use play-doh. >> and don't tell anyone. >> exactly. >> the key lime bars? >> these are refreshing key lime bars. they have the most delicious graham cracker crust. you can see i tied it in with the whole theme because it's green. and we have these petit fos fou. >> are these easy? >> absolutely. they're so delicious. >> the key to these is that they look fancy, but these will not rip the bank and i took cookie

cutters. you can take cookie cutters with store bought pound cake and cut them in any shape that you want. >> what about the drinks? >> let's do drinks. >> i always say brew it up and brew it down. a brew it up drink for the adults, and a key lime ade drink for the kids. >> how fun. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> amy, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> the book is sweet designs, bake it, craft it, style it. thanks so much. >> and coming up the always charming -- >> plus one more song from the wanted. >> that's right. >> hoda and kathie lee coming up. the more products we touch around the sink,

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