♪ back now with more of "today" on this thursday morning, it's the 3rd day of may, 2012. and you're looking at a live picture of kensington palace in the heart of london. it was once the home of queen victoria. it is soon to be the london pad of the duke and duchess of cambridge, william and kate. and it is one fine fixer-upper, i'll say. >> the london pad. >> some newlyweds. i know. the gardens are beautiful. matt has been broadcasting from there this morning. it has really been a fun site and a rare treat to be able to get a peek inside that palace. meantime, i'm ann curry alongside al roker and tamron

hall who's joining us this morning. savannah guthrie is on assignment. and matt has been reporting from london. he's going to start making his way back home. meantime, we also want to mention that london is bustling. there's a lot going on this summer. we've got the olympic games now just 85 days away. officials are making sure that all the security is in place and that the venues are all going to be ready. and also, as we have mentioned earlier, next month is also a big event. the queen's diamond jubilee, 60 years on the throne. so it's something for everyone, i think, to celebrate. we'll get a preview of all of that. also, "today's professionals," we're talking about ashton kutcher's new online ad. it's created quite a stir. you see him there in brown face, some say mocking an indian ak sent. it's triggered online backlash. it's been pulled, but some ask, has the damage been done? i'm sure donny will have strong opinions about it as well as star. the empty sheet is for me because i'm rushing in.

we'll chat about that and a couple other hot topics with the professionals. then on "today's money," we are making sure you've got enough money for your retirement. what are some of the things you need to do to make sure that you're comfortable in those later years. >> i'm so glad we do this segment so regularly because people really need this kind of advice. i pay attention to it. thanks a lot. meantime, let's go inside and find out from natalie what the stories of the morning are. >> good morning, everyone. a change of heart for the blind chinese dissident at the center of a diplomatic standoff between washington and beijing. chen guangcheng and his family now want to leave china, fearing for their lives, and hope secretary of state hillary clinton can help. he is now in a hospital after leaving the embassy but believes that he no longer can be kept safe. today new documents on the final days of osama bin laden. the combatting terrorism center

at west point is releasing documents seized during last year's raid on bin laden's compound in pakistan. in one of them, bin laden wrote that he feared al qaeda would not survive the deaths of its leaders. more testimony today in the corruption trial of former presidential candidate john edwards. in dramatic testimony wednesday, a former adviser to edwards told how elizabeth edwards collapsed into a ball after the first tabloid story about her husband's affair. minutes later, she said elizabeth edwards yelled at her husband, "you don't see me anymore" as she tore off her blouse. a new jersey mother is free on bond after pleading not guilty wednesday to second-degree child endangerment. the woman who admits to excessive tanning herself is accused of bringing her 5-year-old daughter into a tanning booth, something barred by state law. it has been five years since the disappearance of madeleine mccann, the young british girl who vanished in portugal. today her parents remain hopeful. nbc's reporter is in portugal. good morning.

>> reporter: good morning, natalie. madeline mccain was taken from this holiday apartment in portugal five years ago today. her parents have given interviews to the world's press. upbeat interviews saying that they are optimistic that she will be found again and be found alive. the little girl with the huge eyes and beautiful blonde hair who vanished into thin air five years ago today. madeleine mccann, taken from her bed while she slept, never to be seen again. her devastated parents, kate and jerry mccann, have never given up hope. and now british police are giving them new reason to believe she's alive. >> police believe there's a real possibility madeleine's alive and this is as good an opportunity in the last five years. >> reporter: since her disappearance, a bungled investigation by police. over the years, image after

image of little maddy have been released. >> it's strange because obviously it's a marker of time. you look at it, and it's not madeleine that we remember. it emphasizes that five years have gone by. >> reporter: madeleine's twin brother and sister seen here as babies are now 7 years old. >> they're doing normal things, birthday parties, we celebrate christmas. >> reporter: british police are pressing portuguese authorities to reopen the case. >> what we are absolutely confident in is that the metropolitan police are determined to get to the bottom of it, their leads and with portuguese authorities. >> reporter: this could be the mccanns' last chance to find madeleine. they have shared their memories and her photos with the world in the hope that no one forgets that she is still a little girl lost and far from home. the mccanns have spoken again this week saying that they get great strength from cases in america where kids disappear and then reappear again after several years.

they, of course, are hoping that the same will be true for madeleine. back to you. >> thank you, tazeen. and if only every day on the campaign trail could be a slam dunk. senator scott brown showed his swagger on the basketball court at a local community center in hyannis, massachusetts. he lobbed an underhand shot sinking it from half-court. there rushed by the crowd. brown is currently running for re-election in massachusetts against challenger elizabeth warren. a good shot, that's for sure. six minutes past the hour right now. you're up to date. let's go back outside to al with a check of your weather. mr. roker. >> the knicks could use him. >> yeah, a little help. >> let's see what we've got. got some nice folks here. got some not-so-nice weather as we look from western new york all the way back to kansas city and des moines. also del rio, moist air, bringing supercells over southwestern texas. look at some of the rainfall amounts. we're talking rain in the panhandle of florida up to four inches of rain. and also as we head from kansas city on into milwaukee, looking

at a lot of rain, anywhere from one to three inches before it's all over. pacific northwest looking at some wet weather as well. looking at that rain coming in with mountain snows mixed in. rainfall amounts there anywhere from a half an inch to an inch >> good morning. we are contending with some showers and thunderstorms this morning. they should taper off to the late morning hours. we're hoping to get and that's your latest weather. natalie? ♪ and i be taking care of business ♪ >> al, thank you. and now to "today's professionals," our power panel is back with the headlines that

have you talking. star jones, donny deutsch and in for dr. nancy snyderman, tamron hall, playing a professional, as she does every day. >> welcome. >> this is my maiden voyage. go easy on me. >> a professional journalist. there you are. >> let's get it all started with the ad that's sparked a lot of controversy online. ashton kutcher, as you saw, in a pop chips ad. he portrays an indian character, as you see, in brown face. one of the many characters that he plays. he's a bollywood producer. and take a look at what he does. >> i'm raj. i'm a bollywood producer. i'm looking for the most delicious thing on the planet. kardashian hot. i would give that dog a bone. >> supposed to be poking fun at online dating ads. but it has sparked a lot of outrage online. pop chips has since apologized. they have pulled the ad as well. but a spokeswoman did say it was created to provoke a few laughs and was never intended to stereotype or offend anyone. but donny, you as the advertiser, in this age of political correctness, how does

an ad like that get through the whole creative process without people thinking, huh, could be controversial? >> because i think it's indicative that for instance, when it comes to indians, we are for some reason -- it's more -- it's anything but acceptable to mock. what do we see in every movie? the cab drivers, working at the 7-elevens. and it is no more wrong or right than if you were doing it with african-americans or jews or anyone else. having said that, it's interesting. ted danson took so much flak, rightfully so -- >> in black face. >> which was a man that was living with or married to a black woman. talking about somebody who's really not racist. in "coming to america," eddie murphy dressed up in white face mocking jews, and it was okay. it's hard to -- to me, i -- if that offends you, it rightfully offends you because you're looking at it as a black woman or a woman of color. we get to a point to when do we let all this other stuff go and

the unracist thing is to say we can all make fun of each other and that's when the walls come down. >> i think it's when you question the motivation of the people. the real issue is who is at the diversity table when the decisions are being made? always question things like, i remember when they blackened o.j. simpson's face for the "time" magazine cover. who's in that room that allows and doesn't say, you know what? that may make some people a little ticked off. we might not do it. if you don't have diverse people sitting around the table when decisions are being made, then you get this kind of ad. >> tamron, are you offended and do you think he needs to apologized? >> i'm offended for people who turn that on and first of all, there are not enough indians represented on tv. but we are obviously in a minority on television. the bottom line is, i can't say i'm offended, but i don't like the term "political correctness" because ashton kutcher is a very funny guy. i'm a big fan. if the only way you can be funny

is brown face, then you've got to be go back to comedy school. >> so do you think he needs to say i'm sorry? >> and i think he will. i don't know if he needs to say he's sorry because now these people have apologized for anything and everything, but he does need to go on twitter. >> here's the same guy that was tweeting defending joe paterno and then explained he didn't know what was really going on. he's kind of a jerk to begin with. that's my thing. but i think that -- i don't think these advertisers -- advertisers never set out to offend anybody. they're not in that business. i remember years ago there was some celebrity as a young person that dressed up as an s.s. officer in a costume. and i as a jew are going to be more offended. >> as a latina, there is an ad that's run consistently here in new york where it's a phone advertiser. and obviously playing to latina stereotype, bootylicious and dancing around portraying us as

that kind of person. >> you're looking at it through your eyes. >> absolutely. let's move on to nadya suleman, making headlines as well. octo-mom. exactly. she filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy on monday. of course, you know, the mother of 14 children has had a lot of issues. she has told reporters that she has made a lot of difficult decisions this year, quote, i have to do what is best for my children. i need a fresh start in declaring bankruptcy. now that she's declared bankruptcy, do you think she's actually going to get a fresh start? tamron? >> i spent an entire evening with nadya suleman. >> and all the children? >> no kids. no kids. i can't handle that. i spent time with her. i've got to be completely honest. i went in like a lot of people, judging her, and i left feeling so sorry. and i know i'm going to get e-mails and tweets. i think this woman was taken advantage of. i think there was a mad scientist who saw a vulnerable person and took advantage. and i asked her, do you regret this? do you look back at this as a mistake? she's incredibly defensive. she wants people to know, i love my children.

but she admitted that looking back on it, it was a bad decision. it was the wrong thing to do. now she is in this situation, and she's so afraid she will lose these children. she told me i will die if i lose these kids. we all saw this. you don't need a crystal ball to see how this was going to turn out. >> what about her potentially doing porn, though? >> she won't touch other people. she will only touch herself. but that will change as well, i think, as she -- >> you think. she's going to make a buck. >> i personally don't want to see her in porn, personally. >> the freaks come out at night. the bottom line is what this woman is being forced to do to pay her bills. >> bankruptcy will, indeed, clear the slate in terms of her financial obligations for the most part, but it won't clear the slate emotionally. and i wish nancy were here just to at least give us some insight as to what is going on in nadya, the human being. she's not dealt with all of the things that allowed her to be taken advantage of.

>> first of all, as a dad, i don't pass judgment on other parents. she is a grown woman. this was not a child somebody preyed upon. she was aware. and she was also very aware to go on television and exploit that, for lack of a better word. >> we're going to move on. >> you're going to move on? >> let me say this, though. i thought she was exploiting it and working it and she wanted to be angelina jolie. i think we all have different levels of mental frailty. and that has not been explored because so many people are judging her. >> absolutely. that's a very good point. moving on, speaking of judging other people, size matters. "glamour" magazine apparently did a poll where she asked in their april issue that studied how women judge other women based on their size. now, the poll asked 1800 women ages 18 to 40 to envision a heavy woman. and then it asked the following question where they would describe that woman as ambitious, lazy or neither? well, the study then found that the heavy women were 11 times more likely to be labeled lazy.

star, as somebody who has battled weight -- >> yes. >> -- and you've talked about it very publicly, does that surprise you? >> not in the least bit. people think that you are overweight or obese depending on where you are in that scale because you don't care about yourself. you don't care about your appearance. i know it took me a tremendous amount of time emotionally to wrap my head around how someone who is so smart in other areas to be so dumb about my own health. it took emotional wellness, which is what we talked about just now, to accept the fact that i can make mistakes also. so i understand that. >> let's be clear, though. i think if you did the same survey with men, you'd come away with the same thing. there's no news here. we unfortunately lens unfairly bias against people of weight. >> thin women were eight times more likely to be seen as conceited or superficial. >> right. >> tamron, it can be said as well. >> tamron, what do you mean? natalie.

>> isn't the assumption going in that you're not nice because you're so beautiful? i really mean that. >> i'm not comfortable answering that because "a," i don't see myself as beautiful. >> i really mean that. >> listen, we know that these things exist. the bottom line is i have three nieces. and m&m has a song, as i mentioned my nieces, i mention eminem. i am what i say i am. i am what i am in my heart. if someone chooses to believe i'm thin, a bad thing, as donny says, krewe th screw them. >> we're going to leave it there. >> nice job. >> we got a lot of good discussion here. >> what you answer to. >> exactly. star jones, donny deutsch, tamron hall, pinch-hitting, great job, as always. coming up next, money rules to live by to make sure you save enough for retirement. and then a little later on, you may want to stash a little cash for your next vacation.

we've got the it list of hot new hotels from "travel & leisure" magazine. [ sneezes ] ♪ [ male announcer ] it's happening right now at your local walgreens.

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which is friskies plus more. this morning on "today's money," financial rules to live by to invest in your retirement. jean chatzky is the author of "money rules." good to see you. >> nice to see you. >> rule number one, your job is your most important investment. >> right. and think about it. income, much more than your house, much more than your retirement portfolio is what's going to keep you going. you want to keep that income coming in as long as possible which means delaying social security. and that gives your retirement assets time to grow. >> rule number 13, don't think of anything as chump change. >> right. if you are not a saver, the way to start saving is small amounts of money. and many people blow this off. they think, $25, what's that going to mean to me in the future? well, if it's $25 on top of 25

on top of 25 that grows at 6% for 20 years, it's hundreds of thousands of dollars. so just get in there. >> rule 17, your home is your piggy bank, not your cash cow. >> during the housing bubble, people were raiding their piggy banks. they were getting in there and they were pulling money out of their homes in the form of home equity loans. today they have no equity. they're upside down, they're underwater. if you do it right, your mortgage becomes a supplementary savings account. you feed the pig over time. and when you get to retirement, you have this big, fat asset that you can use. >> got me a little nervous. got me a little nervous there. rule number 32. your retirement trumps your kids' tuition. >> parents feel really guilty when they put their own retirement before their kids' college tuition. but there is no financial aid for retirement. there's still financial aid for college. and think about it this way. if you don't put your own retirement first, then when you get to the point where you have to retire, your kids who are then trying to put their own

kids through college are going to have to bail you out. 401(k)s and i.r.a.s come first. >> rule number 53, forget about having it all. have what you value most. >> this is a priority question. and you have to come together with your spouse and realize, money's a limited resource. we all only have so much. and so let's think about what we really want most. and let's work toward those specific goals. and if you could have picture as tached with those goals and know what they look like, far better than numbers. >> number 70, hands off your retirement funds, period. >> period, done. how many times have you said this on "money 911"? do not raid that 401(k). i don't care for what reason because even small disruptions in those funds make a huge difference in the end. >> hope is not a retirement plan. >> i don't think i need to elaborate. >> i think you're done. thanks so much. great advice. still ahead, coming up, the city of pomp and pageantry, london. how they're getting ready for the olympic games and the queen's diamond jubilee. first, these messages. -my toes know. -my shoulders know.

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of the middle east courtesy of our chef. can't wait. first your local news and weather. the shops concept encompases a lot of newness. doing project with different stores is a really cool idea. we want to bring a little piece of the boutique experience to target. a real taste of luxury. it's pretty special for us to imagine this little nook of polka dog will be in target stores all around the country. the shops we fell in love with, collected and curated for you. exclusively at target. ♪ every little thing is possible ♪ [ female announcer ] introducing new fresh take. kraft natural cheese, and the perfect blend of spices and bread crumbs all in one bag. we're not just making cheese. we're helping you make something amazing. ♪ love is a bright idea ♪ life is amazing... [ female announcer ] new fresh take from kraft.

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is the wbal tv 11 news update. >> we have opportunities for scattered shower of thunderstorm activity. we have warmer air in the forecast. this afternoon and tonight and into tom

body is 60% water. that's why to stay healthy every couple of months i choke down a brita filter. >> that is stephen colbert. we're getting ready because when he's around, nobody is safe. he's going to be here tomorrow on "today." with his children's book, "i am a pole, and so can you." >> wear matching outfits. meanwhile, coming up in this half hour, we're going back to london where with less than three months to go until the olympics, before that, they have another huge celebration to prepare for, the queen's diamond jubilee. it's next month where she'll be

celebrating her 60 years on the throne. also ahead, we're doing a little globe-trotting from chile to thailand and the caribbean. "travel & leisure" is out with its it list of new hotels you've got to check out from a modern den-style tropical getaway. many of the properties are more affordable than we'd probably imagine. absolutely beautiful. we'll see how affordable. >> nice. okay. then if you can't afford to get away, you can always stay in the kitchen. in fact, we've got an old family recipe this morning. giuliano shares one of his favorites. it's a classic middle eastern dish straight from his grandmom's kitchen. >> stuffed cabbage. i love stuffed cabbage. first you've got a check of the weather, al. >> looking ahead toward your weekend, the running of the roses, the kentucky derby. noon, partly cloudy, 78 on saturday. with a 40% chance of showers. one in two chance by 6:00, by posttime. and it's going to be hot and humid, 86 degrees. the rest of the day saturday, showers in the pacific northwest.

hit-or-miss thunderstorms central texas. rain in the mid-atlantic states. sunday, looking at plenty of sunshine in new england. but rain from the great lakes to the gulf coast, central texas. sunmy and mild. hot into southern california >> good morning. scattered showers will be ending. we will get sunshine this afternoon to break through. and that's your latest weather. coming up next, planning a trip but don't know where to stay? we've got the hottest new hotels from around the world right after this. allie's spelling bee is monday... sounds like a mini-wheats day to me!

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something for every taste. nil nilou motamed is director of "travel & leisure" magazine. this is the seventh year. you're covering 29 countries. that's amazing. that's a lot of travel. >> it is a lot of travel, but we love that kind of travel. actually, this year there were 3,000 hotel openings in just the last year alone. so "travel & leisure" editors had to travel around the globe from abu dhabi to new york city to find the top 50 hotels that stand out best of their destination-changing power. >> this is actually travel editors, and they're going and feeling, tasting and doing everything? >> we went to every single hotel. we're only going to get through a few. the whole list of 50 is on travelandleisure.com. people are looking for authenticity. they want a place that's going to stand out and not feel generic but seems like a place that belongs there. >> let's get the party started. first on your list, new york, conrad. >> this is a chain that has not

had a foothold in the u.s. since their first flagship. they decided to open in downtown manhattan. the one world trade center has just surpass the the empire state building as the tallest building in manhattan. again, there's more reason to go down there. this is a great place to stay because you have access to everything. >> it looks like the jetsons. >> it's very groovy, and the rooms are huge. the smallest is 435 square feet. >> a mansion in new york city. >> i know, a lot of people's apartments are smaller than that. you have great views of the water and the harbor. and you have obviously access to everything that downtown offers including tribeca, which i love for the great restaurants. >> right. so sometimes it's the little things that matter. apparently you get espresso machines in every room. >> i love that. for a price for new york city, $299 a night is a great deal. >> that is amazing. let's go to chile. juan fernandez island? am i saying it right? >> si. this is two hours away from santiago. the lodge has literally transformed this island into an

eco destination. if you're somebody who wants to go outdoors, this is the place to go. it's only a 15-room lodge. it feels like a castaway fantasy. your room opens to the outdoors. you'll have views of the bay from your room. this is a place where you're going to go exploring. there is incredible trekking opportunities. there is a bio reserve. there's actually said to be a pirate's treasure buried there. >> so you can come back rich. >> that's not bad. >> if i don't get the treasure, i understand there's lobster fishing excursions. that is awesome. >> there are. and the price is only $120 per person per night. it is such a value. and it's stunning. and also, this is actually the place where robinson crusoe is based. you can go where the sailor is said to have inhabited. >> forgive me for doubting, $120 a night. >> per person per night. >> that is fantastic. >> it's a great deal. >> come back to the u.s. and utah. i love utah. it's beautiful. >> park city, utah, is a destination certainly in the wintertime, sundance is there,

people go there to ski, but i love it for the summertime. and i love it for this hotel. washington schoolhouse. this is a former 1890s hotel that's been transformed into a charming -- i'm sorry, a schoolhouse that's been transformed into a charming boutique hotel. >> a schoolhouse. >> a schoolhouse. >> wow. >> they've refurbished it. feels more like an alpine lodge than a rocky mountain lodge. it's going to have european antiques. they have 16-foot ceilings. you're going to get lots of light in your room. the great thing they do in the afternoon is they do cocktails with nibbles by chef er nesto who's said to be very talented p because it's a former olympics destination, there's a fire outside by their heated pool is a former olympic torch. you can sit by the flame of an olympic torch and enjoy. >> you had me at heated pool. you've got me there. >> summer is a great time to go. >> okay, we're going back to somewhere more exotic, thailand. this is interesting. >> i love the north of thailand. i actually love it as a combination trip. you go to bangkok and then

chengmai. >> look at this picture. >> i rode elephants there. a great place to stay, this is a brand-new hotel that's actually in a former 19th century teak bungalow. so everything feels, this hotel, like you've gone back in time. the service is slower. the pace is slower. if you want to relax and unwind, this is a great place to go. it's also a great value. i would recommend taking a cooking class there. i took a great cooking class. i learned some tricks. and also going to the night market. beautiful. >> even if you don't want to do the cooking class. >> no. elfantdephant elephants. you can ride elephants. >> sold. it's beautiful. let's go to dominica. >> this is an hour's flight from puerto rico. dominica has been one of those untouched islands. it feels like, again, the desert island fantasy. but now there's a combination of having a gorgeous hotel, which is called secret bay, so you get that luxurious hotel property in a place that is still not very touristy.

so the combination is amazing. our reviewer was over the moon about this property. it's got a gorgeous setting. it has two is he lesecluded bea a sea cave you can swim into. you can stay in a bungalow. it feels like you're in a tree house. there is a cook who will come to your room. you have a full kitchen and cook your lobster for you. and they clean up for you, too. >> are you kidding me? >> you can lie in a hammock, go kayaking. and under $300 a night. $252 a night is their summer rate. >> that was near there? he's athe island. he also visited here. >> dominica. this is one of the destinations that we feel is going to explode in the coming year. i want to book immediately. >> $252 a night. someone will cook and clean for me. man. what a life you've got. nilou mow motammed, thank you very much. back right after this. walgreens introduces nice! [ ]

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♪ this morning on "today's countdown to london," 85 days to go. >> this world-class city is ready to welcome the world. >> nbc's michelle kosinski is at the beautiful new olympic park in east london. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. as great as london already is, it is transforming around us. it's hard to believe in three months' time, olympic park here will be set to hold more than 100,000 people. but first, you need to make sure

everything works. and that's exactly what organ e organizers are doing as we speak. england has been beaming with excitement, brimming with pride. next month marks the queen's diamond jubilee, her 60-year reign. with more pageantry, parades, all the pomp and circumstance worthy of the royal family. then in july comes a celebration of global proportion. but before you throw in olympics, one must build it piece by piece. today the big venues are impressively, even eye-poppingly constructed. only finishing is needed. here, the 80,000-seat olympic stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies. this is the olympics on the starting blocks. and this week, a big dress rehearsal. the water polo pool, a battle is raging in the chess match between britain and hungary. last week, this was a construction site. at the gleaming new field hockey pitch, argentina pummeled china. also a test, the athletes

themselves to determine who makes the team, whose olympic dreams come true. have you had to tweak anything after any of the test events? did you realize, like, really? >> yeah, yeah. >> reporter: what do you find? >> that's the point. it's always interesting. when you talk to them, did you find anything wrong in a test? of course we did. the bmx track, the jump for some of the women was a bit too big when the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. so we had slightly too many crashes. >> reporter: do you always feel like you have to top the last one or outdo beijing? >> every city brings something completely different. >> reporter: and olympic-sized security is also undergoing a test this week. fighter jets, river maneuvers, four-legged protection. these apartment's residents were stunned to get a pamphlet in the mail informing them their home will soon be home to surface-to-air missiles.

>> i don't think anyone wants to live in a militarized apartment building. >> reporter: but the military response -- >> i think all of you would expect us to have a plan in place that works so that if it were to happen, we could deal with it. >> reporter: one of the rare times you can plan ahead. for the past seven years, just about ready. among the unusual things you encounter when you build an olympics here, debris and an ancient skeleton. even though this games could cost $17 billion, organizers say it's been very important that every dollar goes towards the future whether it's reusing these venues or just marketing england to the world. back to you guys. >> we're excited. we're counting down. thanks, michelle kosinski. that will be home for us for almost three weeks. >> we'll be doing the show at noontime. >> we like that. coming up next, revisiting an old family recipe with the flavors of the middle east. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today's

kitchen," "what's for dinner?" an old family recipe for stuffed cabbage. >> a collection of recipes passed down from generation to generation, a hazan family favorite. >> giuliano hazan is the author. >> great to be here. >> your mom was what julia child was to french cooking. >> my mother learned from her mother, my grandmother, who was born in 1895. it really does run a long way. this is a recipe that my grandmother made. >> and this is the original sort of recipe book? >> this is a notebook that my mother took notes in when she married my father. he always said he could stand for a lot of things but not a bad meal. >> all right. we're doing stuffed cabbage. >> we are. this is savoy cabbage. first i may take out some that are a little bit bruised. >> right. >> and then the rest of them i cook in salted boiling water for, oh, about eight minutes or so.

you want to be careful when you open them so they stay whole. add some salt to my water. and put them in. and then after about eight minutes when they come out, what you want to do is you need to remove the rib that's inside. >> oh, okay. >> okay? because that's kind of hard and tough. so you do that. and then these are ready to be filled to make the filling. i have ground lamb. if you can't get lamb, you can use ground beef as well. i have some finely chopped onion, some parsley, italian flat leaf parsley. and this is italian rice. the thing is, you don't need to cook it first. >> is that the same as a risotto? >> it is, yes. you could use this or you could use what's becoming more available. this is the fun part that the kids can do. from grandmother to kid. after you've mixed it all up, you get a little ball and you roll it up. and you make it into little sausages like this. and that's what you put inside.

if you can hand me one of those, that would be great. let's put this away. >> this is really more of a middle eastern flair. >> this is something my grandmother on my mother's side in egypt made. you squeeze a little bit of the excess water. >> there you go. >> you put it in here. you put some butter in. you put a little bit of garlic. you put some lemon juice. here we go. and then some olive oil. extra virgin olive oil. >> so you don't use tomato paste or anything? >> no tomatoes in this. just enough water to come up maybe a quarter inch. we turn this on a medium heat, cover it and cook it for about 40 minutes. >> oh, wow. >> if we go around the back here, i have some that is already ready to go here. here they are. you want to watch them periodically. but you don't even need to turn them. >> you don't have to touch them or anything? >> no. sometimes i go like this just to mix up the juices while it's

cooking. >> okay. >> and then it is ready to be served. >> lovely. >> what would be something good to serve this with? >> what would be good to serve it with? well, with some good bread, maybe. but, you know, a good glass of wine, i don't think you need anything else. >> it's all very healthy, right? delicious. >> what's for dessert? >> baklava. my grandmother on my father's side made it. we don't have a recipe on that. >> you created the recipe. >> my wife makes baklava. >> the book is recipe favorites. giuliano, thanks so much. >> thank you. coming up, hoda and kathie lee undergo cosmetic procedures live.