Have breakfast for dinner with Giada's crispy pita

Video: Giada: Why not have breakfast for dinner?

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   >>> well this morning we are cooking with giada , "today" contributor and chef giada de laurentiis has a new cookbook out just this week in stores called "weeknights with giada ."

   >> and giada 's advice this morning, try breakfast for dinner. good morning.

   >> hi.

   >> i know my boys are big fans for breakfast for dinner. so is jade. is that how all this started?

   >> honestly when you have a 4-year-old, as you know well, at the end of the day it's hard to get them excited about dinner.

   >> yeah.

   >> so when jade knows it's coming up on breakfast for dinner she gets really excited. so i've got a few different ideas.

   >> and these are healthy options.

   >> no, we're not. we're going to start with a crispy breakfast pita.

   >> come over here.

   >> savannah

   >> yes, dear.

   >> the rebrush the oil on the pita. just brush a little oil on a regular pita and i put it on a grill pan like this and grill it for a couple of minutes until we get the nice little grill marks, and flatten it so it looks like pizza, really.

   >> exactly.

   >> and take an egg and you just break the egg in the skillet with a little bit of oil. let it cook for two to three minutes.

   >> over easy , right?

   >> i like it a little bit runny. everybody's got their own way of doing their eggs. however long you like it. i like it a little runny so i do two to three minutes just until the white is set. a little salt, pepper, then --

   >> i like this secret ingredient . the mascarpone.

   >> it's just mascarpone cheese.

   >> we're going to add a little lemon zoes give it a little flavor. a little salt, a little pepper. season it up and then you're going to smear -- smear.

   >> smear on the pita. just like that.

   >> just a little bit.

   >> and the lemon just kind of brightens up the flavors of the cheese but you need something to let everything stick to. and this is actually fun for the kids to do. so jade can usually just do this on her own. and then you toss it with a little --

   >> over here we make an easy vinaigrette, lemon juice , olive oil , a little bit of salt, little pepper, too. mix it all together and pour it over the arugula or any lettuce that you like. you can go ahead and toss that.

   >> a way to sneak salad past the kids without them knowing it.

   >> mine won't see past that.

   >> then don't put it on there. i put a little bit of prosciutto down first. todd likes a little bit of meat. a little bit of prosciutto.

   >> guys like the meat and potatoes.

   >> yeah, right.

   >> and then if you want to take the egg --

   >> savannah is like --

   >> is this the right size?

   >> oh, yes so and put it right on top.

   >> there you go.

   >> go, go, savannah. oh, no.

   >> here we go. i got it. there you go. so at the end of the day that is what it looks like. you can have dinner very, very quickly.

   >> now let's move on back here because this is something my kids would love.

   >> this is jade's favorite.

   >> these are almond pancakes.

   >> these are almond pancakes. you've got to like almonds. and jade loves it and i love it. so we've got a little pancake mix . two eggs -- what do you think?

   >> mascarpone.

   >> favorite ingredient.

   >> a little ol ill oil.

   >> and garlic. and then a little bit of almond extract . a little vanilla extract . and water. and that's it. you blend it all together so it gets nice and light. then we're going to add the almond paste . for anybody who doesn't know what almond paste looks like. it has less sugar than marzipan.

   >> it's yummy out of the tube like that, too.

   >> it's like candy, honestly. you put this all together and then add the almond paste .

   >> if you use this, and put this in the fridge and you don't take it out to let it come to a temperature it doesn't soften like this, it gets gritty and then you're going to have grittyness in your pancakes. then you take this, i'll show you. sorry i need to figure this out.

   >> dump that in. go for it.

   >> blend it all up.

   >> and you guys start making pancake here's. you put this all together and leave a little bit of chunkiness. it pops up and you've got little bites. it's like having chocolate chips .

   >> delish.

   >> and just like that. jade this is her favorite?

   >> well, yeah. because hello.

   >> pan takes.

   >> these are great you make a bunch, give it sort of a snack or for breakfast or whatever.

   >> raspberry maple syrup . we've got peach and cherry. frozen cherries.

   >> that's it for easter

   >> the cookbook is great. i've been cooking from it already. so my kids are big fans already. crispy chicken fingers .

   >> yes.

   >> lots of good recipes for kids and adults.

   >> and savannah.

   >> and savannah.

   >> easy categorize. very easy.

   >> it's so rare that we actually cook breakfast at this hour on the "today" show. i love it.

   >> i love breakfast for dinner. i could do breakfast ten times a day. thank you, giada .

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