Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Semi-Homemade Holidays

Aired November 26, 2002 - 11:39   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: If the idea of preparing a homemade holiday meal from scratch just sends you into panic, you can relax, because all you have to do is get some canned goods, maybe some box mixes, and you can kind of add a few homemade touches, and it will take the stress out of holiday entertaining. That's the philosophy of our guest this morning who can share some of our shortcuts for cooking. Sandra Lee joins us. She is the author of "Semi-Homemade Cooking." Her new book offers some quick marvelous meal ideas.
Let's go to her right now.

Sandra, thanks for joining us. You're joining us from Los Angeles. I know it's a little early out there to be cooking, but I'm going to be up bright and early Thursday cooking, as well.

SANDRA LEE, "SEMI-HOMEMADE COOKING": Yes, happy Thanksgiving.

LIN: Yes, happy Thanksgiving.

Let's talk first about how we can get into the holiday mood at home. Aside from cooking, I just need to spruce up the house a little bit. I need something that gives it that holiday punch that says it's that time of year.

LEE: That's right, and what I like to do at home is I like to spend time doing things that are quick and fast that look fabulous, and that take me from one holiday to the next without any changeover and something that doesn't need to be watered, or any attention once you make it. Matter of minutes, budget conscious, all those great things, but looks beautiful so you have the time to enjoy family and friends, and that's why I came up with the semi-homemade concept and brand. It's a 70/30 philosophy -- 70 percent of whatever it is you're making, whether you're cooking, making holiday decorations, is store- bought, ready-made quality, ingredients, name brands, and you add 30 percent fresh ingredients, a pinch of this, a hint of that, and you've got a pretty fabulous semi-homemade meal, decoration, whatever it is you want.

LIN: Show me something -- how many home decor?

LEE: Let's do that.

This year, the hot theme is monochromatic. So what I wanted to do was show you something for Thanksgiving. I've taken some gold spray paint and some gold glitter and plastic. These are just plastic fruit and vegetables. Look at this ear of corn. It looks pearlescent (ph). But these are things that you can actually put on your table from Thanksgiving all the way through the holiday season no matter whether you celebrate Hanukkah or Christmas. I am securing my, what I call swizzle sticks, these gold beautiful things that will enlighten your room, into a vase, which you would get with any flower arrangement, and in the bottom of this vase, securing my gold swizzle sticks is rock salt that I have painted with gold paint. Just takes a matter of minutes to do all this. I did all these decorations in about half an hour.

LIN: They look great.

LEE: That looks like a centerpiece to me, but you've actually got something else that's even better.

LIN: This would be a great centerpiece, a great tabletop, whatever it is you'd like to use it for.

LIN: But?

LEE: This is the creme de la creme. This is a beautiful centerpiece that's made from four pieces of foam, square foam, and in between them is holiday balls, and I use a little bit of hot glue, but I like super glue, because it's fast and I like the instant perfection and the instant getting it done right now, and then there's a bow, more holiday balls, little things from the craft store. These are just foam berries here and a little firefly.

LIN: They come like that, so all you have to do is get the forms and stick it on. That's a great idea. How about if you're desperate for a dessert idea, which I am, and you don't want to do the pumpkin, berry pie thing Thursday? You got any ideas for us?

LEE: Well, in the cookbook, "Semi-Homemade Cooking," I do have a raspberry rum trifle, which you will love. It starts with Sara Lee's pound cake, jam, rum extract. That's in the cookbook on page 89 if you have that.

But also you can decorate your home with things from the grocery store. I love these meringue cookies that come ready made in this container, and you can fill up beautiful bowls that you would can get at a discount merchandiser that would be $5, $6, $7. Put these on table, anywhere on your tabletop, and they're going to be gorgeous. People are going love them. They look festive, and they're yummy, which is very important.

LIN: So it's good to look for shapes and color.

LEE: Exactly.

LIN: Those are those lemon meringue ones, I know exactly what you're talking about, and they are great.

LEE: Yes, and stagger.

Or you could you do chocolate, if you want, chocolate meringues. We have those as well. So there's a lot of things at your grocery store that you can use that will make your home look amazing and that are edible and delicious and will make you look pretty fabulous.

LIN: Sandra Lee, great ideas.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired November 26, 2002 - 11:39   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: If the idea of preparing a homemade holiday meal from scratch just sends you into panic, you can relax, because all you have to do is get some canned goods, maybe some box mixes, and you can kind of add a few homemade touches, and it will take the stress out of holiday entertaining. That's the philosophy of our guest this morning who can share some of our shortcuts for cooking. Sandra Lee joins us. She is the author of "Semi-Homemade Cooking." Her new book offers some quick marvelous meal ideas.
Let's go to her right now.

Sandra, thanks for joining us. You're joining us from Los Angeles. I know it's a little early out there to be cooking, but I'm going to be up bright and early Thursday cooking, as well.

SANDRA LEE, "SEMI-HOMEMADE COOKING": Yes, happy Thanksgiving.

LIN: Yes, happy Thanksgiving.

Let's talk first about how we can get into the holiday mood at home. Aside from cooking, I just need to spruce up the house a little bit. I need something that gives it that holiday punch that says it's that time of year.

LEE: That's right, and what I like to do at home is I like to spend time doing things that are quick and fast that look fabulous, and that take me from one holiday to the next without any changeover and something that doesn't need to be watered, or any attention once you make it. Matter of minutes, budget conscious, all those great things, but looks beautiful so you have the time to enjoy family and friends, and that's why I came up with the semi-homemade concept and brand. It's a 70/30 philosophy -- 70 percent of whatever it is you're making, whether you're cooking, making holiday decorations, is store- bought, ready-made quality, ingredients, name brands, and you add 30 percent fresh ingredients, a pinch of this, a hint of that, and you've got a pretty fabulous semi-homemade meal, decoration, whatever it is you want.

LIN: Show me something -- how many home decor?

LEE: Let's do that.

This year, the hot theme is monochromatic. So what I wanted to do was show you something for Thanksgiving. I've taken some gold spray paint and some gold glitter and plastic. These are just plastic fruit and vegetables. Look at this ear of corn. It looks pearlescent (ph). But these are things that you can actually put on your table from Thanksgiving all the way through the holiday season no matter whether you celebrate Hanukkah or Christmas. I am securing my, what I call swizzle sticks, these gold beautiful things that will enlighten your room, into a vase, which you would get with any flower arrangement, and in the bottom of this vase, securing my gold swizzle sticks is rock salt that I have painted with gold paint. Just takes a matter of minutes to do all this. I did all these decorations in about half an hour.

LIN: They look great.

LEE: That looks like a centerpiece to me, but you've actually got something else that's even better.

LIN: This would be a great centerpiece, a great tabletop, whatever it is you'd like to use it for.

LIN: But?

LEE: This is the creme de la creme. This is a beautiful centerpiece that's made from four pieces of foam, square foam, and in between them is holiday balls, and I use a little bit of hot glue, but I like super glue, because it's fast and I like the instant perfection and the instant getting it done right now, and then there's a bow, more holiday balls, little things from the craft store. These are just foam berries here and a little firefly.

LIN: They come like that, so all you have to do is get the forms and stick it on. That's a great idea. How about if you're desperate for a dessert idea, which I am, and you don't want to do the pumpkin, berry pie thing Thursday? You got any ideas for us?

LEE: Well, in the cookbook, "Semi-Homemade Cooking," I do have a raspberry rum trifle, which you will love. It starts with Sara Lee's pound cake, jam, rum extract. That's in the cookbook on page 89 if you have that.

But also you can decorate your home with things from the grocery store. I love these meringue cookies that come ready made in this container, and you can fill up beautiful bowls that you would can get at a discount merchandiser that would be $5, $6, $7. Put these on table, anywhere on your tabletop, and they're going to be gorgeous. People are going love them. They look festive, and they're yummy, which is very important.

LIN: So it's good to look for shapes and color.

LEE: Exactly.

LIN: Those are those lemon meringue ones, I know exactly what you're talking about, and they are great.

LEE: Yes, and stagger.

Or you could you do chocolate, if you want, chocolate meringues. We have those as well. So there's a lot of things at your grocery store that you can use that will make your home look amazing and that are edible and delicious and will make you look pretty fabulous.

LIN: Sandra Lee, great ideas.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com