My Afternoon with Giada & What I Cooked Last Week
Cooking with Giada De Laurentiis, Crispy Rice Chinese Chicken Salad, Broccoli Mashed Potatoes, The Best Challah French Toast
Hi everyone, hope you are well!
A few weeks ago, I spent the afternoon with Giada De Laurentiis—one of my biggest inspirations in the cooking world. Like many of you, I grew up watching her on the Food Network, so getting the chance to cook with her was a dream come true (and a total pinch-me moment!). Below, I’m sharing all the details from our time together—how we first connected, what we made, the incredible advice she gave me, and a funny moment with Kimchi (spoiler: it involves an egg!).
First, here’s a recipe for a crispy rice Chinese chicken salad I made with my mom. It features my favorite method for making crispy rice on the stove, which then gets sprinkled on a colorful salad packed with veggies. We loved the balance of flavors and textures, and we can’t wait for you to try it!
What I Cooked Last Week! ↓
Crispy Rice Chinese Chicken Salad
When you pan fry rice in butter for just a few minutes it transforms into these crispy golden brown bits. Served on a Chinese chicken salad, it’s the perfect buttery crunchy contrast to the light refreshing salad.
You can download the PDF recipe above and watch the video here :)
Broccoli Mashed Potatoes
I was floored when I tasted this, because these two were meant to be together. The broccoli gives the potato this fresh flavor and texture pop, while the potato gives the broccoli this creamy, silky element. It’s a recipe you’ll want to make again and again.
The Best Challah French Toast
The secret to the best French toast is properly soaking the bread in a quick custard made with whole milk, which infuses it with creamy flavor and adds protein to keep you fueled throughout the day.
My Afternoon with Giada
Growing up, my mom and I loved watching Giada on TV, so you can imagine how excited we were when we saw that she had made one of our recipes with her daughter, Jade! (It was the cucumber avocado crispy rice!) The next time my mom was in town, we decided to make a sheet pan lasagna inspired by one of Giada’s recipes. Our version had a creamy chicken and broccoli sauce and was the perfect fit for her method—you get all the best parts of lasagna without the tedious layering. We tagged Giada in the recipe, which sparked a conversation. Since we both live in Los Angeles, when she asked if I’d like to meet up for a coffee, I didn’t hesitate for a second—of course, I said yes!
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