Ep 8. Go Green or Go Home

Giada Entertains is a Food Network series starring Giada De Laurentiis, an Italian-American chef, cookbook author, and television personality. In season 5 episode 8, entitled Go Green or Go Home, Giada focuses on creating an eco-friendly dinner party.

The episode starts with Giada visiting a local farmer's market in search of fresh, sustainable ingredients for her dinner party. She picks up locally grown greens, heirloom tomatoes, and other seasonal produce. Giada emphasizes the importance of supporting local farmers and buying sustainable produce to reduce our carbon footprint.

Back in her kitchen, Giada begins preparing the appetizers, a zucchini and ricotta crostini. She grills sliced zucchini and tops it with whipped ricotta, lemon zest, and fresh basil. Giada explains that using seasonal ingredients not only ensures freshness but also reduces transportation costs and supports local farmers.

For the main course, Giada prepares a vegetarian pasta dish featuring spaghetti squash, roasted cherry tomatoes, and fresh arugula. She roasts the spaghetti squash and then shreds it into a spaghetti-like texture before tossing it with the roasted cherry tomatoes and arugula. Giada highlights the benefits of meatless meals for the environment and our health.

For dessert, Giada creates a refreshing and light apple granita. She purees apples with sugar and lemon juice, freezes the mixture, and then scrapes it with a fork to create a shaved ice texture. Giada suggests using reusable cups or bowls to reduce waste and lessen our impact on the environment.

Throughout the episode, Giada shares tips for making environmentally conscious choices when entertaining, such as using cloth napkins rather than paper napkins, using eco-friendly cleaning products, and avoiding single-use plastics.

Finally, Giada puts together a beautiful outdoor tablescape, using recycled glassware and linens. She invites her guests to enjoy the fresh air and delicious, sustainable meal. The episode ends with Giada suggesting that viewers incorporate some of these eco-friendly practices into their own entertaining.

Overall, Go Green or Go Home is a fun and educational episode that encourages viewers to make environmentally conscious choices when hosting dinner parties. Giada's creativity and passion for cooking with sustainable ingredients are infectious, and viewers are sure to come away with some new ideas for entertaining in an eco-friendly way.