Giada De Laurentiis For Target Collection Event

I was watching The Talk yesterday after hearing that Giada De Laurentiis will be on and ONLY because she would be on the show and that is when I remembered.  Holy Moley, I never posted about the event that I attended with the one and only Giada De Laurentiis.

By the way, The Talk is NOT the same without Leah Remini and Holly Robinson Peete so I won’t be watching often.  I was definitely turned off when I heard the awful news that Leah and Holly would no longer be on the show. For whatever reason, I think the producers or whoever, did a huge mistake letting them go.

They were AWESOME and still is!

But I digress.

When I got the official invite to attend the tasting event from Target and saw that one of my favorite Food Network stars would be there, I literally screamed. My kids jumped and asked what was wrong.

“I’m gonna meet Giada De Laurentiis!” is what I said. I was beyond stoked.  I have watched her for a long time. She has this way of cooking foods that look extremely easy to make and look quite delicious.

Just in case you don’t know, Giada De Laurentiis is an award-winning Chef who was born and raised in Naples, Italy up until she was 8 years old — that’s when her parents moved to Los Angeles.  Giada started her career as a media personality on the Food Network in 2002 but quickly became one of the Network’s most recognizable faces.  In 2010, Target launched the exclusive Giada De Laurentiis for Target collection of kitchen tools and food products, perfect for cooking and entertaining.

When I arrived to the studio, I noticed Giada mingling with several people.  From what I saw, she seemed very nonchalant and very personable.  Don’t you just like that when celebrities are like that? I know I do.

The studios was decorated with different stations.  The stations were all very neat and tidy.  Target literally has something for all occasions.

After touring the whole studio, it was time for us to see a special cooking demonstration from Giada De Laurentiis herself.

She showed us how to make a surprisingly delicious pasta dish called Linguine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Olives and Lemon.  I say surprisingly because I rarely eat olives. I have to be in the mood to eat them but in this dish, all the flavors married really well together. It was fabulous!

After her cooking demonstration, she spoke to almost everyone there like she knew us.  She loved taking photos with us too. It was a really nice experience.

Linguine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Olives and Lemon

• 1 pound linguine pasta
• 1 cup or 6oz jar of GDL for Target Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup (4 ounces) medium green olives, pitted
• 1 packed cup of fresh basil leaves
• 1 garlic clove (or more if you like)
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice or juice from 1 large lemon
• zest of 1 large lemon
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook pasta according to directions on the box for al dente.  Scoop and set aside pasta with Giada De Laurentiis  Stainless Steel Pasta Scoop.

In a food processor, combine sun-dried tomatoes, olives, basil, garlic, oil, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Pulse until blended but still chunky.

Add the tomato mixture and parmesan cheese to the pasta and toss well until pasta is coated.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Do you think this recipe seems complicated? It’s so easy! Just check out the video for yourself below:

(Please excuse my videography skills)

Disclosure: I was invited to an event sponsored by Target. I did not receive any compensation.  All opinions expressed here are my own.