The NBC ' Today ' anchor shares his tender memories of food for thought , holidays , and the mellisonant tarradiddle behind his newfangled cookery book that he co - author with his daughter .

Al Roker boasts an telling sketch : CEO , source , atomic number 27 - host , and , perhaps most famously , weatherman for NBC’sToday . Amid his many talents and the need they implicate , the beloved television personality has another passion : cooking .

" I commend loving to be in the kitchen with my female parent when she was falsify . There was something amazing about seeing all these disparate thing that would all amount together and prey us . ' How does that materialize ? ' I ’d wonder , " Roker says . His appreciation for intellectual nourishment has been a constant throughout his life , and family is the master fixings that makes cooking special , especially during the holidays .

Al Roker’s House Rules

Q: What should a guest do to be invited back?

Do n’t outstay your welcome . We ’ve had party where I ’ve had to go upstairs , put on pajamas , and come back down , and they ’re still there . Listen , you may last out out all Nox all you desire , you just ca n’t stay here .

Q: What’s one of your favorite holiday recipes?

My dad got into baking when I was a kid . I always think that in the wintertime ( and if it was a Saturday ) , I ’d come home and there was a scent of red-hot , baked Cinnamomum zeylanicum . I have a tradition to sample to keep that alert , keep his memory alive . Back when the kid were much younger , I started bakingcinnamon rollswhile we would open presents so that you have that cinnamon bun smell in the house . By the clip we were done opening nowadays , we would pose down to have breakfast together .

Q: Do you prefer a sit-down meal or a grazing board for the holidays?

More of a dinner party , dinner , you know ? I like that you ’ve beat a goal . You ’re working towards something seeable , like a dinner party table full of food for thought . However , on Thanksgiving , my mother would put out a crowing sports stadium of yield and nuts while we see the parade and smelledthe joker baking and roasting , which I always enjoy .

Q: When cooking, do you clean as you go or all at the end?

I attempt to clean as I go along . As your kitchen gets messier and messier , it ’s hard toexperience and love thing . To help oneself , you should have all your ingredients measure , in place , and ready to go before cooking .

Q: What’s your go-to entertaining recipe?

Anice charcuterie boardgoes a long way . With a twosome of ardent baguettes , that ’s a pretty good deal .

Q: Sweet or savory party food?

It bet on the kind of company , but I ’m going to go with a Chex Mix , which is both .

Q: Cooking or baking?

A Labor of Love:Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By

Roker ’s new cookbook , Al Roker ’s Recipes to inhabit By : Easy , computer storage - Making class knockout for Every Occasionis officially on bookstore shelf . This cookery book is extra special to Roker , as he authored it with his girl , Courtney .

" The cookbook was a labor of love , in that it was a combining of a love of house and a love of preparation , " Roker says . He give Courtney credit for most of the book ( which features 100 formula ) , from the original idea to the recipe development and even the food styling . Roker jokes that his daughter was like a " forensic recipe detective " when trying to mimic a handed - down family dish .

" I was spoil aside by what she was able-bodied to do and how she was able to re - create these recipe . She talked to my sis , and pal , and other family members , and these formula mean a lot to them from grow up , " Roker says .

-Al Roker

The cookbook was a labor of dear , in that it was a combination of a sexual love of family and a love of cookery .

Savor Mealtime More Often

Roker hopes that his cookbook will inspire people to practice the recipes to create their own memories .

" I think at the end of the twenty-four hours , most of our best time , or even time where we need consoling , revolve around food . I have check from my daughter , Leila , who be in Paris , that they are all about being intentional with your repast , " Roker say . He ’s hopeful his cookbook can remind others to slow down andsavor mealtime with loved onesmore often .

I call back at the terminal of the day , most of our best times , or even time where we ask consoling , revolve around solid food .

A Bonding Experience

Roker knew from previous experience that write a cookbook entails lots of time and effort . He was thankful that this time around , Courtney was eager to do so much of the body of work with him .

" When you ’ve scram grow kids , you maybe talk once a week . But while writing the book , we were talking multiple times each calendar week , " Roker enounce .