Quotes by Ina Garten

In the summer you want fresh, light and sort of quick things; in winter you want things that are comforting, so your body really tells you you want to go towards potatoes, apples, fennel, things that are warm and comforting. And loin of pork.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

Instead of going out to dinner, buy good food. Cooking at home shows such affection. In a bad economy, it's more important to make yourself feel good.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

I love to take something ordinary and make it really special.

— Ina Garten

Love

I try to greet my friends with a drink in my hand, a warm smile on my face, and great music in the background, because that's what gets a dinner party off to a fun start.

— Ina Garten

Friendship

Creme Brulee is the ultimate 'guy' dessert. Make it and he'll follow you anywhere.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

Take one flower that you like and get lots of them. And don't try to 'arrange' them. It's surprisingly hard to do a flower arrangement the way a florist does one. Instead, bunch them all together or put them in a series of small vases all down the table.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

Never let 'em see you sweat. Guests feel guilty if they think you've worked too hard to make dinner for them - which of course you have!

— Ina Garten

Success

The dirty little secret is that I grew up in a household where there were no carbohydrates allowed, ever. No cookies, no bread, no potatoes, no rice. My mother was very extreme in terms of what she served. Since I left home more than 40 years ago, I've been making it right for myself.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

If you think about a Thanksgiving dinner, it's really like making a large chicken.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

I always like to have flowers on the table. I think they make it look special.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

I absolutely adore Thanksgiving. It's the only holiday I insist on making myself.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

You don't have to do everything from scratch. Nobody wants to make puff pastry!

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

I learned that the hardest party to pull off successfully is Saturday night dinner. This meal is expected to be elaborate: appetizers, first course, dinner, dessert, and coffee. People arrive at 7:30 or 8 p.m. and stay for hours - definitely past my bedtime - and they all go home exhausted.

— Ina Garten

Success

I worked for the Office of Management and Budget in the White House, on nuclear energy policy. But I decided it would be much more fun to have a specialty food store, so I left Washington D.C. and moved to the Hamptons. And how glad I am that I did!

— Ina Garten

Success

They say that gardens look better when they are created by loving gardeners rather than by landscapers, because the garden is more tended to and cared for. The same thing goes for cooking. I only cook for people I love.

— Ina Garten

Love

Grilled cheese and tomato soup is the ultimate comfort meal.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

I like almonds as a snack - keeps your energy up but doesn't fill you up.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

I've taught myself how to use good, fresh ingredients and to prepare them as simply as possible by cooking only to enhance their intrinsic flavors.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

My extravagance is my garden - it's the first thing I look at every morning when I wake up. It gives me so much pleasure.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

The most important thing for having a party is that the hostess is having fun. I'm very organized. I make a plan for absolutely everything. I never have anything that has to be cooked while the guests are there. The only thing I might have to do is take something out of the oven and carve it.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

When I wrote 'Barefoot in Paris,' I wanted to make simple recipes that you could make at home that tasted like French classics.

— Ina Garten

Wisdom

I love Alton Brown's show 'Good Eats,' about the chemistry of food. It's really thoughtful.

— Ina Garten

Love

The most overrated tool: a pasta maker. Why make it when you can buy it? It's a lot of work!

— Ina Garten

Success

My mother would never let me in the kitchen. I always wanted to cook, but I was never allowed to. Her view of the world was, 'Cooking is my job, and studying is your job.' I think, in retrospect, she didn't like the chaos. She was very orderly. It had to be her way.

— Ina Garten

Life