“The most important thing for having a party is that the hostess is having fun. I…” — Ina Garten

If it's a cocktail party, I generally make five or six different things, and I try to choose recipes that feel like a meal: a chicken thing, a fish or shrimp thing, maybe two vegetable things, and I think it's fun to end the cocktail party with a sweet thing.

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

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

I've lived in the Hamptons since 1978, when I first bought my store Barefoot Contessa.