The planning is everything. Deciding which dishes you're going to prepare can turn into the make-or-break decision five days later, when you actually serve the meal.
Ina GartenI love Alton Brown's show 'Good Eats,' about the chemistry of food. It's really thoughtful.
Ina GartenThe most overrated tool: a pasta maker. Why make it when you can buy it? It's a lot of work!
Ina GartenTake 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