I must reclaim my good life and I must return to my good works.

I adore summer entertaining. For a dinner party at the farm, I might prepare homemade fettuccine with porcini mushrooms, soft-shell crabs, spinach from the garden, and lemon tarts with fraises des bois for dessert.

I'm a maniacal perfectionist. And if I weren't, I wouldn't have this company... I have proven that being a perfectionist can be profitable and admirable when creating content across the board: in television, books, newspapers, radio, videos.

You have to focus on what's important to you and go for it. But don't stab people in the back. It poisons your whole life if you're like that.

I had no idea when I went to college what I'd be doing. I took organic chemistry and did terribly, but I was good in English and art. I took many courses and participated in as many activities as I could. I learned a lot about every single thing.

I think baking cookies is equal to Queen Victoria running an empire. There's no difference in how seriously you take the job, how seriously you approach your whole life.

Franchesca and Sharkey, my French bulldogs, have their own blog. And they are brilliant at it.