I favored showstopping dishes, such as bo ssam or sides of poached salmon with elaborate mousseline sauces. Even regular dinner parties sometimes had themes. I sweated the small stuff.

Garten explains in the description that the dish is her modern twist on a traditional plate of poached eggs on toast. "It's easier than poaching eggs," she wrote in her book.

Ina’s favorite is from OXO, and she’s not the only person who loves it. The OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner is an Amazon best-seller; more than 20,000 were bought in the last month alone.

This tequila lime chicken recipe comes from Ina Garten’s 2002 Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook. Including marinating time, this recipe takes about 8 hours, so plan ahead.

Ina’s ratio is different than the instructions on the box, which say to use 1 cup of water for every ½ cup of oatmeal, but I went with her advice. I wouldn’t have minded a thicker consistency ...