A warm and cheerful start to 2026.
I loved answering this week's "Ask Ina" question!
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Happy New Year!
I celebrated New Year’s Eve in Paris and felt very grateful for wonderful friends who bring so much joy and support to my life. I hope you celebrated with people you love, and 2026 is off to a great start.
Ask Ina:
“I gave your cookbook to newlyweds over the holidays. What advice do you give to someone who is new in the realm of home cook?”
I think a lot of people feel they have to show off with a complicated recipe when they start cooking, but that’s not the point. Instead of cooking something challenging, cook what you love to eat. And learn six really good recipes and do them over and over again until you’re really good at it. Then, vary it. If you know how to make a roast chicken, then you’ll know how to make a good roast turkey. You will learn to make variations without stressing out.
Second, don’t be afraid of seasoning. The two biggest mistakes people make about cooking can be corrected with two things everyone has in their kitchen—salt and pepper. Salt particularly brings out flavor. For example, in chicken stock, the proper amount of seasoning is the difference between tasting like dishwater and full, rich flavors. If you look at the research, the amount of salt necessary to season things is a healthy amount. The culprit in our diet is processed food, not real food.
This Week’s Favorites:
Jeffrey and I have been watching a lot of documentaries!
For Christmas Day, we watched The New Yorker at 100. It was great!
Last night we watched a documentary about John Williams: Music by John Williams. OMG he’s a genius, and you will never hear movie music the same way again.
Tonight I’m watching The End of An Era, which is supposed to be a really good behind-the-scenes look at Taylor Swift’s tour. Love her!!!
Good morning, Ina, No questions, just a thank you for you being there to show us how things are done in the done. HAPPY NEW YEAR. Yes, for Jeffrey too! smile.
Ina, can you tell me how you did the smoked salmon on the picture of your New Year’s Eve gathering with friends in Paris