It's almost July Fourth!

We're making the easiest summer recipe at the barn: Warm Lobster Rolls.

Cold Lobster Rolls are a classic summer meal, but when I discovered Connecticut Lobster Rolls, there was no going back. It consists of warm lobster that has been sautéed in butter and herbs — you can’t go wrong with that! They’re also incredibly easy to assemble when you use store-bought cooked lobster.

What I do is I’ll make a couple of sides a day in advance, like Coleslaw and Potato Salad. An hour before I plan to serve the meal, I’ll prep the lobster roll ingredients. When guests arrive, all I have to do is combine the lobster, celery, herbs, butter, and lemon juice in a pan to heat it through and spoon the buttery lobster into toasted buns. Dinner is ready!

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Ask Ina:

“I’m not great at assembling table settings. What’s your advice?”

I tend to keep mine pretty simple. I usually base the color of the setting on the color of the flowers. Not lots of different flowers, but simply one big bowl of something dramatic: orange tulips, hot pink peonies, or white roses with lime green alchemilla.

To make the flowers look their best, I’ll use a paler color tablecloth—usually white, cream, or natural Belgian linen. The plates are almost always white (it makes the food look best), and the napkins either pick up the color of the flowers or contrast with them. For the Fourth of July, if I have blue hydrangeas, a white tablecloth, and red and white striped napkins looks great. If the roses are peach and the cloth is cream, a big peach napkin is nice.

Next is the flatware and glasses. Mix it up. I have a set of silver that’s half antique and half new, and I think it looks more modern than your grandmother’s silver. For glasses, I like to have an assortment of heights—low water tumblers, footed wine glasses, champagne flutes (if it’s appropriate). Light from votive candles will make the silver and glasses sparkle.

Don’t obsess; all the dishes and chairs don’t have to match—if they’re the same color and about the same shape, they’ll look just fine together. Remember, it’s about the friends, not the table setting.

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This Week’s Favorites:

• Jeffrey, our friends Rob and John, and I recently watched the documentary “Becoming Katharine Graham.” It’s an extraordinary story of a woman finding herself in business. After that, you can watch “The Post” with Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham!

• Lately, I’ve been using an immersion blender instead of a food processor when making soups like my Potato Fennel Soup. It’s a great equipment swap!

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I hope everyone has a delicious July 4th Weekend!