Unlike many food personalities with television shows, Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten is not a professionally trained chef. She thinks the way home cooks think; cooks the way they do. As such, her fans find her approachable and her recipes sterling examples of honest fare with simplicity at its heart.

Her new cookbook, "Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That?" (Clarkson Potter, $35), is her seventh and a perfect example of the easy and foolproof recipes that have endeared her to so many.

"How Easy Is That?" is Garten's mantra for making perfect meals without complicated techniques, special equipment or trips to gourmet food shops. Everything's in your supermarket and in your kitchen already. We talked to the Food Network star about her new book.

Q The one thing I hear most about you is that your recipes work. What does that say to you?

A It's really, really important to me. From the time I started writing cookbooks, I wanted every single recipe to work. I work on them over and over again until I get it right. Sometimes it's five times, sometimes it's 25 times. I hand it over to my assistant, and I watch her make it because everything that's obvious to me isn't necessarily obvious to someone else. It helps me see how someone with just a printed page can make a recipe. The next thing I do is road-test the recipe on my friends so I'll know exactly what people want to eat.

Q You make everything look so easy. But really, isn't that what you're going for: ease in the kitchen?

A The recipes I use over and over again are the easiest ones. I thought I would challenge myself and do an entire cookbook of things that could be even easier. Like making risotto in the oven. Who has time to stand there stirring? I don't have time, and I don't even have kids, a dog or a commute to work.

Q What do you think home cooks look for in recipes and serving suggestions?

A They're looking for ingredients they can find in one store. They're looking for a recipe that's on one page that you can do in a home that has one oven. And that you can make in advance.

Q What are some of the things your fans tell you when they meet you?

A What I always hear -- which is very, very sweet -- is some version of "I love you. I love your spinach gratin." People always tell me what their favorite recipes are. I was on a plane recently and someone said, "I love you. I love your roasted shallots." It's a way I get to find out what people are making.

Q You always have a smile on your face when you're cooking, and you look just as happy when you're serving your friends and dining with them. What gives you more pleasure, cooking for others or having someone cook for you?

A That's a tough one. I love cooking for people I love. I'm a sucker for someone cooking for me; it just doesn't happen that often.

Q About [husband] Jeffrey: He's a fixture on your show and he gets to eat everything. Is it coincidence he loves everything you make? He seems incapable of disappointment in terms of what you serve him.

A I actually think that's the dirty little secret of my professional career: Yes, he loves everything I make. When we first got married, I made one thing that was terrible (a ground beef and corn casserole). Other than that he's loved everything. One time I made him tea. And he said, "It's such good tea." I said, "Jeffrey, it's just water and tea!' "

Q What are you excited about now, foodwise?

A I just got back from Barcelona and the food was amazing. And the wine -- it was incredible. I found the Iberico ham was delicious. I loved all those flavors.

Q What is your idea of a perfect dinner party?

A Six people in the kitchen and something in the oven. It would be a dinner of lemon chicken breast, couscous, roasted carrots and a mocha chocolate icebox cake. The whole meal takes half an hour to make and most of it can be assembled before everyone gets there so I can have a good time with my friends.