The stakes are high so the food has to be distractedly tasty as well as made in card game friendly bite sized portions. Ina makes mini Lobster Salad, Vegetable Sushi, Lamb sausage in puff pastry and tiny Linzer cookies.

Tonight Ina's swapping her traditional roast for chicken with attitude in a Tex Mex feast in the garden. On the menu -Tequila lime chicken cooked on the grill served with guacamole, Sagaponack corn pudding and a stunning frozen key lime pie for dessert.

How do you host a perfect dinner party with fantastic food without spending the entire night in the kitchen? Ina Garten has the solution, with Chicken Stew followed by Summer Pudding with Rum Whipped Cream. Ina even has time to make herself a quick lunch.