Jennifer Garner's Weekend Cooking Philosophy

A writer for Delish spent a weekend cooking Jennifer Garner's favorite recipes to reconnect with the joy of cooking. The project involved making homemade pizza, ground turkey burritos, sourdough, chicken pot pie, and honey white bread.

Jennifer Garner's approach to cooking, featured on her social media series Pretend Cooking Show, is described as refreshingly approachable. It emphasizes infectious enthusiasm, fuss-free recipes, and easy-to-follow instructions. The writer aimed to adopt this joyful, easygoing culinary style over a single weekend.

Friday Dinner: Homemade Pizza

For Friday dinner, the writer made homemade pizza, a dish Garner calls her challenge when feeling ambitious. Garner told Delish she sometimes buys pre-made dough or makes it herself if she has time. The writer used fast-acting yeast for the dough and made a three-ingredient sauce from whole tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, and flaky salt. After letting the dough rise, they topped it with pepperoni and peperoncini before baking. Using a cooking steel, the pizza was ready in under 15 minutes. This kind of simple, satisfying project is what makes planning weekend fixtures in the kitchen so appealing.

Saturday Meals: Burritos and Sourdough

Saturday breakfast featured an adaptation of Garner's ground turkey burritos. Garner makes simple burritos for her kids using just ground turkey and a packet of taco seasoning. The writer added eggs, hash browns, refried beans, avocado, and a side sauce for a heartier breakfast. Friends were invited over to share the meal, much like reviewing a team's squad to see who's available for a gathering.

For lunch, the writer embraced Garner's weekend baking tradition. Garner says she always does a weekend bake, which might be pancakes, quick bread, or muffins. The writer chose to make sourdough bread, spending the late morning and early afternoon on the process. The resulting loaf was deemed a success.

Saturday dinner was Ina Garten's chicken pot pie, a cozy recipe Garner makes when her daughter comes home. The writer found the process seamless, even without an egg wash on the crust, and understood why it's a requested dish.

Sunday Breakfast: Honey White Bread Tradition

The final recipe was Ina Garten's Honey White Bread, which Garner says tastes most like home to her kids. This bake connected to a childhood tradition Garner continues with her own children. Her mother used to make two loaves. One was regular and one was shaped into a little bread man. The writer made their own version, finding immense joy in the playful, silly process of shaping the dough. The experience highlighted that cooking should be fun, not a rigid chore. The weekend ended with the writer embodying Garner's philosophy of cooking to feed people, enjoy oneself, and make something delicious without overthinking.