Jennifer Garner Nearly Set Her Kitchen on Fire Trying to Make Christmas Dinner

Jennifer Garner might be the most relatable person on earth as well as a rom-com star.

On December 29, Garner shared a new Christmas-themed episode of her Instagram cooking series Pretend Cooking Show in which she attempted Ina Garten’s beef bourguignon recipe for her family for Christmas dinner. The recipe originated from Garten’s  2004 cookbook, Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make At Home. (Sidebar: I also make this recipe around Christmastime, and it is delicious.) 

Things started off a bit chaotic, which is par for the course on Pretend Cooking Show. For some reason, Garner fills her hands with flour and walks around trying to figure out what to do with it, only to realize that the recipe doesn’t call for flour at all. Classic!

Then, when she’s making the beef bourguignon on the stove and has to add more ingredients, she debates whether or not she should double the amount of cognac. Garner pours all the cognac in the pot, and when she begins to stir the pot, the beef bourguignon bursts into flames. “A thousand pardons,” Garner said in the video. After the flame died down she added, “Don’t double the Cognac.”

In the caption for the episode, Garner explained her love for Garten’s beef bourguignon recipe. “The thing about traditions—all you do to give them meaning is keep them,” she wrote. “I don’t know when I started making @inagarten’s beef bourguignon (from Barefoot in Paris) for Christmas, it was long enough ago that the smell of this perfect stew makes me feel happy, cozy, and relaxed (until I almost lit the kitchen on fire—Ina would never 😬!). Maybe this will make sense for your New Year’s Eve, but wherever this weekend takes you—we wish you a healthy, a joyful, and a peaceful New Year. ♥️”

Ina Garten herself commented on the video to make Garner feel better about the fire mishap. “That’s my favorite!!! And I almost set the kitchen on fire every time! Happy New Year!!! Love you ♥️♥️♥️.”

Garner replied, “The BEST, Ina ♥️♥️♥️ Happy New Year, love you xxx.”

Between this moment and the time Jennifer Garner accidentally sent a selfie to a wrong number, the actor may just have the most entertaining celebrity Instagram account. You’re gonna want to give her a follow.