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Ina Garten shares the secret to her 50-year marriage with Jeffrey (and we're swooning)

Plus, we learn what one dish she made that Jeffrey did not care for!
Ina Garten comments on her long marriage
inagarten/Instagram/Getty Images
/ Source: TODAY

After 50 years married to the same man, Ina Garten — who is currently in the middle of a week-long anniversary celebration of her union with Jeffrey — has learned a few things about how to make a relationship work.

And as she told TODAY Tuesday, it's about keeping things simple ... and a little luck.

"It's just the luck of the draw," she said during a visit to the Orange Room before preparing a meal on camera. "I think you marry someone who thinks you're just the most important thing in the world, and you think he's the most important thing in the world. It's that simple, isn't it? People make it so complicated."

Ina Garten comments on her long marriage
Ina Garten makes things delicious for everyone, including Savannah Guthrie.Nathan Congleton/TODAY

That said, Ina, who's also a world-renowned chef with a Food Network show, "The Barefoot Contessa," has a secret weapon.

"Chicken always helps," she chuckled. Ina has said in the past that she believes chicken has "magic powers" in response to Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle getting engaged after she made him roast chicken.

"I think the best way you can express love by cooking for someone is figure out what they like — not what you like, what they like — and make it for them," she told TODAY back in February. "And they'll feel really good."

That said, even the most important man in her life can't love everything she's made: "There was one (dish) I made very early on (in our marriage) that was like ground beef and corn that was just dreadful," she admitted. "But we couldn't afford to make another meal, so we ate it and said it was delicious."

Hey, that's love, too!

Speaking of which, Ina explained that they opted not to do a big 50th wedding anniversary party, and are parceling out their joy in small packages all week.

"He's going to take me to a very special restaurant, and then we're going to go to Paris on Thursday," she explained. "I get the week off."

She's also been posting some wonderful throwback images of the Gartens in younger years, including this one, taken during an extended camping trip in 1971:

As she noted, "If we can survive in a tent for four months, we can survive anything."

With these two, the proof is most definitely in the pudding.