By Rose Brunning, CNN

(CNN) -- "I have the palate of a five year old," Anderson Cooper tells celebrity chef Ina Garten.

Garten, the prolific cookbook author and star of Food Network's "Barefoot Contessa," joined "Full Circle" to talk about cooking for comfort during challenging times.

Garten reflected on how she stayed connected with fans through social media this past year, including with a viral video of her mixing a giant cosmo.

"So I started making things for Instagram to kind of get people through it. And then one day I thought, I think we all need a cocktail," she says.

Anderson shared how much he loves watching Garten's show even though he does not like to cook, and admitted he made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner last night.

"I was so happy," he said. "I just loved it."

Garten revealed she also developed a newfound appreciation for the time-honored staple.

"I have to say in the beginning of the pandemic, that's what (my husband) Jeffrey and I had, too. And I don't think I'd ever had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I mean, my mother never made them. And we were just like, this is great."

Garten said her current guilty pleasures are simmering soups and stews, including a unique twist on a classic recipe that she shares in her new book "Modern Comfort Food".

"I wanted to do like a classic American beef stew, but I substituted the beef, which is usually boring, for short ribs, which has much more flavor. And then I kind of borrowed ingredients from French beef Bourguignon and put in a lot of red wine and some cognac and it's just satisfying."

You can watch Cooper's full interview with Ina Garten at cnn.com/fullcircle.