Angela Lansbury’s Cottage Pie and Susan Anton’s Apple Crisp
I have been in heaven for a week on a writing retreat in deepest, darkest Shropshire. I was here... and as A.E. Houseman put it Clunton and Clunbury,Clungunford and Clun,Are the quietest placesUnder the sun. Especially when you have a writing room all of your...
Sean Connery’s Spiced Beef With Dumplings – Archway – The Great Bear Stop #9
Memory is a funny old thing. I've been thinking about it a lot lately as I've been reading a lot of food memoirs and autobiographies - current obsession, Dirk Bogarde, what a WRITER! My self-generated food memoir evening class is going slowly, but I'm really enjoying...
Robert Quarry’s Texas Potato Salad
I am going on a week's writing retreat on Monday and I cannot wait. I'll be here... More specifically here... I'll be working on the Murder, She Wrote book and trying not to disturb the three other writers in the building with the sound of the theme song playing over,...
Dinner and a Movie – Ocean’s Eleven
I once saw a series of photographs featuring the same family on the same day every year for many, many years. It was a fabulous insight into the ageing process. I have almost the same record of me ageing over the years with prawns in hand at The Company Shed on Mersea...
Dinner With Bea Arthur
I love getting an invite out of the blue to participate in a blogathon, and Gill of Real Weegie Midget Reviews always thinks of me when she has one coming up, thanks Gill! I have participated in the Michael Caine Blogathon, the Lee Grant Blogathon, the Shelley Winters...
Una Stubbs Update
A few days after my Una Stubbs Home-made Muesli post, Mr Rathbone turned up at my place with this... Who kn-una? I had no idea Una had made a fitness record but you'd better believe I'm going to get my leotard and legwarmers on soon and have a go at this. I shall make...
Recipe of the Month – Ron Glass’s Bombay Chicken
Mr Rathbone made this chicken dish as part of the Murder, She Wrote Cookalong and it was SOOOOOO GOOD I've decided to make it Recipe of the Month. Here's Mr R's lovely thorough feedback on the cooking of the dish....
A Vincent Price Curry Party
Halloween is coming! I have a proposal for you! Why not have a Vincent Price Curry Party? First, could I encourage you to spend a few minutes listening to the dulcet tones of Vincent describing his Lifesaver Curry? This is a video that Peter Fuller of the Vincent...
Marlene Dietrich’s Sleeping Potion
Hot on the heels of Oooooona's Moooooosli, here comes Marleeeeeeeen's Sardeeeeeeen. Of course, this pleasing combination of words only works when mispronouncing MarlAYYYYYna Marleeeeeeeen, but hey ho... I made a beautiful loaf of rye bread on a fabulous day in the...
Una Stubbs’ Home-made Muesli
There are some combinations of words that are nice to say together and for me, Una's Muesli is one of those. But you have to pronounce Una OONA rather than YOONA. When I am out and about and need to grab something for breakfast from somewhere like Pret a Manger I lean...
Dinner and a Movie – From Russia With Love
I live alone, and when I was single for many years, I absolutely loved a solo Friday night in. I would come home from work, make myself a Martini and listen to the Desmond Carrington Show on Radio 4. Much missed. Who else would pair a Meatloaf track with a George...
Tessie O’Shea’s Fishcake
Corinna and Cathy are GOOD SPORTS when they come round to my house for dinner. They probably know that something weird is going to be served up. Gourmet food Tessie's fishcake was not. Fishcake singular you note, even though it serves four. Basically, you make a big...
Murder, She Wrote Cookalong – Angela Lansbury’s Kitchen Sink Salad
I wanted to make something to mark the end of the Murder, She Wrote Cookalong and a return to normal life, and this salad was always going to be it. It was fresh, healthy and delicious. Everything you would expect from a recipe Angela included in her wonderful book...
Murder, She Wrote Cookalong Day 6 – Blogger Chums
One of the best things about having a blog is connecting with folks all around the world who are game for anything! So today's testers are based in Australia, the USA, Canada, Finland and Greece as well as here in good old Blighty. Thanks so much, you wonderful...
Murder, She Wrote Cookalong Day 5 – I Ate These!
I do a LOT of cooking so if someone offers to cook for me, I am in heaven! Some lovely, lovely people invited me to partake in the Murder, She Cooked recipes they were testing. I had a blast. Just as when Jessica and Seth cook and eat together, I am happiest when...
Murder, She Wrote Cookalong Day 4 – Sterling Work
I've been thrilled by how many people have signed up for the cookalong. Some are blogger friends I only know through the ether, some are friends in real life, and some I don't know from Adam! I am having so much fun reading and compiling all the feedback. I cannot...
Living My Life Like Shelley Winters – Chicken a la Shelley
We interrupt the Murder, She Wrote Cookalong with a quick post about Shelley Winters! I had great plans to live my life like Shelley Winters for a day as part of the Shelley Winters blogathon organized by Gill from Realweegiemidget Reviews and Poppity of...
Murder, She Wrote Cookalong day 3 – more early birds!
My work chum Julie Gambling will probably be the first to admit that she doesn't cook much. She offered to try Farley Grainger's Baked Potatoes With Chives and cooked these for her folks on a visit to Norfolk. She says, "After my parents got over the shock of me...
Murder, She Wrote Cookalong Day 2 – Works of Art
Greg Swenson of the Recipes for Rebels website and book of the same name is a creative genius. He designed the cover of my Cooking With Columbo cookbook (and proofread it I might add!) He also designed all my lovely Murder, She Wrote Cookalong graphics Greg made not...
Murder, She Wrote Cookalong Day 1 – Early Birds
Hoorah! It's time for the Murder, She Wrote Cookalong! I have been overwhelmed by the amount of folks who have volunteered to test recipes for the forthcoming Murder, She Cooked book and I love you all! The next few days will be all about the...
Recipe of the Month – Kabot Kove Kookies
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the first episode of Murder, She Wrote hitting TV screens in 1984 so this is a perfect recipe to celebrate! The Murder, She Wrote Cookalong is happening in the next few days so be prepared for much madness here on the blog... The first...
Lansburied Alive in Seattle! A Murder, She Wrote Extravaganza!
You know the phrase, "Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet"? Well, one of the things I LOVE about having a blog is meeting people through the internet that I KNOW would be friends if they lived around the corner. One such person is Kelli Cline who lives...
Shirley Jones’ Pecan Pie
This recipe came to me courtesy of Yinzerella over at Dinner is Served 1972. I don't know how she could bear to part with these amazing vintage recipe cards but that's just the kinda gal she is! They came in the post one day and I absolutely treasure them. I would...
Tessie O’Shea’s Just Discovered Tinned Soup
I hate to waste food as much as the next hippie, but in the case of Tessie's soup I had to make an exception. Her way of pimping up a can of condensed soup is slightly bonkers but at its heart, sensible. Add some garlic salt, chicken stock cubes, salt and pepper and...
Dwayne Hickman’s House of Hickman Chicken
I am fascinated by condensed soup. It is one of those things that is a run of the mill everyday staple in American supermarkets, but it's not that easy to find here in the UK. There are currently 54 varieties of Campbell's Condensed Soup featured on their website but...
Groucho Marx’s German Pot Roast – Highgate – The Great Bear Stop #8
A pot roast is not an easy thing to eat on a tube platform so we changed the formula a bit for the Groucho Marx stop on The Great Bear Project. On the day before our Groucho lunch, I jumped off the bus in Tufnell Park and purchased a big lump of brisket from that...
Jessica Walter’s Caesar Salad
I have gone on, and on, and on in the past about how much I love Caesar Salad so this post will be short and sweet. This is the third movie star Caesar I have tried. See here for Grace Kelly's recipe and here for Ruth Roman's. My beloved Ruth playing Loretta was seen...
6th Annual Pieathalon – Spaghetti Pie – a precursor to Humphrey Bogart’s Spaghetti Loaf
Yay! It's that time of year again! The time when Yinzerella over at the marvellous Dinner is Served 1972 gathers together lots of mad pie recipes and dishes them out. I was THRILLED to get a recipe for Spaghetti Pie - what on EARTH?! Luckily for me, I can link this...
Jeff Goldblum’s Sandwich Life
When I heard that Realweegiemidgetreviews was running a #JeffGoldbumBlogathon I wanted IN. But a quick check on the recipe spreadsheet revealed nothing between Jeff Chandler and Jennifer Clulow, what could I do? My old friend Google came to the rescue with a brilliant...
Recipe of the Month – France Nuyen’s Spinach Pie
This is a super easy and super tasty tart, with a no-fuss, no-roll just-squidge-it-in cheesy pastry. YUM. And it's not just me that thinks it is good, the judge of the Muswell Hill and District Horticultural Society Summer Show cookery classes gave it a first! Mr...
Cowboy Day Cook-along 2019 – F. Murray Abraham’s Jalapeno and Cheddar Corn Bread
Yeehaw and giddy-up! This year's cowboy day ho-down chez Battenburgbelle was just fabulous! She decided to combine our book group meet up with a Tex-Mex feast and it was so much fun. All the ladies got into the spirit with hats... Thus confirming my...
Sugarpuss O’Shea’s Strawberry Shortcake
This photo says it all really. Can there be anything more summery and delicious than strawberries and cream? With a bit of cake thrown in? I made these a donkeys age ago but summer socialising has thrown my schedule all out of whack so they are only now floating to...
Dick Van Patten’s Lemon Wine Chicken Cutlets
I invited the lovely Battenburg Belle round for dinner on a school night this week so I needed something fairly speedy to make. I fancied chicken so I had a quick scan through the recipes in the Murder, She Wrote Cookalong list to see what was on offer...
Yul Brynner’s Almond Fudge Cake
When the boss's birthday is in the same week as Yul Brynner's NOT QUITE A BIRTHDAY CAKE, BUT ALMOST it's a no brainer where to look for a cake recipe... This was a GREAT CAKE as it is very easy to make and I loved the suggestion of bunging fresh cream and fruit on the...
Tessie O’Shea’s Chez Tuna Fish
Tessie loves language. By which I mean she likes to play around with it. Her recipe titles often include shortened words. For example, in the Butt-Chive Cheese Shrimp recipe, Butt is short for butter. Behold the Butt-Chive Cheese Shrimp! Gar-mar Mayonnaise is...
David Niven’s Julglögg (Christmas wine) – East Finchley – The Great Bear Stop # 7
It seems strange to be writing about something that happened on a cold January day when we are slap bang in the middle of a heatwave here in London. But I'm catching up on writing about The Great Bear Project. Finchley Central is the last of the Northern Line...
Paul Mercurio’s Trappist Fruit Cake
I've made this cake a few times for the Muswell Hill and District Horticultural Society Show cookery contest.... When I made this for the Spring Show this year, Mr Rathbone told me that this was his favourite of ALL the cakes I have made. Crikey! I thought I would...
Dinner and a Movie – Rebecca and Joan Fontaine’s Filet of Sole a la Bagge
When I told my desk-mate Lucy that I'd made a Joan Fontaine dish and watched Rebecca, she immediately did a "Joan Fontaine in Rebecca" face that made me laugh like a drain. I then did a "Joan Fontaine in Rebecca" face that made HER laugh like a drain. Ah, the fun we...
Ron Masak’s Taco Salad Ole, Chilies Rellenos Casserole and Layered Mexican Bean Dip
Traditionally, when it is my turn to host the book group, I make a TEN BOY CURRY and have all the little bowls of bananas, sultanas, coconut, mango chutney etc. etc. etc. laid out on my sideboard. Lindsey christened this the BUFFETERIA which I love. The Buffeteria...
Recipe of the Month – Tessie O’Shea’s Diet Scotch Eggs
What makes these DIET Scotch Eggs is anyone's guess but I can tell you this, they were DELICIOUS! Why I have never made a scotch egg before I do not know. They would definitely be in my list of top 5 foodstuffs. I love them. This recipe is from the fabulous Tessie...
Food Photography With Joan Ransley
I'm a member of the Bread Angels, a brigade of micro-bakers who love making bread and sharing it with friends, families, neighbours and even to complete strangers. Our motto is BAKE WELL. DO GOOD. Being part of this group has brought me so much happiness. ...
Dinner and a Movie – Alfred Hitchcock’s Quiche Lorraine
Ah, Mr. Hitchock. There is much debate about this quiche recipe. Hitch famously disliked eggs, but what is a quiche lorraine without eggs? Um, ham and some milk in a pastry case? Methinks perhaps it was raw eggs that gave him the heeby-jeebies but he liked them...
Peter Fonda Blender Breakfast
I made a lovely version of this recently with cherries instead of blueberries. It was DELICIOUS. I couldn't find my spirulina so it wasn't the usual green sludgy colour that puts my chum Greg of Recipes for Rebels off, but to me, the green is what makes a Peter...
Ian McShane’s Salmon Steaks With Watercress Sauce
On impulse I bought some posh wild salmon from Planet Organic this week. I looked at the price and thought, "Imagine if I was paying for this in a restaurant, it would be TWICE as much" and took the plunge. It was utterly lovely! Much firmer and tastier than many a...
Michael Learned’s Zucchini
When I was young, I absolutely LOVED The Waltons, and I cannot think of Michael Learned without thinking of her as the mother of the clan. But Michael is also in Murder, She Wrote so she's on my test cooking schedule for the next book... Recently I invited...
Liberace’s Lasagna
Liberace was born on this day one hundred years ago. Happy birthday Lee! Recently I got an email from my chum, food writer Orlando Murrin, asking me if I'd ever seen The Loved One which features Liberace playing an undertaker. Well yes, I had, but not for a donkey's...
Versatile Blogger Award
Yesterday was the blog's birthday. I've been scribbling away here for THIRTEEN YEARS - oh my goodness. When I started this thing I was utterly miserable after a relationship break-up and now I am the happiest I have ever been. I know for sure though, that making movie...
Doris Day Tribute Menu
So sad to hear the news about Doris yesterday. I love her so much! After living under a misapprehension that she was a twee, girl next door type for many years I actually WATCHED one of her films (Pillow Talk) and immediately became a big fan. She is utterly fabulous...
Recipe of the Month – Angela Lansbury’s “Jessica’s Cheesecake”
My goodness, this is a HUMDINGER of a recipe. I love cheesecake and I thought I had never made one before, but then I remembered Marion Davies' Meadow Cheesecake. Whereas Marion's was GOOD, Angela's recipe is utterly BRILLIANT. Hence, it is this month's Recipe of the...
Tessie O’Shea’s Egg Juice
It's not a very appetising recipe title is it? At the beginning of this year, I pledged to make one thing a month from the Tessie O'Shea Slimming Cookbook and I am a bit behind, so expect TWO slightly weird dishes from Tessie's 1970s kitchen this month. Hoorah!...
COOKING WITH COLUMBO – Paperback $15.99 / £11.99 – e-book $3.99 / £2.99
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