Recipe of the Month – Bette Davis’ Creamed Halibut with Boiled Onions
Recipe of the month is up. I'm already worrying about when I might find the time and the company to make this. Got a crazy month with two holiday weekends. This weekend is the WI JAM FESTIVAL in Oxfordshire. We have submitted one of the jars of Gloria Swanson's...
Silver Screen Sunday – Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Oh yum yum Joan Crawford did us proud today. We had JC Cheese Straws, JC Salami Sandwiches and JC Peanut Butter and Bacon Canapes. Main course was her legendary Meatloaf (delicious) with her own recipe for Green Peas (cooked with lettuce and spring onions)...
Jack Hulbert’s Salmon Salad (Tinned)
I can't remember if I have ever bought a tin of salmon before. Tins of tuna yes, but buying salmon in a tin seems a bit strange, I don't know why. But I fancied Jack's salad which is in one of my favourite cook books "282 Ways of Making a Salad". This was published...
Nils Asther’s Bachelor Omelet
On the day after my Annual Spinster's Day I thought it would be appropriate to have a Bachelor Omelet. It was delicious! Mind you, for a spinster, half the recipe would have done, the omelet was massive. This is the first of the recipes I'm testing for the app. ...
Rita Hayworth’s Angel Food Cake
Behold the splendor of this Angel Cake made to Rita's recipe by Evanio Alves in Rio de Janeiro! I'm so thrilled to have a reader in Ipanema, and he test cooks for me too! I'm so jealous of his cake, mine never looks like this.... I'm thinking I should buy a proper...
Recipe of the Month – Gloria Swanson’s Caviar Canapes
September's recipe is for Gloria's gorgeous canapes. Really easy, really cute and will make you feel like the most generous hostess ever. CAVIAR. It's not as crazy expensive as you might think. I got a cute little pot for £4 and I can get two dinner parties worth...
Silver Screen Sunday – Sunset Boulevard Luncheon
Oh what a fabulous lunch! Jane, Trix, Sophie and Joshua came all dolled up in their Sunset Boulevard finery and I wore the leopard print housecoat I bought in Miami. On the menu: Gloria Swanson's Champagne Cocktail Gloria Swanson's Caviar Canapes William Holden's...
Loretta Young’s Walnut Loaf
Well, it's the recipe of the month and very lovely it is too. Really reminds me of nut roasts I used to make when I was a vegetarian - way, way, way back in my student days. I made a kind of Puttanesca sauce to go with it, as it definitely needs a sauce of some...
Myrna Loy’s Quick Chicken Pimento Soup
Oh Myrna, that was definitely quick and it was also surprisingly good! I wanted to cook something fairly healthy and fairly speedy tonight as I had the dreaded rigmarole that is dying my hair planned for later. Gad, it is one of my least favourite things to do. ...
Alfred Hitchcock’s Quiche Lorraine
Ah, Alfred Hitchcock, King of Suspense and King of Quiche. This was obviously a favourite as he supplied a quiche recipe to two different recipe books. I must compare both recipes. Had a wonderful day on Saturday with lots of my old chums from the Walthamstow days. ...
Dorothy Lamour’s Strawberry Ice Cream
Here is some inspiration if you are thinking of trying this month's recipe of the month. The lovely Lauren Hairston has made Dorothy's ice-cream and blogged about it here. My favourite thing about this whole project is receiving photos and emails about the...
Recipe of the Month: Dorothy Lamour’s Strawberry Ice Cream
Does anyone know what happened to June? Good grief it's July already! The new recipe of the month is up, the newsletter has just gone out and the demonstration video is up on YouTube. There is (as is tradition) a guest star sampling the ice cream at the end. ...
Gloria Swanson’s Bar-Le-Duc
Today I spent about 5 hours picking the seeds out of redcurrants with a goose quill. I kid you not. This is the traditional way of preparing the fruit for the most expensive jam in the world. No wonder! My Shellac Sister Veronica's dad had a wonderful crop of...
Joan Crawford Wilted Spinach Salad
I have a Vincent Price Quiche Lorraine in the oven and as this involves a large amount of bacon which provides a large amount of bacon fat I thought I'd have Joan's spinach salad alongside. It's hot bacon fat mixed with vinegar that makes her salad wilted. ...
Dorothy Lamour’s Strawberry Ice Cream
I feel a bit like this today after a lovely evening with Mr HiFi last night. A bit languid and sleepy and sultry... It it hot, hot, hot in London and so, time for ice-cream. I made a batch of Dorothy's on Sunday and it has been quite a hit. I had to resist eating...
Daring Cooks Challenge – Vincent Price’s Creole Potato Salad
For the Daring Cook's Challenge this month I killed two birds with one potato. The task set was to make a "healthy potato salad" and I'm not sure how healthy it was but my guests sure liked it. I made it almost exactly to the recipe in "Cooking Price-Wise" except...
Katharine Hepburn Brownies
I'm really trying to stick to my testing schedule so this morning I got up at 6 to make some of Katharine's legendary Brownies. There is much discussion about this recipe on the internet but as far as I can ascertain it was first published in an article written by...
Humphrey Bogart’s Coconut Spanish Cream
I've been putting this one off for too long now and I pledge to make it today, after I have watched The African Queen. There has been serendipity this weekend. Basically I've been in a terrible funk this week, but have been gradually shaken out of it by the many...
The Diana Dors Diet
When you are in the same room as Jay Rayner, Mary Berry, Nigella Lawson and Ottolenghi, you know something magical will happen. So it was tonight. I went to the Guild of Food Writers Awards and oh my goodness me, something amazing happened. My Diana Dors obsession...
Lana Turner’s Super and Easy Salsa
My blues have disappeared. I've spent my lunchhour laughing out loud at some of the comments I've received about my Vincent Price Crocodile demonstration film. The Silver Screen Supperers sure aint daunted by the Spanish cucumber e-coli scare! They are all getting...
Jack La Rue’s Spaghetti A La Jack La Rue
Ooh, I do love an eponymous recipe! Especially when it comes out of the blue from a new reader of the blog who sent it over to me from France. This is one of the things I ADORE about working on this project, getting emails from people all over the world who like the...
Vincentennial Party
Happy Birthday Palace of Solitude and Happy Birthday Vincent Price! This weekend marks the first anniversary of my move to Silver Screen Suppers Towers and the start of the Vincentennial. The 100th anniversary of Vincent Price's birth was on Friday and last night I...
Bette Davis’ Brown Bette
There is a vegan version of the Brown Bette in the oven making my whole flat smell delicious. It is my offering for dinner tomorrow at Paulette's with Angus & Clive (we must select Hollywood monikers for them) and I'm really looking forward to scoffing it. Had a...
Veronica Lake’s Spiced Beef With Peas
Miss Peekaboo let me down with her crazy recipe. Bleah. Hmm, it's the only one we have for her in the collection and the question is, would this recipe be good enough for the book? Answer no. Veronica may be dropped. Eek! The call is out - does anyone have any...
Alan Ladd’s German Potato Pancakes
I am recovering from a fantastic night at Fluffy Logic. What a crazy lovely fluffy bouncy night it was. Mr H couldn't make it after all and I briefly wondered if I should go on my own as I wouldn't really know anyone but it's the kind of place where that really...
Diana Dors’ Cheese Moussaka
Only the prospect of a man I really fancy coming round with a copy of the Diana Dors LP under his arm would ever make me cook an aubergine. But it's happening tomorrow so I have done it. Mr H has found a copy of "Swingin Dors" and is personally delivering it. I am...
Bing Crosby’s Turkey & Eggs a la Crosby
Sunday morning and I have Bing's Turkey and Eggs in the oven for my breakfast. I've gone all fancy and am attempting to cook them in an edible container - ie a piece of bread that I'm hoping will go all toasty. We shall see... Today I am planning a big spring clean...
Daring Cooks Challenge – Vincent Price’s Gumbo
This month's challenge over at the Daring Cooks was gumbo. I've only ever cooked gumbo once before - for Rosalind and Montgomery many moons ago when I was cat sitting at the Tessa Cohen mansion. The challenge for us UK based cooks was not really making the gumbo,...
Happy Birthday Silver Screen Suppers
I can hardly believe it but today marks five years of blogging about the recipes of the stars. My goodness me how much has changed! When I began I was nursing a broken heart and living on a houseboat using a tabletop cooker that had to be turned on with a pair of...
Diana Dors’ Bhuma Ghosht
I have a Diana Dors curry in the slow cooker and will be channeling her bombshell energy on Wednesday as I'm off to an awards ceremony in a dress that I think is the kind of va-va-voom item that Diana herself would have worn. I will feel UPHOLSTERED and whether I win...
78 Revolutions on Radio 4 – 11.30am 5th May
Stop Press! Programme is available on the BBC Listen again service - 78 Revolutions - until the year 2099 according to their website so no rush! In a very rare non recipe related post, I just thought I would let you all know that I'm on the radio tomorrow. I'll be...
Boris Karloff’s Steak and Kidney Pie
My number one passion is Roller Derby. I absolutely love it. So Rosalind and Jimmy didn't bat an eyelid when I suggested we watch "Kansas City Bomber" with Racquel Welch playing a red hot rollergirl while we waited for Boris's pie to cook. It is probably...
Recipe of the Month – Rhonda Fleming’s English Trifle
Aw, the Royal Wedding was LOVELY! Such a treat to have an extra day off work and I made the most of it by taking a Rhonda Fleming English Trifle out to Leigh-on-Sea. My mum always makes trifle for big family get-togethers so it felt like the right thing to do. Had...
Rhonda Fleming’s English Trifle
Rosalind always likes it when I say I am "planning a trifle" - I think it is a quote from "A Private Function". Well I AM planning a trifle, for the Royal Wedding party I am going to tomorrow. I'm just about to nip to Morrison to see if they have any blue sprinkles...
Groucho Marx Matzo Balls
I did it! Finally. And they were GOOD. Being roughly speaking Church of England I have no idea if they tasted like Matzo Balls should (never seen one before, let alone cooked and eaten one) but I thought they were quite yummy. Charley agreed saying, "I'll give 'em...
Claudette Colbert Cake
Stripes! Claudette's cake is not for the faint hearted. It has taken me about 2 and a half hours to make but I have to say, it is BEAUTIFUL! It's a perfect cake to make at Easter as it is all yellow and lemony. I have decorated it with mini chocolate eggs. There...
Maurice Chevalier’s French Onion Soup
I am STARVING this morning. I was DJing last night at the Rushes Soho "Best of British Tea Dance" which was so brilliant. The food was all spread out like at a Women's Institute cake sale and everything was home made and looked beautiful. Home made battenburg cake...
Mae West’s Salada de Tuna
Ooh Mae, I think it was having some of your Salada for lunch that made me break all the rules and go out with a fella last night. What happened to my giving up men for Lent pledge?! Ha ha! Mae would have been proud of me. I sat in an enormous fibre glass throne...
Gary Cooper’s Buttermilk Griddle Cakes
Grr! As some of you know, cowboys are my weakness... I had to wear my cowgirl boots to work on Friday in an attempt to lasso some Texas Cowgirl Spirit. I had an "emotional gust" on Thursday, some might call it a TANTRUM. Where did all that fury come from? Haven't...
Daring Cooks Challenge – Edible Containers – Rhonda Fleming’s Cowboy Caviar in Tortilla Cups
This month's challenge over at the Daring Kitchen was edible containers. Oh those clever people really did make some amazing things. My favourite was onion soup served in a carved out onion - genius! I did something quite easy but absolutely brilliant (even if I do...
Thelma Todd’s Scripture Cake
I feel a bit like this myself today Thelma. I am in bed in my bright red Elizabeth Tayloresque slip typing this on my brand new Macbook. My cup of coffee is just about on the other side of the room. No more coffee keyboard incidents for me. Not sure yet what data...
Anna May Wong’s Tea Cakes
Oh friends and fellow laptop owners. Do not do what I did and tip a whole cup of coffee into your keyboard. Woe is me. It was like slow motion... I saw it topple, I lunged towards it like Gordon Banks, I was too late. Result? "Everything below the waist is...
Silver Screen Sunday – Rhonda Fleming Tribute
Every month I offer a prize to my newsletter subscribers and test cooks. Recently the prize was to come to lunch at Silver Screen Towers and the lucky winner Lucy (aka Jennifer Jones) came to my place yesterday along with Lisa (aka Dorothy Lamour) and Lawrence (aka...
Boris Karloff’s Steak & Kidney Pie
Oh yum, yum. Boris's pie was GOOD. Charley C. came over for dinner and we ate half of it between us. It was quite a faff to make but I think it was worth it. Best part of the evening was watching Charley try to hula hoop. He just flung it...
William Powell’s Vatrouskis
The new recipe of the month is up and it's a house favourite. Vatrouskis. I realise to my horror that I've been calling these VaStrouskis for about a year and the blog is littered with spelling mistakes to correct (ditto my crazy spelling of Anna May Wong...
Joan Crawford’s Charcoal Broiled Steak
I got Tiger Blood man! Today I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. Then I thought, "What would Joan Crawford do?" and decided she'd cook herself a steak, have a glass of wine and get over it, which is exactly what I have done. To hell with it, Joan would put it all...
Cary Grant’s Tuna Fish Pie
It's been an EPIC week. I've had two more responses from film star copyright holders in the affirmative and have been nominated for a blog award. How FABULOUS - click on the VOTE button if you'd like to - Little Blog Awards (Silver Screen Suppers should be...
Rhonda Fleming’s Cowboy Caviar
I thought my heart would burst this week when I got a personal email from Rhonda Fleming! I wrote to ask if she would be happy for me to include her recipe for Hollywood Ham Loaf in the book. She not only sent me her current favourite recipe (for Cowboy Caviar) but...
Rudolph Valentino’s Secret Spaghetti Sauce
My friend Yadrian came to dinner last night. I wanted to thank him for helping me select a DVD projector and we decided on La Dolce Vita to show it off. I've never seen this film but Yadrian loves it. I didn't realise that he had studied film and philosophy at...
Bing Crosby’s Ceviche (Daring Cooks Challenge)
When I saw that this month's Daring Cooks Challenge was Ceviche I was a bit daunted but I had a go anyhow. As Mae West said, "I'll try anything once, twice if I like it, three times to make sure." Luckily Bing provided a recipe and I rustled it up last night. Hmm. ...
