Have you ever made mayonnaise, your very own self? I never had, until I tried making the mayonnaise to the recipe that Elizabeth Taylor champions in her marvelous book, Elizabeth Takes Off. I was very pleased with myself… There will be more, much, much more about what Elizabeth Taylor liked to eat, in my next...
All is chaos at Silver Screen Suppers Towers as the landlord asked if I would like my lounge painted. Although the idea of having to move everything out of there, before applying the KonMari decluttering method, filled me with the fear, with the help of Mr R, it is done. Here’s how it looks. It...
I’ve done an inventory of what’s in the bottom drawer of my frozen archives #2 and there is a LOT of liver in there. I love liver, and don’t eat it often enough. It is so GOOD for a body. So I now have a mission to eat all the liver. This was a very,...
One of my cyber-chums, Taryn over at the fabulous Retro Food For Modern Times has inspired me to set myself a six week challenge. It is this. I shall eat as much as I can from the frozen archives in an attempt to have ONE EMPTY DRAWER in my freezer by April 9th. This will...
I just love Diana. I loved her when she was a glamour-puss in the 1950s: and I loved her later in life, when she got a little chubby: Then in the 1980s, Diana set herself a dieting goal of losing 52 lbs. (25.5 kg) by her 52nd birthday, appearing regularly on the TV-am breakfast show here in the UK,...
My friend Chris has an ulcer. He calls it Mr Wrigglesworth. I thought I had an ulcer, so I called it Mrs Wrigglesworth. I’ve been for tests, no ulcer. But Mrs Wrigglesworth is still lurking around, and every now and then she makes herself known. I strongly advise that you never google “stomach ulcer” when...
This is a very special recipe for me as it graces the cover of my Cooking With Columbo cookbook. Plus I made a demo video… So here is the recipe and there follows some notes on how I tackled it. I thought I would have a problem finding jumbo pasta shells here in Londinium (remember...
Mmm – these were super tasty. We weren’t sure about them at first, but Battenburg Belle eventually declared that they grew on her… I made the meatball mixture WEEKS ago when we decided to introduce my god-daughter (aged 15 when we made these, just turned 16) to the wonders of Moonstruck… Me and BB had...
Ooh! This was very tasty. Quite spicy with the chilli flakes. I liked it. Easy too. I made it for just me myself and I, halving the recipe, eating half and popping the other half in the frozen archives. This recipe was featured in a newspaper article in 1989, and Hector recommends enjoying the dish...
How was your Valentine’s Day? I was single for 8 years, so know full well, that it is perfectly lovely to spend it all by yourself. Now that I have the fabulous Mr Rathbone by my side though, I do like to pull out all the stops. For breakfast I disappeared into the kitchen with...
Ooh, Spare Ribs – yes! I didn’t have hooks from which to suspend the ribs in my oven, as the legendary Mr Falk suggested. I simply plonked them on the oven rack with the grill pan lower down in the oven underneath them to catch any drips. Result was perfectly cooked, and lip-smackingly...
This was a hit with the King of Chow Mein. With me too. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. Tonight was a momentous night. The grand finale of series two of The Rockford Files. So I cooked Chow Mein for my ex who first of all trotted up the stairs with some...
It’s James Dean’s birthday today, so I wanted to cook something in his honour, from the brilliant Recipes For Rebels cookbook by Greg Swenson. Sooooooo many recipes from Jimmy’s family, co-stars and favourite eateries to choose from though…. Until Greg’s book came out, I didn’t have a recipe for Rod Steiger, Greg has found two. ...
It’s February and so romance is in the air. If you are planning a romantic dinner a deux for Valentine’s Day, I heartily recommend making some of these. You could divide the mixture in two and have one each and keep two in the fridge for another day. They are DELICIOUS! I bought some of...
I admit, I was worried about food poisoning when we had these on Friday. I am a massive hoarder. This includes being a hoarder of foodstuffs. These Kibbee had been in my freezer since June 2014 (19 months) so by rights they should have gone in the bin. They tasted a bit tinny I have...
The lovely Viv in Cardiff had a go at Marilyn’s Stuffing (recipe of the Month for December) for her Christmas extravaganza and reported back. Ah, doesn’t this photo take you back to Christmas? Is that a Christmas jumper I see before me? That turkey looks DELICIOUS! Here are Viv’s thoughts on Marilyn’s stuffing recipe… “Massive...
This is lovely old fashioned fodder. A one-pot dinner with no frills. Delicious! Nicol Williamson appears in the first ever Columbo I remember seeing. The one about the attack dogs, “How to Dial a Murder”, do you know it? Brilliant! I think this would be a great dish to serve friends, with a screening of...
Nice name for a recipe! What does it mean? I had no idea, until the wonders of the internet revealed that this was a dish invented by Leonard Nimoy, and the founder of Chez Jay in Santa Monica, Jay Fiondella. They had been flat-mates at some point. Here’s a nice pic of the interior of...
Was so touched that Greg of Recipes4Rebels made me a celebratory gif – I had to post it up. I can’t work out how to get it moving, but I’m working on it! As I have said recently, the BEST thing about having a blog is connecting with people all around the world to celebrate,...
Goodness me, it’s my 1,000th blog post! There are currently 6,281 recipes in my film star recipe spreadsheet, and it’s constantly growing. How on earth to choose what to make for this momentous post? I decided to sort them alphabetically and see what came out at number 1,000 and this was it. Ha ha –...
Folks, this is my 999th blog post. I am not kidding. The next post you will see from me is my 1,000th so expect something special! I’ll be cooking something very, very strange indeed. Until then, here’s something simple. The way Peter liked his avocados. Sprinkled with lime or lemon juice (I used lime), with...
My ex-boyfriend Vic used to live in the same building as me, but in a different section. A walk across the front lawn, the ring of a bell and a walk up stairs via a different entrance used to be required when visiting. He’s moved now. He now lives three floors directly underneath me. Madness. This is...
Do you have a freezer full of Christmas leftovers? For our work Xmas lunch, we went to The Queen’s Pub and Dining Room in Primrose Hill. The turkey was really flavoursome, but the portion was massive, and there was no way I could eat it all, so I asked for a doggie bag and my...
As a former cataloguer, I’m always intrigued when machines have been put to work, doing things that only human beings can really do properly. I’m not a Luddite, honestly, it just makes me laugh! So I found Jeanette’s recipe in two newspapers which have been transcribed by some kind of mechanical cataloguing machine, and bunged up on...
I was aiming for this to be my last blog post of 2015, to neatly tie up all my Joan Crawford business, but there’s been so much FUN going on, I missed my self-imposed deadline. No matter. I was prouder of this dish, than anything else I’ve ever made for the Silver Screen Suppers...
Do you have a blog? Are you thinking about it? If you are, I would say DO IT, because magical things will start to happen. During the Vincentennial year, when celebrations were going on to mark what would have been Vincent Price’s 100th year, I embarked upon a project to cook one of Vincent’s recipes per...
Yesterday, after lovely separate family Christmases, Mr R and I had our own festive dinner, with a mallard from Pipers Farm. Wrapped in swaddling clothes My motto for 2016 will be: “use it up and wear it out”, so in that spirit, I used some of my “Bette-Davis-marmalade-mountain” in the gravy. It was utterly DIVINE....
I made it, and it was GOOD! Very good in fact and well worth all the chopping. Marilyn’s original recipe, and the adaptation by the New York Times are in this blog post Here it a small portion of it about to go into the oven… and here it is after cooking for about 30...
In my December column for the lovely Eat Drink Films, I get to find out from the lovely Greg Swenson how he went about writing the brilliant Recipe for Rebels cookbook. Greg is now a bosom cyberchum of mine. We regularly correspond about film star recipes since he emailed me out of the blue, in...
Ooh, the Happy Pappy Eggs were good. Why? Bacon fat! Tonight I’m participating in a worldwide cookalong for two. If you drilled a hole through the centre of the earth from London, you probably wouldn’t end up too far from Melbourne, which is where Taryn of Retro Food For Modern Times is cooking up the...
I wish I’d thought of asking Mr R if he’d like some Plumslard Porkkare for his dinner on Saturday. What a brilliant name for a big joint of pork! I’ve just googled Plumslard Porkkare and nothing comes up at all. Maybe Corinne made it up? I’ve been celebrating my birthday for days and days. It...
I live on the fourth floor of a block of flats so have no garden full of fresh herbs, however much I would like one. It drives me bananas when I’ve bought a big bunch of coriander, used a few sprigs and the rest has gone mulchy in the fridge. So lately I’ve been...
It’s taken me so long to write about this, because to be honest, it was such a brilliant day, I don’t think I can do it justice. Shall I give it a go? Many moons ago, I was at a Guild of Food Writers event and Bruce Langlands, Director of Food and Restaurants at Harrods...
When “Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe” was published in 2010, there was much excitement at Silver Screen Suppers Towers, as it contained a RECIPE! Scribbled out by Marilyn in pencil, it’s a very detailed recipe for stuffing. I can’t believe that 5 years have passed and I haven’t made this yet, so I...
Have you ever been to Bart’s Pathology Museum? It’s insane! Very hard to find, it’s a hidden treasure of London. If you ever get to go, make sure you have a look at the cabinet that contains many strange things that folks, since the dawn of time, have been inserting into their bodies, then going...
My lovely chums David and Katy can get to my place “door to door on the 134” but we don’t see each other often enough. Something to rectify in 2016 because I LOVE THEM. They came round for dinner the other Friday and I vaguely remembered that some time ago I’d made them a Vincent...
And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire, the ring of fire! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It7107ELQvY I’ve been wanting to make Johnny’s chili for ages. I have two versions in different cookbooks, but they both use brands of chili powder and seasonings that we can’t get here in the UK. The last time Heather and Nathan went to the...
Battenburg Belle cooked a tremendous Thanksgiving dinner last night, ooh, it was marvellous. I’ve a feeling that might become an annual tradition, and why not? We don’t really do Thanksgiving here in the UK, but when everyone in the USA is having a party, why not us too? When I asked BB in an...
An apple pie without the cheese, is like a kiss, without the squeeze. So the saying goes. But I’d never had an apple pie with cheese in it before. Until Sunday! I made this for Mr R, his lovely sister Julia and her lovely hubby Nick. It was bloody delicious! I would definitely bung some...
On Saturday morning I needed to fortify myself. The time had finally come, in my Marie Kondo Festival of Tidying, to tackle the clothes. Arg. Marie recommends doing the clothes first and leaving sentimental items until last. But for me, clothes ARE sentimental items, and my flat is inundated with them. I needed EGGS. I...
Vic came round for his tea the other day, and is our tradition, after eating, we watched an episode of The Rockford Files. Well, I use the term “watched” loosely, as I fell asleep on the sofa almost immediately after Jim’s answerphone message… We’d had Risë’s Chicken Paprika which was delicious. Maybe a bit lardy...
I’m a bit out of sync due to the amazing couple of weeks on the Vincent Price Legacy Tour, reports on events coming soon. It was all utterly brilliant, and I’m still getting over it! I made Basil’s curry for Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen, which seems like eons ago, so here’s a quick post with photos and the...
Do you live on your lonesome? Do you cook yourself something delicious every night? I’ll admit it, sometimes I can’t be bothered, and peanut butter is my closest friend on these occasions. But sometimes, it really is worth the effort and I hereby announce that my new favourite spinster’s supper is Richard’s cabbage with sausages...
Joy, joy, joy! Blog posts have popped up all around the world from the folks who joined in with the Treasury Cookalong. It brought many a tear to my glass eye! So much wondrousness! The cookalong was organised to celebrate the launch of the 50th Anniversary Edition of A Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary...
Marguerite was not a silver screen star but she could have been! Look! Instead, Marguerite became one of Britain’s most loved home economists. She wrote more than 170 cookery books, was the first ever TV chef and wanted everyone to be able to eat well, whatever their budget. To celebrate what would have been Marguerite’s...
I don’t get out much – to eat – but I am an avid reader of Marina O’Loughlin’s restaurant reviews. Last week in Saturday’s Guardian there was a supplement which listed her favourite 50 UK restaurants. Nobody knows what Marina O’Loughlin really looks like… I read every word of every mini review, from 50 to...
It’s a bumper day for Vincent Price today! Not only has my EatDrinkFilms column gone live but a Bibelot Magazine article too! Nip over to the delightful Bibelot for Mary and Vincent’s recipe for Scotch Shortbread – this is a fail-safe recipe chums! And still time to make some for the #TreasuryCookalong My lovely neighbour...
and for dessert? This month’s EatDrinkFilms column is all about Mary and Vincent Price’s A Treasury of Great Recipes and includes their recipe for Soufflé Au Grand Marnier. Mmmmmmmmmm! Nip over there by clicking on this link…. Photo © Tosh Matsumoto
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Getting ready to party? I am! Here’s a glimpse of what is going on here… What are you having for your din dins tonght? May I propose something Vincent Price related? If you are a regular reader of the blog you will know that Vincent is my favourite of all movie stars when it comes...
Oooh, I am SO EXCITED about next week and all the wonderful things that are going on when Victoria Price is here to give talks about her father’s life and legacy, to sign 50th Anniversary Editions of A Treasury of Great Recipes and generally HAVE FUN in London with Vincent Price fans. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhrg! I just...
Do you know what Old Bay is? If you are here from Maryland, USA I’m guessing that this is the dumbest question you ever heard. From dear old blighty? The answer is probably “no”. Well my friends, via the wonders of international friendship through blogging, last night I found out what Old Bay tastes like. I can’t...
An underwhelming name, for a seriously delicious pudding… This was the final course of my Mexican Extravaganza last Sunday and a huge hit. Everyone had a second slice. I mangled it a bit, getting it out of the flan pan. The term “flan pan” makes me think of Fred Fannakapan, a name my dad sometimes...
This may well be my number one favourite of ALL Silver Screen Suppers dishes. I absolutely ADORE this stuff and can eat it by the ladle-ful. Recipe is at the end of this post. I cannot recommend anything else you will find here as highly. Except maybe I will, in a couple of months when...
Last Sunday I gave what I have decided was my BEST EVER DINNER PARTY. Heather and Nathan, Ptolemy and Keith came over for a Mexican extravaganza. Oh my. What a delicious combination of Mexican inspired loveliness. Ptolemy wore a suitably Mexican flouncy frock and made the Vincent Price Guacamole for me as I’d bitten off...
My October EatDrinkFilms article is UP! And it’s all about the delightful Audrey Hepburn and the wonderful book written by her son Luca Dotti. I love this book. Full of great recipes and family tales of fabulous food. Gorgeous. For more about it, and recipes for Audrey’s Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream, Penne alla Vodka...
When did you last see giblets? This is going to be a LONG post about chickens, so if you are here for Vincent’s curry recipe, and you don’t wish to wade through my blatherings about chicken, please proceed to the end of the post. At a recent Guild of Food Writers‘ workshop I was reminded...
I nearly met Joan Collins last week! I was at the most glamorous party I have ever been to, the British Film Institute’s LUMINOUS gala dinner at the Guildhall. I spotted Geena Davis, Guy Richie, Steve Coogan, Terry Gilliam and Jonathan Ross. There were loads of other megastars there too, but alas, despite my nosey-beaking around the place...
You are joining in with the Vincent Price Treasury Cookalong right? I DO hope so! Having an excuse to cook something you might not do otherwise, is GREAT. I looooooove cookalongs. The RNLI Fish Supper was a sort of countrywide cookalong, organised to raise funds for this excellent charity. For those outside the UK,...
Spinster’s Saturday! Hooray! This means EGGS for breakfast. Although I was craving Natalie Wood’s Huevos Rancheros, I decided to try a different recipe from the Recipes for Rebels cookbook instead. So I went for Eli’s Eggs Birmingham. Greg Swenson, the author of this fab book, emailed me a while back asking if I knew of...
To celebrate the launch of Mary and Vincent Price’s 50th Anniversary Edition of A Treasury of Great Recipes, you are hereby invited to a cookalong – wherever you are in the world – whenever you have a moment to cook! Simply select one or more of the recipes below (or any other from the Treasury if you...
The best thing about having a blog, is that you get to meet chums through the internet that you would never ever meet otherwise. Such a chum is Greg Swenson who has just published this brilliant cookbook: Greg lives in Greece, and he and I have been pen pals for a year and a day...
This cake is a huge favourite of my work colleagues so when the lovely Flore left us for pastures new this week, I cooked one up in the wee small hours and took it in. This cake looms large in Flore’s legacy as she made one of these once and it was a big FAIL...
Excitement is mounting for my forthcoming trip to Chagford, Dartmoor, Devon. I’ll be presenting a hands-on “make your own Hollywood cocktails and canapes” workshop at 2pm – come along if you are in the vacinity! Here’s the kind of thing that’s in store… There’s loads of amazing things going on at the Chagford Film Festival...
I had a whole day to myself last Saturday so I decided to cook up Trish’s all day chili. I used my slow cooker to use for the first time in ages. If the slow cooker is out, it must be Autumn. This is not my slow cooker, but I wish it was… Chiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii As per...
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. Guacamole, Guacamole, Guacamole. I love it And I love the fact that there are so many variations on the recipe for Guacamole. I like the addition of sour cream in Trish’s version, it makes for a lovely creamy texture. The batch I made wasn’t very spicy, as I was trying out the...
Aaarg! I think this has immediately become my favourite of all movie star chicken recipes. Apologies to Elizabeth Taylor who was previously the holder of the title for * best movie star chicken recipe ever * (as her Chicken Steamed in White Wine is divine). Chicken Sweet and Hot, was absolutely delicious. The chicken I...
Me and Mr R hosted a Sunday lunch for 6 a couple of weeks ago and we made Eddie’s lamb, it was absolutely delicious. It’s on the cards for the Columbo Cookbook as Eddie Albert is the brilliant co-star in one of the earliest Columbo episodes: Dead Weight. Co-incidentally his love interest is played by...
I had some courgettes left over from Totie’s cake and I used one of them for this. Delicious. I do love an omelet / omelette and courgettes do seem destined for eggs round at my place if they are not in a cake. Suzanne’s recipe is vague, but the results are good! I just divided...
If you are here for Totie’s Zucchinni Walnut Bread / Cake recipe please proceed to the end of this post. If you are here for a glimpse into the deranged world of someone who has a serious clutter problem, please read on. Bishop Brennan (aka Heather) staged another intervention this week. Regular readers will know...
I am pleased to announce, that I am the very proud recipient of the Marion Wilton Cookery Cup! This is awarded for the most total points in the cookery classes of the Spring, Summer and Autumn Muswell Hill and District Horticultural Society Shows. Behold the splendour! It is a beauty! So in the Autumn show...
I had a lovely day off yesterday, spending it baking like a lunatic for today’s Muswell Hill and District Horticultural Society Autumn Show cookery contest. I made 8 cakes! Admittedly, 2 are for the cake stall, but I’ll have 6 in competition. Yikes. I am particularly pleased with my Yul Brynner Apple Walnut Cake (recipe...
My August column for Eat Drink Films features 3 Frank Sinatra favourites: Sinatra Marinara Sauce, Sausage and Peppers and Fettucine a la Sinatra. Two of the recipes are from The Sinatra Celebrity Cookbook and I’d like to thank Barbara Sinatra Center for Abused Children at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California for giving me permission to reprint the...
