Monday, October 29, 2007

Joan Bennett's Baked Salmon


"If only Vivien Leigh had stayed in England,
that part would have been mine."

Hmm. I presume Joan is talking about Vivien's role in Gone With The Wind there. Intriguing. Can't imagine Joan in that part.

Well, bouncing up and down to the Kaiser Chiefs on Friday seems to have dislodged the feeling sorry for myself molecules. I'm still planning to download Nick Cave singing, "Nobody's Baby Now" just in case I need it though. I have reprogrammed my phone so that the screensaver has the floating message, "NOBODY CALLED!" which makes me laugh everytime I see it.

I am turning my energy to the writing and a strong streak of fiction scribbling has appeared out of nowhere. I guess all the energy I have been putting into men is being redirected. Good. A sea change.

Joan's Salmon was kind of weird. I did a veggie version for Paulette which was probably nicer than the bacon infused version myself and Ivor waded through. The beetroot, goats cheese and lentil salad was much nicer.

I apologise for recent confusion between Warner Baxter and George Bancroft - the brain has been boy addled.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

George Bancroft's Luscious Savory Beef Stew


A very SNAZZY picture of George that I didn't see yesterday when I looked...

It is very late (past midnight) and I am very drunk (2 pints and approximately 1 bottle of red) so this will be short. The Stew was a hit and Charley said, "Good staight ahead vittles" which is obviously a compliment (especially as he had seconds).

It is always lovely to see Charley and I hereby apologise publically for upsetting him in a previous blog entry, All of this blog activity is merely an aide memoire to the things I have cooked, the friends I have shared them with and the men I have loved and lost… Ha ha!

I hereby decide to focus on things like the forthcoming SWAPARAMA, the chance of doing my Pavlov's Dog style Kaiser Chief's dance on Friday and the fact that Elvis (the cat with a bad foot I am looking after) is lapping up the George Baxter leftovers as I type...

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

George Bancroft's Luscious Savory Beef Stew


"In nine times out of ten, the slanderous tongue belongs to a disappointed person."

Well that's about the size of it. I am a disappointed person. Still, it's only Tuesday... I have recovered my equilibrium somewhat and am looking forward to cooking up a feast for Charley tomorrow and seeing what he has to say about it all. If I get the afternoon off work it will be George Bancroft's Beef Stew which takes about 3 hours to cook. If not, it will be Joan Bennett's Baked Salmon.

I can hardly be moody about it tonight with Desmond on the radio followed by an Al Bowlly documentary on BBC4... Anyhow, my luck is changing. First of all a man in the street said, "NICE LEGS" to me this morning (admittedly I had remarked upon the fact he was dancing in the street by saying, "NICE MOVES") and then later I got a text from the lovely BBC telling me I had won two tickets to go and see the Kaiser Chiefs on Friday night.

Na na na na naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Joan Blondell's Sunday Night Special


I've been holding a candle for a man named Joe for about two years and last week he announced totally out of the blue that he'd broken off his engagement and wanted to see me for a drink on Friday night. I hardly dared imagine that it might be a date and just assumed that as usual he would counsel me on my turbulent lovelife. After many dirty martinis at the Hungry Bear we ended up in bed.

After a night of much passion he left in the morning telling me once more how "hot" I was and saying he'd phone me later "just to say hi". As Rosalind would say, "manners!" She said that he has always been her favourite (even though she has never met him) as he has always been a shining example of a man who is emotionally intelligent and nice to women.

But what does "later" mean? I behaved like Briget Jones all day yesterday and most of today waiting for a call and there has been tumbleweed. I decided that I was only going to think about it until noon then go out for a "meat cure" and when my expensive Sunday roast turned up and it was cold I CRIED. Right in the middle of the pub. Oh for goodness sake.

So now I am settled in for the afternoon to watch Gone With the Wind with a few beers and then later if I can drag myself out of the funk I will cook Joan Blondell's Sunday Night Special.

I do NOT understand. Perhaps I should just turn myself into a HORNET like Scarlett O'Hara.

Ooh, there he is. Clark Gable at the bottom of the stairs. That's cheered me up.

Friday, October 05, 2007

David Niven's My Man Godfrey Cocktail

"I have a face that is a cross between two pounds of halibut
and an explosion in an old clothes closet."

I don't usually write about things I haven't made myself but I must just mention the marvellous "My Man Godfrey" cocktail served in the 5th floor bar of Waterstones, Piccadilly.

On Tuesday I was attending a "spiv" night with readings by the seriously handsome stockabilly. I decided to fortify myself with a cocktail to fend off a possible swooning fit and the first thing I spotted on the menu was a Niven themed number which seemed wholly apt. The waitress poured it at my table with an expert vermouth swirling technique and a chunk of lemon rind squashed around the rim of the glass. Scrumptious.

I have to confess that I had two more after the show and was so squiffy I lost my nice umbrella somewhere on the way home. By way of a contrast, the following night I found myself at a late night drinking session at a tattoo parlour... I wonder how a tattoo of a martini glass would look?

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Ann Sheridan's Chili Casserole


What do you see for me in your crystal ball Ann? Several days of waiting for The Artist to call me on the phone I expect...

I remembered that Ann's Chili Casserole needed testing for the book so we had that last night and the ladies liked it. We almost polished it off between the three of us and we all liked the flavour imparted by the cloves. I had to make a minor modification to the recipe though. I went up to my local corner shop and asked the nice man if he had any celery. "Stella - yes!" he said, pointing to the beer fridge. "No," I said, "celery, it's a vegetable". He just shook his head and said, "Stella?" again so I used a leek instead.

Mind you, it was an easy mistake to make on his part. I am far more likely to be in that corner shop buying beer than vegetables these days...

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Richard Arlen's Chili Con Carne


Well would you believe it? The very DAY after I spend the weekend canoodling with a new squeeze WHO should phone out of the blue to "see how I am" but the chaw-bacon. He must be finely attuned to the vibrations throughout the ether of an ex girlfriend finally putting a nail in the coffin.

Tonight I shall make the ladies a Chili Con Carne - from memory the one proposed by Richard Arlen was the best so far so I shall hunt down that recipe and remake it. Turning quite chilly in the UK and the nights are drawing in so it is a time for stews, casseroles, hot pots and chilis.

Onwards and upwards those cosy nights in wearing the house pyjamas.