Bonita Granville's Gingerbread

Bonita, Bonita, Peanut Eater.

OK, I am going to try and channel the spirit of Bonita this evening if I ever get it together to get out of the house and go to the Rock 'n' Roll night at the Music Palace. I will be going on my own and won't know a single person there but it is the month of being brave so I am going to do it.

I've just eaten a solo portion of Marlene Dietrich's Lamb Chops to fortify myself and have made a batch of Bonita's Gingerbread for tomorrow's Silver Screen Sunday. It smells mighty fine but I've never made Gingerbread before so am not sure how it will taste but fingers crossed Veronica will like it.

I almost chickened out of going out on my own to rub shoulders with rockabilly boys and then when I went into the kitchen to do the washing up they were playing the Stray Cats on the radio. I am taking it as a sign...

Marlene Dietrich's Lamb Chops En Casserole

"Without tenderness, a man is uninteresting."

That is so true Marlene - but the question is, how to tell the real tenderness from the fake...

Well, sometimes you know for sure and tonight I shall be having Charley to dinner, a man for whom I have always felt great tenderness, and I hope and I'm pretty sure, he has for me. As I know he is a fan of a lamb chop, there was not too much agonising over what to cook. I shall report on what he thought of it tomorrow, but I wanted to do a quick post today as I am very excited about this:

www.queensofvintage.com/eat-like-the-stars-%E2%80%93-silver-screen-sandwiches

My little article about film star sandwiches in the Queens of Vintage online magazine. If you've never visited their site I whole heartedly recommend it - gorgeous!

I don't know how to make the above a "hyperlink" but to go straight to the article you can click on the picture of Tallulah Bankhead eating a sandwich in the sidebar!

Marlene Dietrich's Lamb Chops en Casserole

"It's the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter."

Oh what a find! A fabulous picture of Marlene doing what she loved best, off set - cooking. Browsing the site where I found this picture has made me WISH that I lived in Denver. The Denver Public Library is offering a writing class based on the wonderfully surreal book "Marlene Dietrich's ABC" AND Knitflix. A screening of "The Man Who Came To Dinner" with special lighting for knitters. Does Denver need a film archivist by any chance?

Joan C channeled the spirit of Marlene last week and charmed her own Blue Angel with Marlene's Chops. Like many of our testers Joan wondered about the lack of seasoning and herbs in Marlene's dish but quipped "I zuppose zimple iz bezt, darlink." I love the fact that she replied to almost all of my feedback questions in German - I have no idea what the first part of her final comment is, but I get the second!

"Sehr einfach und sehr lecker. Marlene, Ich liebe dich!"

Marlene Dietrich's Lamb Chops en Casserole

"I was raised almost entirely on turnips and potatoes, but I think that the turnips had more to do with the effect than the potatoes."

Marlene was not only androgynous, but asymmetrical too!

I went to my lock up this morning with heavy heart as it always depresses me to see how much junk I have in storage. However, as Blessed was on the security desk and told me that I looked like I had "just arrived from Hollywood" I left there with a spring in my step. I think it was my 1950s sunglasses.

On my way to work I stopped off at a traditional butchers shop - he had such a magnificent display of meat in the window I couldn't resist buying two big lamb steaks which I'll cook for a romantic dinner a deux tonight a la Marlene.

It must be my lucky day - the man on the veg stall had turnips! And no joke about having them in his trousers either...

Marlene Dietrich's Lamb Chops En Casserole

"Careful grooming may take twenty years off a woman's age,
but you can't fool a flight of stairs."

Oh how I wish someone would invite me to a fancy dress party so I could go looking like this...

It's true about the stairs too - they were very tricky to navigate after the vast amount of red wine consumed with the lamb chops. I was entertaining my new agent Mitzi and although the plan was to brainstorm about the book, we ended up talking all kinds of nonsense instead. I don't remember much due to aforementioned wine but there was definitely a bonding moment when Mitzi was presented with a swede and a turnip and incorrectly eye-matched the turnip. It’s not just me that gets them confused.

Turnips, turnips, turnips – they are an endless source of amusement during this project. After scouring every supermarket in Camden for one to no avail, I eventually went the old fashioned route of going to the market. "Do you have any turnips?" I asked the friendly stall holder, "only in my trousers" he replied.

Oh, and I do also remember a conversation about the intricacies of writing recipes. After approximately one bottle of wine it was basically impossible for me to get the following sentence out: "one cup of coriander, chopped is not the same as one cup of chopped coriander". Actually, just typing it is making me feel a bit weird. I think I am still drunk.

Marlene's Lamb Chops en Casserole

"When you're dead, you're dead. That's it."

I went to the funeral of a very religious friend this weekend and my crazy sister-in-law announced very loudly at the wake to nobody in particular that she didn't believe in the afterlife. A stony silence fell over the room as everyone momentarily stopped tucking into the delicious spread prepared by the local Women's Institute.

The funeral was a very sad affair with a few moments of brilliance. John had appeared in many guises in various episodes of Dr Who and the ham fisted organist gave a pretty valiant effort at playing the theme tune as the coffin was carried down the aisle. My brother-in-law wore a tie with a dalek on.

Last week in a rare night in for two at number 43 I made Marlene's Lamb Chops for Ginger. She's soon to leave us to embark upon married life so every moment is being savoured. She announced that Marlene "sure knew how to throw together a dish" and I agree. A notoriously good cook.

I can't help feeling very sad at the thought of our happy home breaking up soon but we sure have had some good times and it is great to have the blog to be reminded of some of them.

Marlene Dietrich's Banana Nut Bread

Laurel said that he was instantly transported to the banana zone upon eating a piece of Marlene's cake. It was consumed in large slices in bed in Southend with a nice mug of tea. I am still recovering from the weekend as we barely made it out of the bedroom - apart from to walk up to the rockabilly night at the Castle. Southend is most defnitely the epicentre of the British rockabilly type. It made my heart glad to see so many old rockers and their molls.

Barney has a very sweet tooth so next weekend I might see how he likes Sonja Henie's Scandinavian Cookies...

Marlene Dietrich's Lamb Chops en Casserole For One

"Glamour is what I sell, it's my stock in trade."

Ahhhhhhh. My 3 week writing retreat in Crouch End is almost at an end. There's a cat on the stairs, the sprinkler is on in the garden, my massive foot is elevated and propped up on a cushion, there's a Marlene Dietrich casserole in the oven and it is the final night of Big Brother 8. Hence, I am having a big night in with me, myself and I and a "6 for £5" bunch of beers.

All is well in Silver Screen Suppers world.

Marlene Dietrich's Banana Nut Bread

"Once a woman has forgiven a man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast."

Well, it looks like I have at last broken free from the Toxic Scot. It is over and hopefully this time for good. Feeling positive and full of energy, not sad and miserable. Must remember that there was good stuff, just not enough of it.

Some weird stuff started happening the day it actually ended. It seems that all the negative energy I've been expending on my lovelife has drained away to be replaced by good, good, good things on the book front. It feels like it is starting to happen...

Easter is here. The house is full of the smell of Marlene's delicious Banana Nut Bread and all is well with the world. Charley is coming for lunch tomorrow and the Panther on Monday. Yippeio.

Marlene Dietrich's Lamb Chops en Casserole

"I was raised almost entirely on turnips and potatoes, but I think that the turnips had more to do with the effect than the potatoes."

Well I am pleased to say that Marlene's Lamb Chops en Casserole contains both potatoes AND turnips which gives weight to the idea that it actually WAS her very own recipe. Delicious it was too.

We consumed a few pre-dinner "Pomegrantlet Gimlets" the new house cocktail named after Cary Grant then a few post-dinner glasses from the "Novakeg" - a large keg of beer we fondly named after Kim Novak. Although Ruth had agreed with my proposition that we drink the whole keg in one night we didn't quite manage it.

We did though talk long into the night about the men who continue to confuse us. But as Marlene so rightly says, "Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast" which applies to me and, "The average man is more interested in a woman who is interested in him than he is in a woman with beautiful legs" which may apply to both of us.

Not that we don't have beautiful legs you understand...