I’m really chuffed to have been invited to read a couple of passages from Cooking The Detectives

as part of a Hastings Book Festival event. Pop down - I’m reading the Starsky & Hutch chapter and the Poirot one. My knees will be knocking!

What are Triscuits?

We can’t get Triscuits here in the UK, but luckily, my chum Caroline Frick is always game to smuggle things I need over from the USA in her suitcase and last time she came, she brought me a box of these.

For Brits, I would say that Triscuits are a bit like little crispy slices of salty shredded wheat.

The thing that prompted me to persuade the Frickster to give up luggage space for a box of Triscuits on her most recent visit was this…

I just HAD to try them and readers, they are ACE!

“Spice up the evening with my Triscuit Pizzas,” says Shirley Jones.

“Not a big pizza. Little appetizers, easy enough to make in minutes. All you need are Triscuit wafers for a crispy, crunchy pizza crust. Smother them with pizza sauce and melted cheese, and serve ’em hot and bubbly.”

Triscuit Pizzas Recipe

Place Triscuit crackers in pan or skillet. Top with one teaspoon pizza or spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese and oregano. Add mushroom slices, pepperoni, or chopped pepper and onion if desired. heat for 10 minutes in 400-degree oven, or in a covered skillet over low heat until cheese melts.

I went a bit freestyle when I first made them as I had a glut of black olives. I think you can pop anything you like on a pizza on these, basically!

The Advert

If you need any more persuasion to make some Triscuit pizzas - here’s Shirley showing us all how she makes hers when she’s on a camping trip.

Arrrrggggg! Just reading that recipe again makes me want some Triscuit pizzas imediately. I’ve made them loads of times - here’s some with some roasted tomatoes…

but the only Triscuits I have left are all the bits that broke in transit from the USA. I guess I’d better get myself out there and bring some back.

Triscuit Cheesecake Snacks

More of a sweet than a savoury person? I haven’t tried these, let me know if you do!

Beat 1 pound softened cream cheese with ½ cup granulated sugar; blend in 2 eggs, ¼ cup milk, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind. Bake in greased 9-inch shallow baking dish at 350°F 20 to 25 minutes. Cool. Refrigerate until firm; cut into 28 squares. Place on TRISCUIT Wafers; garnish with canned fruit pie filling.

This month’s movie recommendation

Shirley is best known by me as the mom in The Partridge Family

so when I decided I would feature Shirley this month, I asked the eminently knowledgeable Caroline Frick for a movie recommendation and she said

I’m not generally one for musicals, so I will approach with trepidation…. I’ll let you know what I thought in the next missive. Let me know if you’ve seen this movie - it seems to have lots of fans!

Free Watch Party on Sunday

Hope to see some of you at the free watch party on Sunday - details of how to join will go out on Saturday. If you’ve never been to one of my watch parties before - do come, they are a HOOT!

Subscribe now

My star-spangled books are packed with movie star recipes!

Lots more recipes from stars of the big and small screen…

Books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing if not in the UK)

My books on Amazon

or via my Etsy shop - these will come directly from me and can be signed with a personalised message if you wish.

My Etsy shop

PS - no recipes in the Vera book, just poems!

Ahhh, I finally got around to using a Christmas gift Mr Rathbone gave me many moons ago. This little number…

It’s a gizmo for making City Chicken! For my paid subscribers, I’ll be doing a deep dive into Shirley Jones’ recipe for this dish. I have made it both with the tool above

and without

I’ll be writing about how they both turned out. Meat on a stick my friends!

Shirley Jones’ Favourite Holiday Recipes

Also, I’ll be sharing my favourite of these fabulous recipe cards,

Shirley shared LOADS of her Thanksgiving recipes, and one of them in particular is a favourite round here. I haven’t tried the Crown Roast of Pork with Fruited Meat Dressing, but I REALLY want to! I’ve had a packet of those little frilly hats for about 20 years and never had the chance to use them.

Oh no, I’ve just seen that you can buy GOLD ones…

I’m done for.

Before the paywall, I wanted to show that it’s not just various types of meat squished together on a skewer pretending to be chicken drumsticks. Thanks to Lucy Sweet of The Lucyverse for these items of brilliance!

The Lucyverse

I review everything that comes out of the sewage pipe of capitalism!

By Lucy Sweet

Lucy’s newsletter always makes me laugh but fair warning - there’s lots of swearing!

More chicken-shaped wondrousness follows…

Read more

I decided to make notes. For my beloved paid subscribers, there follows a list of every time Louise mentions fudge, and any other foodstuffs - it’s a bit bonkers but still fascinating, and funny, too.

An example?

Read more

I truly love it when readers get in touch to say they have tried a movie-star recipe I have shared. My fellow film archivist Louise P sent me a photo of Joan Fontaine’s Chicken Fontaine on the go…

and I found a couple of pix from Rich W lurking in my emails that I don’t think I’ve ever shared. Rich was the winner of the signed copy of Cooking With Joan Crawford

in the Silver Screen Suppers 20th anniversary prize draw. Congratulations Rich!

Rich’s version of Elizabeth Taylor’s Chicken Steamed in Wine

Rich’s version of Tony Curtis’ Hungarian Goulash.

Check out Rich’s Substack…

By Rich Watson

Writing about stuff from (mostly) way back when

The Luminous Louise Brooks

We recently had a super treat at my local cinema, The Electric Palace in Hastings. Pandora’s Box (1929) with live piano accompaniment. HEAVEN!

Louise is LUMINOUS as Lulu, but to be honest, she is luminous in everything. You just can’t take your eyes off her. Gorgeous.

My favourite of the Brooksie films I have seen is Prix de Beauté (1930), aka Miss Europa.

It is trickier to get hold of than some of her other titles, but well worth seeking out.

I also highly recommend Louise’s book Lulu in Hollywood,

and this collection of her letters is really quite bonkers

I have been reading through it and making notes of any foodie bits, and I’ll be sharing those with beloved paid subscribers very soon. Until then, here’s one of Louise’s favourite recipes - the perfect dish to enjoy with any of her movies.

Louise Brooks’ Knickerbocker Chicken Supreme

Louise shared this recipe with readers of the Hollywood Daily Citizen in 1928. It looks a bit bonkers and is a bit of a juggle to get everything ready at the same time, but it’s absolutely delicious!

A dish as elegant and eccentric as Louise herself.

A couple of tips from me

• I covered the baking dish with foil rather than buttered paper

• I oven-cooked the chicken breast at 200℃

• You could safely boost up the paprika, I reckon!

Do get in touch if you give this one a whirl. It feels very retro, very Lulu.

Want more movie star recipes?

Star-spangled books!

My books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing if not in the UK)

My books on Amazon

or via my Etsy shop - these will come directly from me and can be signed with a personalised message if you wish.

My Etsy shop

Diary Date

Pop this date in your diaries…

I am hosting a FREE TO EVERYONE double bill watch party featuring Crossed Up, the Murder, She Wrote episode where a bed-bound Jessica overhears an intriguing conversation via a crossed wire…

and Sorry, Wrong Number, a 1948 film starring Barbara Stanwyck with a similar plot.

More details about how to join the watch parties will be coming closer to the time. Join us for one of the parties or both if you can. It’s always fun watching the same thing at the same time as lots of other folks around the world. We always have a hoot in the chatroom.

I will be kicking off the Murder, She Wrote watch party at 6 pm BST and the Sorry Wrong Number watch party at 7.30 pm BST.

Wishing you all a lovely July full of fun, friendship and happy days until we meet again - Jxxx

My star-spangled books are packed with movie star recipes!

Books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing if not in the UK)

My books on Amazon

or via my Etsy shop - these will come directly from me and can be signed with a personalised message if you wish.

My Etsy shop

PS - no recipes in the Vera book, just poems!

There is nothing I love more than hearing from readers, especially when they try one of the movie star recipes I have shared. This email from Rubin C absolutely made my day.

Here’s Dorothy’s ice-cream, looking sooooo good, and the adorable Blossom

Blossom wants ice-cream! Rubin asked if I had seen Dorothy Lamour in Pyjama Party (1964) - I hadn’t but now I am definitely going to…

Here’s the recipe - simple and delicious.

Prize Draw

Did you enter the draw to win a signed copy of Cooking With Joan Crawford?

Here’s me picking a name out of the hat

Thanks to everyone who entered, it was such fun hearing about your favourite movie stars - no two favourites were the same. Congrats to the winner - I will be in touch for an address.

Eat This - It Will Make You Feel Better

A recent newcomer has just crash landed into my list of top ten favourite movie star authored cookbooks.

Nestled alongside weighty tomes by the daddy of them all Vincent Price,

my #1 heartthrob Yul Brynner

and a woman who is probably most famous for playing a chimpanzee

is a book by Dom DeLuise.

A hat-tip to Liz Cook of Haterade for her fantastic piece about Dom’s two-disc CD-ROM set Cooking With Dom DeLuise. which tipped me off to Dom’s culinary expertise.

She snapped this up these DVD-ROMs at an estate sale but didn’t have the hardware to play them. No matter, I truly admire her dedication to the cause…

Naturally, as I am normally compelled to acquire EVERYTHING related to screen stars and cooking I was sorely tempted to follow suit. But I stopped myself, went analogue and got this book instead…

and it is a HUMDINGER. For beloved paid subscribers I’m sharing six recipes from it. As well as his family favourites Dom shared favourite recipes of some of his movie star chums too - hurrah!

For the inner circle I share

• Dom’s meatballs recipe (with cooking tips from me)

• Dom’s stuffed sole recipe (with cooking tips from me)

• Dom’s marinara sauce recipe

• Mel Brooks’ Red Clam Chowder recipe

• Burt Reynolds’ Beef Stew recipe

• the recipe Dom made for Julia Child on TV

By the way, the quote about Dom being Julia Child in drag? That was an endorsement for Dom’s cookbook by his chum Burt Reynolds.

Now I want to watch The Cannonball Run!

A movie star recipe podcast

I had a lovely time chatting with Mary McAnallen, the owner of Mary Mac Bakehouse www.marymacbakehouse.com on her podcast recently. We had a super fun time chatting about movie star recipes.

Click on the pic below or this link to listen in - it’s about half an hour long.

Read more

It is the film that makes me laugh more than any other. If you have never seen it, watch this trailer and see if it provokes a chuckle.

It doesn’t even have my favourite bit in it!

It’s Mel’s birthday on 28th June, he’ll be 100. Happy birthday, Mel!

I highly recommend Mel’s omelette. It’s simple but delicious.

I can testify that this can be made one armed…

OK, I admit that the lovely lady from the Red Cross Hospital to Home Service did chop up the onions and tomatoes for me.

She also cracked the eggs for me. Columbo may be able to do that one handed, but I can’t!

Here’s one I made earlier, when I had the use of two hands, that is more photogenic.

If you are a paid subscriber to Bon Appetit you can read this fabulous article, which is where I found the recipe

Mel Brooks on Omelettes, Coffee, and the Inimitable Appetite of Alfred Hitchcock

Thanks to Mr R

For finding this great pic…

Mr R says, “Apparently Mel is eating his favourite dish, an onion bagel with Nova lox on it.” I think this photo was taken in the 20th Century Fox commissary while he and Anne Bancroft were filming the movie To Be or Not to Be (1983).

Mini movie themed cookbook anyone?

Silent Movie has sooooooo many celebrities in it, I could probably put together a whole mini cookbook of movie star recipes to go with it. Should I?!

Burt Reynolds

Paul Newman

Dom DeLuise

Marty Feldman

Sid Caesar

Much loved Anne Bancroft

Also much loved Bernadette Peters

I am tempted…

Coming next for my beloved paid subscribers…

• Mel Brooks’ Red Clam Chowder recipe

• Burt Reynolds’ Beef Stew recipe

• A deep dive into a Dom DeLuise’s cookbook plus four of his recipes, including some sensational meatballs!

I made them before I broke my wrist!

I’ll announce the winner of the signed Joan Crawford cookbook soon too. I am waiting for Mr Rathbone to come and visit so he can film me doing the prize draw…

Watch this space!

Star-spangled books!

My books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing if not in the UK)

My books on Amazon

or via my Etsy shop - these will come directly from me and can be signed with a personalised message if you wish.

My Etsy shop

Don’t forget the cigarette!

I really love this clipping from a magazine that my other half, Mr Rathbone, sent me to wish me a happy 20th Silver Screen Suppers birthday. I am guessing that Bette is in the Warner Bros. commissary during a filming break in the early 1940s. Any eagle-eyed Bette fans out there recognise the costume and can therefore pinpoint the movie?

The reference to a cup of black coffee seems rather apt, as the gift I bought myself to celebrate 20 years of writing about what old movie stars liked to eat and drink was this.

The perfect painting from Thom Kofoed’s Celebrities Drinking Coffee series. I have been a fan of Thom’s work ever since I stumbled upon this zine online…

And talking of zines, I have made one too!

It’s a collection of recipe collages I have created to illustrate 14 of Bette’s favourite dishes. But alas, until my busted wrist is healed

They will remain uncut, unfolded and unsewn…

Might be ready in time for Christmas!

But here’s a sneaky peek of the delights in store for y’all, here’s one that is apt for this post…

This was the very first movie star dish I made, and on the anniversary of the cooking experiment that is still underway, I made it again. Well, I say I made it, but actually, due to the aforementioned busted wrist, Mr R made it under my direction. It was a triumph! We had some with jacket potatoes and champagne.

If you fancy having a go at these, my top tip is this. You will need an ENORMOUS bean pot if you make the whole lot. My bean pot - bought specifically for Bette’s Beans…

which, to my mind, is pretty enormous, only has capacity for half the recipe. Also, as my local butcher told me that these days nobody stocks fat salt pork (here in the UK anyway), I used chunks of belly pork and some pancetta.

When the beans were fully cooked, Mr R took the belly pork out, separated the meat from the fat and mixed the meat back into the beans. It was SO DELICIOUS! Bravo, Mr R.

We had a big portion with our patooties on birthday night, and some on toast with a frilly fried egg the next day. Oh yum!

There were still loads of beans, so Mr R portioned them up for the freezer - 3 x 2 portion packets, so around 10 helpings from ½ Bette’s recipe.

Happy birthday Silver Screen Suppers

To celebrate 20 years of cooking like my Hollywood idols, I did a one-hour live chit-chat here on Substack. Thanks to everyone who came to my little party, I had such fun! Here I am filming…

I demonstrated a Bette Davis cocktail one-handed (1 oz Canadian whisky & 1 oz schnapps & 1 oz lime juice shaken over ice)

and Mr R made some Bette Davis Eyes canapés.

I defy you to make some of these and NOT do this once you have sliced them in half and stuck them on cocktail sticks.

My tip for these is to leave the balls at room temperature and slice them in half just before you serve. If you pop them in the fridge, they will firm up a bit and might crumble as you slice.

There was such merriment going on in the chat, and it was zipping past so fast that I wasn’t able to keep up with all the questions. I remember being asked by Ursula K about the weird ingredients I have had to source for my movie-star experiments. In a weird coincidence, the day after my party, Mr R found this at the back of one of my cupboards.

A can of condensed cheddar cheese soup with a use-by date of 2020. He MADE ME throw this away - haha. I’ve been hanging on to this with the intention of making Bette Davis’ Spinach Stuffed Fillets of Sole once more sometime.

So here, in a rather pleasing closing of the Bette Davis blog birthday circle for those who live in a place where condensed cheddar cheese soup is freely available, is Bette’s recipe.

PS - I haven’t done the prize draw for the signed Cooking With Joan Crawford book - winner will be announced in next newsletter.

Bette Davis’ Spinach-Stuffed Fillets of Sole

½ cup chopped yellow onion

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 pound fresh chopped spinach or 25 oz frozen chopped spinach

1 teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon white pepper

2 lbs fillet of sole or flounder

1 can (11 oz) Cheddar cheese soup

2 tablespoons milk or beer

Ground nutmeg

Cook the onion in butter until tender, but not brown. Cook spinach quickly in a small amount of salted boiling water. Drain well, pressing out all liquid. Combine spinach, salt, white pepper and onion mixture; mix well. Spread each fillet with a thin layer of the spinach mixture, then roll up tightly and spear with a skewer or wooden toothpick. Put fillets into a lightly buttered, shallow baking dish. Mix cheese soup with milk or beer until smooth; spoon over fillets. Sprinkle nutmeg over the top. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350-degree oven 20 to 25 minutes. If desired, run under broiler until cheese is bubbly and browned.

Serves 6

Last but not least, here’s a great recipe accompanied by an illustration of Bette with a fish and a gasper on the go…

Star-spangled books!

My books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing if not in the UK)

My books on Amazon

or via my Etsy shop - these will come directly from me and can be signed with a personalised message if you wish.

My Etsy shop

I have broken my wrist - here I am doing my Johnny Cash impression…

It’s making life very difficult as you can imagine, but it’s not going to get in the way of my celebrating 20 years of cooking like my screen idols this Thursday as planned.

I’m using dictation software to write this newsletter so please excuse any errors…

I refuse not to party! Here’s what is happening…

I’ll have the chat open all day so pop in and ask me anything - what my fave movie star recipe is - what the most annoying thing about living one-handed is - where do I find all the recipes - how I go about writing my books - anything!

If you tell me in the chat who your favourite movie star is, I will let you know if I have any of their favourite recipes in my collection.

In the evening, join me online live here on Substack for one handed festivities!

I will demonstrate how to make Bette Davis cocktails one handed!

and make some Bette Davis Eyes canapés one handed!

and chat about the first movie star dish I ever made - Bette Davis’ Boston Baked Beans - I can be hands free for this bit!

Would love to “see” some of you there.

Cookbook Giveaway

To celebrate 20 years of writing about what screen stars liked to eat and drink I am giving away two signed books - wherever you are in the world.

If you are a fan of Murder, She Wrote, to go into the draw to win a copy of Murder, She Cooked

just tell me which is your favourite episode in the comments or by email.

To win a copy of Cooking With Joan Crawford let me know who your favourite movie star is by the same method.

Everyone welcome to enter.

Closing date - midnight Thursday 21st May.

Two sleeps until party day…

Star-spangled books!

My books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing if not in the UK)

My books on Amazon

or via my Etsy shop - these will come directly from me and can be signed with a personalised message if you wish.

My Etsy Shop

When I opened it up and saw the splendour within, I was done for.

My obsession with finding out what old movie stars liked to eat and drink began on that day. I now have over 10,000 recipes favoured by Hollywood icons (and a few stars famous elsewhere too) - my bookshelves are HEAVING!

I estimate that in twenty years I have made around 2,000 dishes using recipes shared by movie stars famous between the 1920s and the 1980s. The years from 1990 onwards are just too modern for me!

Twenty years of Silver Screen Suppers

Twenty years ago this month, inspired by Julia Powell’s book Julie and Julia

(made into a fabulous movie starring Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci)

I began a blog called Silver Screen Suppers to record my adventures in cooking some of these dishes. The first one I attempted was Bette Davis’ Boston Baked Beans.

At that time, I lived on a houseboat, with a tiny galley kitchen and a tabletop oven that had to be turned on with a pair of pliers (seen top left)

Many movie star misadventures happened in that kitchen!

Since my first post about cooking Bette’s beans I have written around 2,000 posts describing dishes I have tried - both successes and failures!

The OG blog can be found here - still going strong, 20 years later.

Silver Screen Suppers Blog

A day of celebration on Thursday 21st May

To celebrate 20 years since the inaugural recipe was rustled up, I have taken the day off work and will be doing several things to celebrate.

I’ll be making Bette’s Beans and doing live pop-ups here on Substack from my kitchen throughout the day.

Ask me anything on Thursday 21st May

I’ll open a thread in the chat as soon as I wake up and it’ll be there for you to ask me ANYTHING throughout the day until I fall into bed full of Bette’s Baked Beans.

We can chat about movies, food, recipes, favourite stars….

Win a copy of Cooking With Joan Crawford

One lucky duck will win a signed copy of the Joan Crawford cookbook wherever they are in the world

To be in with a chance to win - just tell me who your favourite movie star is in the comments. Everyone who lets me know here, via email, via notes or in the chat by the end of the day on the 21st May will go into the prize draw. Don’t be shy - lemme know which star you love with a passion.

If you already have the Joan book, I can send you one of these instead - your choice.

Free Online Party

Join me in the evening to celebrate 20 years of movie star menu madness. I will be drinking Bette Davis Cocktails and eating lots of her beans!

I’ll go live here on Substack at 7pm. I’ll be sending out a virtual invitation soon so you’ll get a reminder. I’ll be partying until 8 - or maybe later!

If you want to join me in a Bette Davis Cocktail it contains

Schnapps

Whisky (Crown Royal Canadian if you have it)

Fresh lime juice

I’ll be doing a demo of the cocktail and talking about where I found the formula at the party.

And if you fancy making the beans - here is the recipe

Bette Davis’ Boston Baked Beans

1 quart pea beans (in the UK the best bean to go for is the haricot – about 900g)

½ pound fat salt pork

2 teaspoons salt

½ cup molasses

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 cup boiling water

1^st step: Wash beans and allow them to soak overnight in cold water to cover. 2^nd step: In the morning, drain and cover with fresh water. Cook slowly – just below the boiling point – until skins will burst. (This is determined by taking a few beans on a spoon and blowing on them gently. When skins of these beans will break and curl back then the rest of the beans are sufficiently cooked.) 3^rd step: Fill bean pot with cooked beans. Some people also like to add a small onion, minced fine, at this point. Pour boiling water over the salt pork, scrape the rind until it is white, then score deeply at half-inch intervals. Press pork down into beans so that only the rind is exposed. Combine salt, molasses, and mustard. Add the boiling water. Pour this mixture over the beans and add enough water so that beans are just covered. Cover bean pot tightly and bake beans in slow oven (300 degrees F / 150 degrees C / gas mark 2) for eight hours. If necessary, add a little water (boiling) during the baking period so that the beans will not get too dry. Uncover pot during last hour to brown the pork. Serve in the pot in which they were cooked.

Hoping to “meet” some of you live here on Substack on the 21st!

My star-spangled books!

My books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing if not in the UK)

My books on Amazon

or via my Etsy shop - these will come directly from me and can be signed if you wish - get in touch if you want to combine postage on more than one item.

My Etsy Shop

My two other newsletters for fans of Murder, She Wrote and Vera…

Murder, She Cooked

An online fan club for Murder, She Wrote - episode guides, recipes from the stars of the shows and fun watch parties.

By Jenny Hammerton

Vera Haiku

Monthly haiku summaries of every episode of ITV’s Vera. Northumberland noir, expressed in seventeen syllables.

By Jenny Hammerton

It’s the only celebrity cookbook I have to feature such an array of cuisines. Vincent Price’s A Treasury of Great Recipes

comes close with recipes from Europe, Mexico, and the United States, but Yul focuses on quite different parts of the world. The book features chapters devoted to Russian, Japanese, Chinese and Thai cuisine. He was a very cosmopolitan man!

Just LOOK at him!

I shared his recipe for Massaman curry in the previous post and I was curious to see how authentic his Thai recipes were, bearing in mind that the book was published in the early 1980s when ingredients were harder to source than they are these days.

So it was great to discover this account of another of Yul’s recipes on a Thai home cooking site - Chicken Yellow Curry. The verdict?

Even though Yul Brynner’s yellow curry chicken doesn’t look or taste like the Thai yellow curry I know, it’s delicious. Very much so. The two people who shared this pot of curry with me can testify to that. We polished it off in just minutes. It was a success.

Hurrah!

I’m doing a deep dive into Yul’s cookbook in a video for my beloved paid subscribers below the line. I also demonstrate the Yul Brynner cocktail.

Subscribe now

I’m also sharing a couple more Westworld related recipes from my collection.

Dick Van Patten’s Lemon Wine Chicken Cutlets

and Richard Benjamin’s Chilled Almond Bisque

Ride ‘em cowboy!

Read more

Goodness, the 1970s is so modern for Dinner and a Movie, but Westworld is such a humdinger of a movie, and seems increasingly relevant when AI and robots seem to be becoming ever more human…

What happens when we humans lose control? Watch Westworld and find out!

The star of Westworld, Yul Brynner, wrote a whole cookbook!

The cookbook is a humdinger too. A bit difficult for me to focus on one particular recipe, but I managed it!

Yul is my #1 Hollywood hearthrob, so it was inevitable that I’d feature one of his movies here at Dinner and a Movie at some point. It had to be this one, because it is fab, and Yul is terrific as a robot cowboy.

Mean and moody…

Ooooh, the sexy cowboy stare!

The sexy cowboy walk!

I love it all!

Not a fan of sci-fi? Not a fan of Westerns? Me neither as a rule, but this is brilliant. Give it a whirl.

Even if you’ve seen the TV series, I highly recommend checking out the movie. I didn’t watch the TV version because…

no Brynner, not bothered!

Because who could play the Robot Gunslinger any better?!

Grab Westworld on DVD or find out which streaming service is hosting it wherever you are in the world, and pop a date in your diary to treat yourself.

Yul Brynner’s Beef Massaman Curry

Here’s a perfect dinner to eat from a big bowl balanced precariously on your lap as you watch the movie.

I made some notes about some tweaks that I made when I rustled it up. It was DELICIOUS!

As Mr Rathbone observed, this dish combines two of my favourite things - Yul Brynner and massaman curry. Perfect!

Tweaks

I wanted to make this in my slow cooker (crock pot) as I had a busy day and I found several recipes online where you just chuck everything in the slow cooker and let it do its thing. That was very appealing!

Here are the tweaks I made. Even if I do say so myself, it turned out perfectly.

• I flash fried the chunks of beef before putting them in the slow cooker

• I used 1 x 400 ml and 250 ml of chicken stock as I wanted to include potatoes and thought I would need more liquid in order to cook the patooties.

• I sliced the garlic cloves

• I used 3 dried Kashmiri chillies

• I used the full amount of all of the other spices

• I added 1 tablespoon of fish sauce for that classic funky Massaman flavour

• I put the sugar in with all the other ingredients except the lime and peanuts

• I used 300g mini potatoes

• I added the lime juice just before serving

• I also sprinkled over some fresh coriander - as I had some in the fridge.

Here’s Yul’s recipe.

Subscribe now

Welcome new subscribers!

I had a big influx of subscribers this month - welcome one and all! Around 80 people came via a post on my Silver Screen Suppers blog about Elizabeth Taylor’s recipe for Chicken Steamed in White Wine. I am thrilled to have you all here but am very curious as to what took you to my blog in the first place. Was the link shared online somewhere? If anyone feels the urge to let me know, please do pop something in the comments or drop me a line by replying to this email.

What I do here…

Each month I propose a movie with an accompanying dish from the kitchen of one of its stars. I have been collecting movie star signature dishes for over 20 years now and have over 10,000 in my collection - no kidding!

For my beloved paid subscribers I share additional recipes and a video postcard from my kitchen on the south coast of England each month. This might be a cocktail demo, a cooking demo or a special feature about one of the cookbooks in my collection

Coming in the next missive from me

• A video demo of the Yul Brynner cocktail

• A deep dive into the Yul Brynner cookbook

• Some thoughts on the authenticity of Yul’s Thai inspired recipes

• A recipe from the kitchen of co-star Richard Benjamin

• A recipe from the kitchen of co-star Dick Van Patten

• A few more of Yul’s recipes

Until then, here are some linky-links

Star-spangled books!

My books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing if not in the UK)

My books on Amazon

or via my Etsy shop - these will come directly from me and can be signed if you wish - get in touch if you want to combine postage on more than one item.

My Etsy Shop

My two other newsletters for fans of Murder, She Wrote and Vera…

Murder, She Cooked

An online fan club for Murder, She Wrote - episode guides, recipes from the stars of the shows and fun watch parties.

By Jenny Hammerton

Vera Haiku

Monthly haiku summaries of every episode of ITV’s Vera. Northumberland noir, expressed in seventeen syllables.

By Jenny Hammerton

Peter - Vodka martini on the rocks with a twist of lemon. Very dry, please.

John - Just give him whiskey. He’s new in town.

Or are you coming to the Silver Screen Sippers screening in Hastings on Saturday 14th March?

Tickets are available with - or without - a Champagne Cocktail Gloria Swanson.

I am stupidly excited to see it on the big screen…

The Champagne Cocktail Gloria Swanson

Served at The Stork Club at NOON!

Stork Club Books

The Stork Club may be familiar to you from its appearance in All About Eve (1950). It’s the swanky spot where Bette Davis gives the ultimate gesture with a spring onion in the general direction of her rival, Eve Harrington.

In the Champagne Cocktail Gloria Swanson demo video for my beloved paid subscribers, I chat about the Stork Club Bar Book.

It’s an expensive purchase if you want an original, but luckily, facsimile copies can be picked up for less than £15. Highly recommended as Lucius Beebe who wrote the commentary around the cocktail recipes is an absolute HOOT.

There is also a facsimile of The Stork Club Cook and Bar Book which is different to the book above, as it has recipes for GRUB as well as cocktail recipes.

I have a copy of this but haven’t cooked anything from it yet. There are a few movie star specials I fancy, so I’m throwing it out to you lot, which one shall I try first? I will report back…

Mmmmm, that is making me hungry.

Below the line, for all beloved members of the Silver Screen Suppers Club (aka my paid subscribers) there is:

• A video demo of the Champagne Cocktail Gloria Swanson and some chit-chat about the two Stork Club books

• Cecil B. DeMille’s recipe for Chicken Sauté a la Creole

• Buster Keaton’s recipe for Chop Suey

• 2 x Hedda Hopper formulas for Malice in Hollywood cocktails!

Read more

This year is the 75th birthday of my absolute favourite film. To celebrate, I’ll be introducing a screening of this masterpiece at the Electric Palace Cinema in Hastings on Saturday 14th March.

OH HOW I LOVE IT!

If I get it together I’ll be rocking this kind of outfit…

This will be the second of my Silver Screen Sippers events

Champagne Cocktails a la Gloria Swanson will be served and you can buy a ticket with or without a cocktail. I love the fact that when you arrive at the cinema, if you’ve selected a ticket that includes a cocktail, you get a little token. Brilliant!

But if you can’t join me in person, here’s the formula so you can rustle yourself one up at home.

This cocktail is featured in the brilliant (and hilarious) Stork Club Bar Book,

published in 1946.

Apparently this cocktail was something Gloria liked to have at breakfast time…

Champagne Cocktail Gloria Swanson

1 pint iced champagne, very dry

2 oz the best cognac

twist of lemon peel

Served in a tall Tom Collins glass with a cube or two of ice

I see from a note I made when I rustled some of these up in 2018, that one pint of champagne made 3 cocktails this size…

Those nuns are not mine…

I’m not going to say much about the movie, other than, if you have never seen it, you really MUST put a date in your diary to get hold of it on DVD or via a streaming service and INDULGE yourself in its brilliance.

If you have seen it, well this is your perfect excuse to enjoy it all over again!

Norma Desmond compels you!

William Holden’s Signature Dish

Here I am, many moons ago, doing my Norma Desmond impression…

What on EARTH am I holding, I hear you ask. Well my friends, it is a William Holden Lime Gelatine with Carrots, Olives and Nuts in the form of a rabbit, of course…

If anyone is brave enough to try this, I beg of you, send me photos! It is actually much nicer than you might think, and definitely a dinner party icebreaker. A couple of guests I have served this to REALLY liked it, especially with a little dab of mayonnaise on the side.

Bonus recipe!

If you fancy picking the pips out of thousands of redcurrants as I am doing here, with the divine Jane Fryers assisting,

Keep this recipe up your sleeve for redcurrant season wherever you are in the world…

Forthcoming Attractions

For members of the Silver Screen Suppers Club (aka my beloved paid subscribers) I’ll be sharing the following soon…

• video demo of the Gloria Swanson cocktail with a little peek into the wonderful world of the Stork Club Bar Book.

• Recipes from Cecil B. DeMille, Hedda Hopper and Buster Keaton

• Gloria’s recipe for Caviar Canapés - perfect with the champagne cocktail

If you have been a reader of my newsletter since it started you may remember that I wrote about Sunset Blvd. way back in 2023. The recipe selected back then was Gloria’s Potassium Broth, so if you fancy trying that, here’s a link to that post.

Gloria Swanson's Potassium Broth

Star-spangled books!

My books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing if not in the UK)

My books on Amazon

or via my Etsy shop - these will come directly from me and can be signed if you wish - get in touch if you want to combine postage on more than one item.

My Etsy Shop

My two other newsletters for fans of Murder, She Wrote and Vera…

Murder, She Cooked

An online fan club for Murder, She Wrote - episode guides, recipes from the stars of the shows and fun watch parties.

By Jenny Hammerton

Vera Haiku

Monthly haiku summaries of every episode of ITV’s Vera. Northumberland noir, expressed in seventeen syllables.

By Jenny Hammerton

My goodness, I have a lot of things to share relating to Diana! A few bits and bobs for everyone, then for my beloved paid subscribers 6 more of her recipes, a video demo of a chilli recipe by Diana from her own kitchen, plus a video postcard where I…

• Flip through her diet cookbook

• Share a little tale about Diana and her Rolls Royce (This isn’t her Roller, but you get the idea…)

• Chat about her appearances on TV-am as an agony aunt and diet guru

• Do a bit of the Prince Charming dance

I have no idea how many people will know what I mean by “the Prince Charming dance” I guess it depends how old you are and whether Adam and the Ants made it to your shores. But I hereby present, for those who remember and those who have no knowledge, four minutes of utter fabulousness featuring Diana…. Treat yourself!

I was a big Adam and the Ants fan and here I am with chums just before we headed off to see them live.

Me second from the right in my warpaint. This is my teenage bedroom and I can spot Sting and David Essex amongst the posters above the bed.

I bloody loved those tartan trousers, and those shoes. I have no idea what possessed me to tie a scarf around my leg.

I am such a big Diana Dors fan that Mr Rathbone once bought me a facsimile of this sweatshirt for my birthday. I wear it on the rare occasion I decide I need to do some exercise. The Diana Dors letters are SPARKLY.

Diet With Diana

Diana’s cookbook was linked to her appearances on TV-am (a breakfast TV show here in the UK in the 1980s and early 90s) and I’ve made quite a few things from it.

plus the other regular breakfast treat round here, her baked bean omelette…

YUM! If you like eggs, and bacon and baked beans for your breakfast, why not have them all wrapped up in one omlette-y package?!

Usually in January I haul out Diana’s diet book along with Liz Taylor’s Elizabeth Takes Off

Jane Fonda’s Cooking for Healthy Living

Olivia Newton-John’s Livwise

and Tessie O’Shea’s Slimming Cookbook

in an attempt to lose the poundage I’ve put on over Christmas. But it’s true to say that I make things from Diana’s book all year round on a regular basis. I’ll be sharing more recipes, a video of Diana making chilli con carne and a video postcard from me to beloved paid subscribers below the line…

Read more

I am a Diana Dors superfan. She was the British Marilyn Monroe, a blonde bombshell that would give Jayne Mansfield a run for her money. She also features regularly in this newsletter eating popcorn…

HERE SHE IS!

Diana appeared in a lot of dolly-bird roles in her early career, but she surprised audiences and critics alike with her outstanding performance in the British film noir triumph Yield to the Night in 1956 (released as Blonde Sinner in the USA).

Diana plays a woman who is given a death sentence for murder. In the year before the film was released, a sensational real life crime case was played out. In 1955, Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom and there are many parallels that can be drawn between the two tales.

Ruth’s story has a little stardust sprinkled over it for me and Mr Rathbone, as the pub outside which Ruth shot her lover it is very close to his flat, and a big favourite of ours.

There used to be a plaque on the exterior wall near some bullet holes

It is true that it is hard to resist putting your finger in one of the holes as you go past…

But rumour has it that a landlady of the pub faked those bullet holes at a later date. Who knows?

Yield to the Night is available to stream on many different services here in the UK and I do hope it is the same if you are not of these shores, because it really is a great example of Diana’s dramatic talent. She wasn’t all boobs and bum!

It’s rare for me to recommend a film that doesn’t have an uplifting storyline but I do hope you’ll give it a whirl.

To date the only portrayal of Ruth Ellis on the big screen was by Miranda Richardson in Dance With a Stranger.

I haven’t seen that movie since it came out in 1985, but I do remember thinking it was a great film and it had a super-dooper soundtrack. I hereby pledge to watch that too this month.

I might also watch this which is a 3 part TV series.

And now for the star-spangled recipe. Here’s something I have made quite a lot, an easy lunch to rustle up with things I usually have around the place. Delicious and healthy too!

Diana Dors’ Flageolet Beans with Tuna

Silver Screen Sippers at the Electric Palace in Hastings

For those of you in the Hastings area, the second of my cocktail and a movie events is happening on the evening of Saturday 14th March at the Electric Palace. It is my favourite movie of all time…

Tickets aren’t available yet, but stick it in yer diary!

Forthcoming Attraction

Coming soon for my paid subscribers will be a video postcard where I talk about Diana’s cookbook and her appearances on the British breakfast show TV-am where she not only had an agony aunt section but also led the “Dors Dozen” on a weight loss programme.

Until then, CHEERS!

Star-spangled books!

My books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing if not in the UK)

My books on Amazon

or via my Etsy shop - these will come directly from me and can be signed if you wish - get in touch if you want to combine postage on more than one item.

My Etsy Shop

My two other newsletters for fans of Murder, She Wrote and Vera…

Murder, She Cooked

An online fan club for Murder, She Wrote - episode guides, recipes from the stars of the shows and fun watch parties.

By Jenny Hammerton

Vera Haiku

Monthly haiku summaries of every episode of ITV’s Vera. Northumberland noir, expressed in seventeen syllables.

By Jenny Hammerton

Before some chat about the bonkers mushroom scene in Journey to the Centre of the Earth,

a couple of reader photos.

I absolutely LOVE seeing photos of movie star dinners that readers have rustled up, and here’s one shared on Twitter, and another emailed to me from an old chum. The first featured a recipe from my Cooking The Detectives book. I had a “Pavlov’s Dog” reaction to this photo and immediately wanted cheese and sardines on toast for my breakfast!

My old mucker Sarah Wenban tested an Ian McShane recipe in 2021 for the Cooking With Columbo book, and she liked it so much, she’s still rustling it up! This time she threw in a few sun-dried tomatoes, which I think is a great idea.

Do send me a pic if you rustle up any movie star dishes I feature here or elsewhere. It makes my heart almost burst every time I get one.

Usually, my monthly video postcard features a cocktail demonstration related to the movie of the month, but as (like many of you, I am guessing) I am doing dry January, this month I’m going to be making Pat Boone’s Blonde Brownies. I was pleasantly surprised at how good he was in Journey to the Centre of the Earth. I guess I thought that, as he was most famous as a singer, he might be a bit hammy, but no.

He was good! Arlene Dahl was a revelation - she was TERRIFIC! I couldn’t help but notice how the lipstick stayed on after a disturbed night’s sleep

after being shipwrecked

and after being sucked down to the centre of the earth via a whirlpool and spat out again…

It was an interesting experience for me this month, as I chose the featured movie because of all the Arlene Dahl shenanigans mentioned in the previous post.

It’s the first time I’ve proposed a movie that I haven’t already seen and enjoyed, so I was well chuffed that I managed to do what I’m always encouraging you lot to do. Set aside time to give a movie my full attention (OK, I was knitting, but that doesn’t count).

From the moment I started watching the film (via Amazon Prime here in the UK), I was astounded at the CRISPNESS and gorgeous colour of the print. I am guessing they are streaming the 4K transfer from 2015. It looks FABULOUS.

But the mushroom scene gave me the heebie-jeebies. Regular readers will know I have a mushroom phobia prompted by my brother bringing home enormous tree fungus thingamabobs when he was a horticulture student.

It took them a while to GET to the centre of the earth, but actually it is quite beautiful down there…

I really enjoyed indulging myself in this movie. It reminded me of Christmas movies when I was a kid, notably Jason and the Argonauts, which always seemed to be on!

If you haven’t already popped a date in your diary to watch this Journey to the Centre of the Earth, I say do it! If you have kids, it might be a good one to watch with them too - although there are a few bits with “monsters” at the end so parental guidance may be necessary!

For my beloved paid subscribers this month the extra treats are…

• A video postcard from my kitchen with a demo of Pat Boone’s Blondies

• Extra recipes from James Mason, Diane Baker and Pat including his Cowboy Cookies! Perfect to scoff while you listen to this…

Read more

Firstly I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season. I hope you all enjoyed some fine dining, watched some great movies and got some lovely prezzies!

2026 marks a big anniversary for me. I will have been writing about movie stars and their favourite recipes for 20 years. My goodness!

I started recording my attempts to cook like my Hollywood idols over on the Silver Screen Suppers blog in May 2006 with Bette Davis’ Boston Baked Beans. Why I chose that one to start with I have no idea! I estimate that since then I have rustled up around 2,000 movie star signature dishes. Bonkers!

Since the very early days, Arlene Dahl has been the mascot of Silver Screen Suppers.

This picture appears in the header of the Silver Screen Suppers website

and on the free bookmarks I include with sales of some of my books on Etsy.

and on the logo for this little online movie club we have here on Substack.

I am currently working on a new book about my 20 years of silver screen shenanigans in the kitchen, and I am planning to have Arlene on the cover. The book will be called

What do you think?!

In early December, I was ready to order a proof copy and decided to attempt a mockup cover.

An AI Fever Dream

First a disclaimer. I never use AI for writing, but I do sometimes use it to help with research tasks. I always use human photographers and graphic designers to work on my book covers (thank you Greg, Nessa and Joan) and always will. But as I wanted a proof in a hurry, I decided to ask AI to help me with a stand in cover.

I thought you guys might be as amused as I was about what happened to the lovely Arlene. Here’s the original…

The first version of the cover that AI created included a slightly cheesecake-d version of Arlene.

I was surprised, but I liked the look of her. Imagine my intrigue when In the next version AI sent me, she was looking even more cheeky

Then I was delivered slightly older, more sophisticated looking chef, for no apparent reason…

Next, a smirky chick with a raised eyebrow…

And, then hello, who’s this?

And here’s the one I eventually ended up with for my proof copy - it’s a slightly EVIL Arlene!

What on earth would Arlene think about all that?!

It tickled me pink that every time I made a small tweak to the cover text, I met a new version of Arlene. Rest assured, the ORIGINAL and BEST will actually be on the cover.

I actually think the evil Arlene has the look of Karen Black about her…

The whole shenanigans has really tickled me.

Movie of the Month

As December was crazy busy I am doing something unusual this month, proposing a movie that I haven’t actually seen. This is unheard of!

Arlene Dahl is most famous for her role in Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1959) so I am going to do exactly what I recommend to you every month in this newsletter. I will put a date in my diary to watch this in January and indulge myself in an uninterrupted movie watching session. With something delicious to eat alongside, of course.

I like the look of that dinosaur on the right. Can’t wait to see that!

I only have one Arlene Dahl recipe in my collection. I’ve made a lot of weird movie star concoctions in my 19+ years of cooking like the movie stars, and this was one of them!

Without scrolling down to see the title of this recipe, I wonder if anyone can guess what it actually IS?! Email me or put your ideas in the comments!

How close were you to guessing?!

Do you fancy having a go at this? To encourage you, here’s what I wrote when I made this dish in 2021.

..these were the best meatballs I have ever made. Seeing as I’ve made Henry Fonda’s Swedish Meatballs, Olivia Dukakis’ Greek Meatballs, Cher’s Hawaiian Meatballs, Greta Garbo’s Swedish Meatballs and John Cassavetes’ Minted Beef Meatballs that is really saying something.

Mmmmmeatballs!

Let me know if you give it a whirl! I am tempted to have them alongside my screening of Journey to the Centre of the Earth…

Wishing you a wonderful 2026 full of fun, delicious grub and fabulous movies.

Star-spangled books!

My books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing if not in the UK)

My books on Amazon

or via my Etsy shop - these will come directly from me and can be signed if you wish - get in touch if you want to combine postage on more than one item.

My Etsy Shop

My two other newsletters for fans of Murder, She Wrote and Vera…

Murder, She Cooked

An online fan club for Murder, She Wrote - episode guides, recipes from the stars of the shows and fun watch parties.

By Jenny Hammerton

Vera Haiku

Monthly haiku summaries of every episode of ITV’s Vera. Northumberland noir, expressed in seventeen syllables.

By Jenny Hammerton

Thanks to everyone who came to the Theatre of Blood watch party. It was so lovely to watch along with folk from London, New York and Indiana. Vincent Price expert Peter Fuller was on hand to give us lots of fabulous insight into locations and other facts about the film. He also shared a photo of the Diana Rigg Goulash he made in his slow cooker - yum yum!

As it is the festive season, this month I’m sharing the video postcard from my kitchen to one and all. I’m demonstrating how Vincent Price liked to make his Bloody Marys - an apt tipple to have while you watch Theatre of Blood if you didn’t make it to the watch party, methinks!

In the video you will get to see my well-worn copy of A Treasury of Great Recipes and hear about where Vincent and Mary liked to serve their Bloody Marys…

The eagle eyed amongst you may have spotted something green in my Bloody Mary. A stray frozen pea got in there somehow! Extra protein!

Do you have a Vincent Price fan in your life? There are over 50 of the Master of Menace’s best recipes (along with many from the kitchens of his co-stars) in the book I co-wrote with Peter. Still time to get one for someone you love for Christmas! Or, of course, as a treat to yourself.

To give you a flavour of the book, here’s the spread we put together to accompany Theatre of Blood. The colour hardback version of the book sold out, but a paperback black and white version is available on Amazon.

Supper with the Stars

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or another tradition, I hope this season brings you lots of laughter, good food and great movies. See you in 2026!

Star-spangled books!

My books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing if not in the UK)

My books on Amazon

or via my Etsy shop - these will come directly from me and can be signed if you wish - get in touch if you want to combine postage on more than one item.

My Etsy Shop

My two other newsletters for fans of Murder, She Wrote and Vera…

Murder, She Cooked

An online fan club for Murder, She Wrote - episode guides, recipes from the stars of the shows and fun watch parties.

By Jenny Hammerton

Vera Haiku

Monthly haiku summaries of every episode of ITV’s Vera. Northumberland noir, expressed in seventeen syllables.

By Jenny Hammerton

Comedy horror this month folks. If you have never seen one of Vincent Price’s comedy performances, treat yourself to this movie. It’s a doozy!

Vincent plays a Shakespearean actor who decides to wreak revenge on all the theatre critics who have been mean to him. He finds many dastardly ways to do this but I don’t want to give anything away.

Suffice to say, you might not want to have pie for your dinner.

Goulash would be much better!

Diana Rigg’s Goulash

I’ve made this a couple of times, including once in my slow cooker (crock pot) as you can see from the scribbles. Delicious!

Watch Party on the 14th

Myself and Vincent Price expert Peter Fuller are hosting a free online watch party on Sunday 14th December.

Do join us, the watch parties are so much fun. More details nearer the time but for now

• pop the date in your diary

• get yourself the DVD or find out which streaming service has the film where you are (Amazon Prime and Apple TV has it here in the UK)

• make sure you have access to the Dinner and a Movie private chat room so you can join all the fun on the night. You can join in advance so you are all ready to go on the 14th

If you can’t make the watch party, find a date in your calendar to indulge yourself with this movie. In the meantime, here’s a little foodie treat for you. A jaw-dropping clip from a cookery show featuring Robert Morley and Carol Channing. Close talking or what?!

This feels like an excuse for me to show a photo of me and my chum Caroline when we met Carol Channing - me on the left.

She has just told us a very rude joke about Tallulah Bankhead…

Subscribe now

Star-spangled books!

My books are available worldwide via Amazon (switch to your own country for the correct pricing if not in the UK)

My books on Amazon

or via my Etsy shop - these will come directly from me and can be signed if you wish - get in touch if you want to combine postage on more than one item.

My Etsy Shop

My two other newsletters for fans of Murder, She Wrote and Vera…

Murder, She Cooked

An online fan club for Murder, She Wrote - episode guides, recipes from the stars of the shows and fun watch parties.

By Jenny Hammerton

Vera Haiku

Monthly haiku summaries of every episode of ITV’s Vera. Northumberland noir, expressed in seventeen syllables.

By Jenny Hammerton