Tag: recipe

“Fruitcake is my kryptonite,” an admission from a friend…

November 18, 2018 by Vickie Lester

“He left Hollywood and renounced the pursuit of fame, joining a brotherhood of Franciscans who supported their monastery by refilling ink cartridges and baking fruitcake, available at Amazon.com.” That’s a line from my first novel, summing up the future for an actor in dire need of redemption. Obviously fruitcake means something to me too, and I wouldn’t be stretching it to say it has to do with the transformative act of baking. Every November I stir this batter together and […]

Categories: Art, Blogging, Books, Christmas, Cooking, Culture, Design, Entertainment, Fiction, Film, Friendship, Gastronomy, History, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Memoir, Recipes, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized, Writing • Tags: #amwriting another novel about Hollywood, a Hollywood whodunnit, baking raises my spirits, british wedding cake, climate crisis, comfort baking, fruitcake, fruitcake recipe, recipe

“Don’t f#ck with me, fellas. This cowgirl has been to the rodeo before.” Joan Crawford, without doubt, knew how to flame broil…

December 11, 2017 by Vickie Lester

Joan Crawford looking very festive. Her recipe for Broiled Steak with Roquefort Cheese — a-okay for a carnivore’s Christmas — is below. Serve with crispy roast potatoes and a green salad and you’ve got a meal to celebrate. The way you get quartered potatoes to crisp up when you roast them is to boil them for five minutes, drain well in a colander, shake them up so that they dry and the surface can absorb oil, and then put in […]

Categories: Architecture, Blogging, Christmas, Cooking, Culture, Design, Entertaining, Entertainment, fashion, Film, Friendship, Gastronomy, History, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Memoir, Movies, Photography, Recipes, Uncategorized • Tags: Christmas, crispy roast potatoes, grilled steak, how to tell if your steak is done, Joan Crawford, Joan Crawford Christmas, medium rare or well done, recipe, wintery dinner

Thanksgiving pumpkin pie – from the kitchen of Fred MacMurray and June Haver

November 16, 2017 by Vickie Lester

After his beloved Lillian died Mr. MacMurray was fortunate to find June Haver, with whom he had a wonderful marriage and adopted two more children. I don’t know who did the cooking at home, but this pie is a traditional favorite with my family because it is a pumpkin chiffon, the perfect finale to kind of a gut busting meal – you know what I mean…

Categories: Blogging, Books, Cooking, Culture, Entertaining, Entertainment, Film, Friendship, Gastronomy, History, Hollywood, Life, Los Angeles, Marriage, Memoir, Movies, Photography, Recipes, Relationships, Story, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized • Tags: actor, actress, behind the scenes, coconut, cooking, Fred MacMurray, gingersnap crust, history, Hollywood, Hollywood Recipe, June Haver, Los Angeles, Movie Star, Old Hollywood, pumpkin chiffon pie, pumpkin pie, recipe, rum, Thanksgiving

“Unless you were raised by ferrets in the Catskills, you’re going to know this is a problem.” Josh Marshall

September 10, 2017 by Vickie Lester

What has this to do with baking? Let me back up a little bit and we’ll get to that. Josh Marshall is a journalist who writes about the political scene. He is astute, insightful, and sometimes he cracks me the-hell-up. So in the midst of one of his essays on nefarious insider doings with foreign powers he’ll get me to remember a point by cracking wise. At times a little levity goes a long way. Click here to read the […]

Categories: Architecture, Art, Blogging, Cooking, Culture, Design, Entertainment, Friendship, Gastronomy, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Memoir, Photography, Recipes, Story, Theater, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Writing • Tags: almond lemon cake recipe, baking, baking raises my spirits, cake, comfort baking, grandmother, holiday baking, Mother, recipe

Being of a certain age, the Rolling Stones are my equivalent to Baby Mozart, so sometimes I listen to their music and cook to calm down…dinner for six with Vickie Lester

November 21, 2015 by Vickie Lester

Braised Chicken with Olives, Carrots, and Preserved Lemon: 1 chicken cut into pieces and 4 thighs 8 carrots 1 large onion 2 handfuls of Castlevetrano olives with pits 8 sundried tomatoes in olive oil Enough chicken stock to cover the chicken (2 cups-ish) Enough olive oil to barely coat the bottom of a braising pan (just a smidge or your chicken won’t brown) 1 quarter of a preserved lemon A couple of fresh thyme sprigs 1 tsp. minced rosemary […]

Categories: Advertising, Art, Blogging, Books, Cooking, Culture, Design, Entertainment, fashion, Film, Gastronomy, History, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Memoir, Movies, Music, Photography, Recipes, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Writing • Tags: #MickJagger, apple berry cinnamon crumble recipe, braised chicken with olives carrots lemons, Hollywood behind the scenes, Hollywood facts fictionalized, John Pasche design, recipe, rolling stones lips and tongue, sticky fingers tour, therapeutic cooking

Séduisante (that’s French for Seductive)…Devil’s Food Cake with Coconut Frosting…Photo by Alfred Cheney Johnston…Recipe from my Lady Ancestors

November 21, 2015 by Vickie Lester

For the Devil’s Food Cake: 1/2 stick of butter, or 2 oz. (unsalted) 1 cup sugar 2 eggs, beaten until frothy and pale 1 and 1/2 cups cake flour 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup buttermilk or sour cream (or mix some milk with sour cream—that’s what I usually do) 2 to 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (depends on how rich you want it, 2 oz tastes like normal chocolate cake, 4 oz will knock your […]

Categories: Art, Blogging, Cooking, Culture, Design, DIY, Entertainment, Film, Friendship, Gastronomy, History, Hollywood, Life, Los Angeles, Memoir, Movies, New York, Photography, Recipes, Uncategorized • Tags: cake photograph, cake photographed by Alfred Cheney Johnston, chocolate, chocolate decadence, coconut frosting, Devil's Food Cake, good cooks, my lady ancestors, recipe, recipes handed from one generation to the next, seductive, seduisante, Seven Minute Frosting, treat

The wisdom of Elizabeth Taylor and a Chocolate Cabernet Cake

July 3, 2015 by Vickie Lester

Chocolate and Cabernet Sauvignon Italian Cake recipe on Food52.com. “The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.”

Categories: Art, Blogging, Cooking, Culture, Design, Entertainment, fashion, Film, Friendship, Gastronomy, History, Hollywood, Life, Los Angeles, Movies, Photography, Recipes, Uncategorized • Tags: cabernet, chocolate, decadent, delicious, dessert, ElizabethTaylor, Italian Chocolate Cake, recipe, spicy

Marilyn Monroe in Palm Springs and a cool salad for a hot day

July 3, 2015 by Vickie Lester

Sliced avocado, arugula, slivers of red onion, segments of orange, luscious green olives, sea salt, black pepper, fennel seeds, lemon juice, olive oil… Salad. “I restore myself when I’m alone. A career is born in public — talent in privacy.”

Categories: Art, Blogging, Cooking, Culture, Design, Entertaining, Entertainment, fashion, Film, Friendship, Gastronomy, History, Hollywood, Life, Los Angeles, Movies, Palm Springs, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized • Tags: Avocado Orange and Onion salad, cool recipe for a hot day, MarilynMonroe, Palm Springs, recipe, summer recipe

My mom always told me this was Sophia Loren’s pasta recipe…

July 3, 2015 by Vickie Lester

I can neither confirm or deny, but it’s easy and perfect for hot weather cooking. Pasta Puttanesca 4-6 minced cloves of garlic 4 anchovy fillets A good handful of fresh basil, like five sprigs or a cup — chopped A dash of red pepper flakes (I don’t like things so hot I can’t taste anything else and my upper lip breaks out into a sweat, but if you do add a half a teaspoon.) 2 Tablespoons minced capers 1/2 cup […]

Categories: Blogging, Cooking, Culture, Design, Entertaining, Entertainment, fashion, Film, Friendship, Gastronomy, History, Hollywood, Life, Los Angeles, Memoir, Movies, Photography, Recipes, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Writing • Tags: #SophiaLoren, Hollywood, hot weather cooking, Pasta Puttanesca, pasta recipe, quick and easy, recipe, Sophia Loren, spicy tomato sauce, summer recipe

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BEGUILING HOLLYWOOD

Tales from Tinseltown…recording them now…I'll let you know when it's story time.

Tag: recipe

“Fruitcake is my kryptonite,” an admission from a friend…

“Don’t f#ck with me, fellas. This cowgirl has been to the rodeo before.” Joan Crawford, without doubt, knew how to flame broil…

Thanksgiving pumpkin pie – from the kitchen of Fred MacMurray and June Haver

“Unless you were raised by ferrets in the Catskills, you’re going to know this is a problem.” Josh Marshall

Being of a certain age, the Rolling Stones are my equivalent to Baby Mozart, so sometimes I listen to their music and cook to calm down…dinner for six with Vickie Lester

Séduisante (that’s French for Seductive)…Devil’s Food Cake with Coconut Frosting…Photo by Alfred Cheney Johnston…Recipe from my Lady Ancestors

The wisdom of Elizabeth Taylor and a Chocolate Cabernet Cake

Marilyn Monroe in Palm Springs and a cool salad for a hot day

My mom always told me this was Sophia Loren’s pasta recipe…