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| Theodore Bikel's Glorified Meatloaf. Slightly purple, owing to A LOT of wine. |
I hear Jenny is still looking for recipe testers, so be sure to visit her blog and get in touch if you're interested!
Showing posts with label cookbook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cookbook. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Columbo Cooking
Those of a certain age, or possibly even those who are younger, since it ran off and on for 32 years, probably remember Columbo, the LAPD TV detective who gave every impression of being slightly bumbling and unorganized, but who in reality was sly as a fox and way ahead of the criminals he pursued. He never lost his temper, even when criminals underestimated him, jeered at him and basically called him an idiot to his face. He always got his man or woman in the end. I LOVE Columbo! So imagine how excited I was to learn that there is a Columbo cookbook coming soon, by Jenny Hammerton, of Silver Screen Suppers! Best of all, I was given the opportunity to test a recipe for the book - Theodore Bikel's Glorified Meatloaf! Bikel played an insufferable genius on the show, but he did know a thing or two about meatloaf. It was delicious!
Sunday, May 29, 2016
The Golden Glow
Saturday morning I posted a truly fascinating recipe for a Jell-O mold from The Chiquita Banana Cookbook (1974) on Facebook and offered a prize to anyone who actually made it and posted evidence. Well, Bethany, of the fabulous Making It Modern web series, took me up on it and not only made it, but posted a live video of her sampling it. Her reaction was priceless and if you're on Facebook be sure to watch. We were so inspired that we did a live Periscope broadcast where we made our cocktail answer to this monstrosity in Jell-O! Here is the cocktail we made, incorporating as many of the flavors suggested in the original mold recipe as we could. Believe it or not, it's actually pretty good! There is little enough of the pickle juice that it just adds a tangy note and not an actual pickle flavor. Here's the original recipe for the mold:
And here's the cocktail version:
Golden Glow
2 oz vodka
1 oz Banane du Brésil liqueur
1 oz orange-carrot juice
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/4 oz pickle juice
3 dashes of celery bitters
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass!
I like to use vodka as a base spirit when I really want the other flavors in the drink to stand out. That was definitely the case here. Banane du Bresil is the only commercially available banana liqueur I've found that actually tastes like bananas and not banana candy. If you can't find it in your neck of the woods, there are recipes online for making your own banana liqueur that result in a great product! Ingredients like pickle juice sound awful, but a little dash can give your cocktail zing. Don't overdo it! We have an episode coming soon that utilizes balsamic vinegar in a drink with the same effect.
If you have a "fascinating" recipe you'd like us to reimagine in cocktail form, let us know! We love a challenge!
And look for us live on Facebook video soon! Periscope is great, but we think most of our people are on Facebook, so we'll see you there!
Monday, December 14, 2015
How To Have A Ball On A Baby Sitter's Budget
We recently received a box in the mail from a fabulous friend, filled with honeycomb decorations for several holidays and vintage cookbook pamphlets, one of my favorite things in life! These are the books that you see in line at the supermarket or that you can send away for or get free when you purchase a product. There were some amazing ones in the box, including this one, with which I’m obsessed: How To Have A Ball On A Baby Sitter’s Budget, from the Pillsbury Junior Home Service Center. It’s not dated, but judging from the section entitled “Soaring Into 60s” I’m going to guess it’s from 1959. It is a treasure trove of Christmas-themed fabulousness, with ideas for parties like “Winter Barbecue,” “Mocktail Party” and “Slumber Party.” Today let’s look at Slumber Party for some ideas for a Christmas breakfast (click images to make them larger):
I love that hard boiled egg decorated like Santa! Actually, I love everything about this, from the idea that one might use toothpicks to prop up their drooping eyelids the morning after (you just can’t suggest things like that in cookbooks anymore) to the punch made from Pillsbury Fluffy Orange Frosting Mix. Sprinkle with nutmeg (and copious amounts of rum couldn’t hurt)!
I’ll share more from this fabulous tome soon! In the meantime, start planning that holiday slumber party! It’s a natural for New Year’s Eve!
Friday, December 11, 2015
In the beginning...
I'm often asked about the origins of the "Velveteen Lounge Kitsch-en" and how our show came to be. As with many things in life that seem inevitable only in hindsight, it's the confluence of lots of different events and experiences...
I've always been interested in the mid-century era. I was the kid who'd walk to the Balboa Theatre, on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, CA, to sit by myself in a darkened theater on Saturdays and watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers or Marilyn Monroe triple features. I'd bury my head in books about movies and theater and watched pretty much any technicolor musical or screwball comedy I could on TV. And classic TV: I could spend HOURS lost in "Bewitched," "Family Affair," "Gilligan's Island" and many, many more. When I was cast in a community theater production of "Grease" my grandfather, who played the coach, drove me around to thrift stores to costume shop. An entire world opened up to me. The stores were filled with fabulous '50s and '60s clothing, furniture and knick knacks. If only I could go back in time and shop at those stores, with the same stock, now!
I also grew up very much middle class, but surrounded by wealthy ladies who planned and attended parties, brunches, balls, excursions on their yachts and all manner of entertainment. I was fascinated by the glamour of it all. I later discovered vintage cookbooks, which gave me another window to the world of entertaining. Everything from a midmorning coffee break to a Christmas cookie swap to a birthday party seemed to be an opportunity to exercise one's creativity. I always knew that one day I'd throw fabulous parties.
While all of this was happening, I was beginning my life as an actor (I'd later add writer to my title). As a youth I was all about the theater, which was very respectable, though deep down I longed to do TV. I tried the "legitimate" route and even attended a full-time, two year conservatory for Shakespeare and classical theater training. But while my classmates were rhapsodizing about the latest Shakespeare production that had aired on PBS the previous weekend, I was nodding and smiling and trying to conceal the fact that I'd been watching "Mystery Science Theater 3000." I would still love to hang out with Shakespeare sometime, drinking mead and cracking jokes, but I just couldn't sustain the fiction that I had any interest in being a dour theater snob. I finally admitted that comedy is my forte.
In the 1990s I discovered Atomic Magazine, which jibed exactly with my retro sensibilities, and the beginnings of the craft cocktail revival dovetailed with acquiring my first home bar (which is where we still shoot the cocktail sequences of our episodes!). I'd just begun dating Paul and picked up the Sardi's Bar Guide, the first of many we'd collect over the years. That was the real start of our interest in cocktail culture.
However, as we met like-minded folks and began attending events, I noticed a disturbing trend. What had begun as a real effort to bring back quality cocktails and encourage experimentation and creativity on that front had left some people feeling inadequate. They picked up the best liquor and ingredients that they could afford, but felt their efforts would never be up to snuff, at least not to the cocktail elite - the ones who set the standards. This felt like such a shame. It was like acting school all over again, where if it was fun and easy you clearly were doing something wrong. This was serious business. We met more and more people who were afraid to throw parties because they felt they'd never be good enough. We were flabbergasted. Parties and entertaining should be fun! If they're not, what's the point?
The "Velveteen Lounge Kitsch-en" came to be as a result of all of these influences, along with some coaxing from friends. We deeply believe that parties, holidays and special occasions both large and small should be opportunities to enjoy friends and loved ones, indulge your creativity and have a good time! Whether it's a cocktail after work or Thanksgiving dinner for 20, the point is to have fun. Throw that party! Host that poker night or brunch and do not worry about whether or not it's "good enough!" There is enough to fret about in this world. Indulge in the aspects of hosting that appeal to you and outsource the rest. If you enjoy making cocktails, but not cooking, provide the beverages and get a few catering trays or have a potluck. If you love to cook or bake, but cocktails aren't your thing, make a punch or serve wine or beer. All anyone will remember is that you invited them into your home, offered your hospitality and showed them a wonderful time. And, in the unlikely event someone makes you feel badly about your efforts, scratch them from your invite list! As you get more comfortable hosting you'll soon find that your gatherings are tremendous fun for all, you included!
We're so grateful to all who watch the show and support our efforts! If you have any hosting or cocktail issues you'd like us to address, please let us know, whether here or on Facebook, Twitter or our website! We're happy to help!
I've always been interested in the mid-century era. I was the kid who'd walk to the Balboa Theatre, on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, CA, to sit by myself in a darkened theater on Saturdays and watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers or Marilyn Monroe triple features. I'd bury my head in books about movies and theater and watched pretty much any technicolor musical or screwball comedy I could on TV. And classic TV: I could spend HOURS lost in "Bewitched," "Family Affair," "Gilligan's Island" and many, many more. When I was cast in a community theater production of "Grease" my grandfather, who played the coach, drove me around to thrift stores to costume shop. An entire world opened up to me. The stores were filled with fabulous '50s and '60s clothing, furniture and knick knacks. If only I could go back in time and shop at those stores, with the same stock, now!
I also grew up very much middle class, but surrounded by wealthy ladies who planned and attended parties, brunches, balls, excursions on their yachts and all manner of entertainment. I was fascinated by the glamour of it all. I later discovered vintage cookbooks, which gave me another window to the world of entertaining. Everything from a midmorning coffee break to a Christmas cookie swap to a birthday party seemed to be an opportunity to exercise one's creativity. I always knew that one day I'd throw fabulous parties.
While all of this was happening, I was beginning my life as an actor (I'd later add writer to my title). As a youth I was all about the theater, which was very respectable, though deep down I longed to do TV. I tried the "legitimate" route and even attended a full-time, two year conservatory for Shakespeare and classical theater training. But while my classmates were rhapsodizing about the latest Shakespeare production that had aired on PBS the previous weekend, I was nodding and smiling and trying to conceal the fact that I'd been watching "Mystery Science Theater 3000." I would still love to hang out with Shakespeare sometime, drinking mead and cracking jokes, but I just couldn't sustain the fiction that I had any interest in being a dour theater snob. I finally admitted that comedy is my forte.
In the 1990s I discovered Atomic Magazine, which jibed exactly with my retro sensibilities, and the beginnings of the craft cocktail revival dovetailed with acquiring my first home bar (which is where we still shoot the cocktail sequences of our episodes!). I'd just begun dating Paul and picked up the Sardi's Bar Guide, the first of many we'd collect over the years. That was the real start of our interest in cocktail culture.
However, as we met like-minded folks and began attending events, I noticed a disturbing trend. What had begun as a real effort to bring back quality cocktails and encourage experimentation and creativity on that front had left some people feeling inadequate. They picked up the best liquor and ingredients that they could afford, but felt their efforts would never be up to snuff, at least not to the cocktail elite - the ones who set the standards. This felt like such a shame. It was like acting school all over again, where if it was fun and easy you clearly were doing something wrong. This was serious business. We met more and more people who were afraid to throw parties because they felt they'd never be good enough. We were flabbergasted. Parties and entertaining should be fun! If they're not, what's the point?
The "Velveteen Lounge Kitsch-en" came to be as a result of all of these influences, along with some coaxing from friends. We deeply believe that parties, holidays and special occasions both large and small should be opportunities to enjoy friends and loved ones, indulge your creativity and have a good time! Whether it's a cocktail after work or Thanksgiving dinner for 20, the point is to have fun. Throw that party! Host that poker night or brunch and do not worry about whether or not it's "good enough!" There is enough to fret about in this world. Indulge in the aspects of hosting that appeal to you and outsource the rest. If you enjoy making cocktails, but not cooking, provide the beverages and get a few catering trays or have a potluck. If you love to cook or bake, but cocktails aren't your thing, make a punch or serve wine or beer. All anyone will remember is that you invited them into your home, offered your hospitality and showed them a wonderful time. And, in the unlikely event someone makes you feel badly about your efforts, scratch them from your invite list! As you get more comfortable hosting you'll soon find that your gatherings are tremendous fun for all, you included!
We're so grateful to all who watch the show and support our efforts! If you have any hosting or cocktail issues you'd like us to address, please let us know, whether here or on Facebook, Twitter or our website! We're happy to help!
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| My early hostessing days... |
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| I've always enjoyed a small gathering! |
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Bit By Bit
That's what Paul keeps saying about our home improvement projects: "Bit by bit."
My cookbooks are housed! Not all of them, but the vast majority.
My cookbooks are housed! Not all of them, but the vast majority.
I'm going to make covers for those ugly-yet-get-the-job-done bookends, probably out of the fabric we bought to make the curtains for the pantry. Right after I make the curtains for the pantry. I'd do it tomorrow, but hopefully our power will be out tomorrow - the electrician is supposedly coming to wire up our powder room! I say "supposedly" because I'm a little skeptical after the false starts. Please send good electrical thoughts our way!
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