Eat @ River Plantation: The Dead Celebrity Cookbook by Frank Decaro

Title: The Dead Celebrity Cookbook
Sub title: A ressurection of
Recipes from more than 150 Stars of Stage
Author: Frank DeCaro
Publisher: HCI
Publication Date: 3 October 2011
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780757315961
Source:NetGalley

Review from Amazon:

Review

"I adore this book so much I find myself on the horns of a dilemma--make the recipes or kill myself so I can be in the sequel." -- Brini Maxwell, author of Brini Maxwell's Guide to Gracious Living and creator of felixpopuli.com.
(Brini Maxwell )

Product Description

If you've ever fantasized about feasting on Frank Sinatra's Barbecued Lamb, lunching on Lucille Ball's "Chinese-y Thing," diving ever-so-neatly into Joan Crawford's Poached Salmon, or wrapping your lips around Rock Hudson's cannoli – and really, who hasn't? – hold on to your oven mitts!

In The Dead Celebrity Cookbook: A Resurrection of Recipes by 150 Stars of Stage and Screen, Frank DeCaro—the flamboyantly funny Sirius XM radio personality best known for his six-and-a-half-year stint as the movie critic on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart—collects hundreds of recipes passed on from legendary stars of stage and screen, proving that before there were celebrity chefs, there were celebrities who fancied themselves chefs.

Their all-but-forgotten recipes—rescued from out-of-print cookbooks, musty biographies, vintage magazines, and dusty pamphlets—suggest a style of home entertaining ripe for reexamination if not revival, while reminding intrepid gourmands that, for better or worse, Hollywood doesn't make celebrities (or cooks) like it used to.

Starring
Elizabeth Taylor's Chicken with Avocado and Mushrooms
Farrah Fawcett's Sausage and Peppers
Liberace's Sticky Buns
Bette Davis's Red Flannel Hash
Bea Arthur's Good Morning Mushroom Tomato Toast
Dudley Moore's Crème Brûlée
Gypsy Rose Lee's Portuguese Fish Chowder
John Ritter's Famous Fudge
Andy Warhol's Ghoulish Goulash
Vincent Price's Pepper Steak
Johnny Cash's Old Iron Pot Family-Style Chili
Vivian Vance's Chicken Kiev
Sebastian Cabot's Avocado Surprise
Lawrence Welk's Vegetable Croquettes
Ann Miller's Cheese Soufflé
Jerry Orbach's Trifle
Totie Fields's Fruit Mellow
Irene Ryan's Tipsy Basingstoke
Klaus Nomi's Key Lime Tart
Richard Deacon's Bitter and Booze
Sonny Bono's Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce
And many others from breakfast to dessert.

My Review:

I could not wait to review this book when I saw it on NetGalley! One of my great passions is old Movies, so I really wanted to see inside this book. About the only channel I ever watch on TV is Turner Classic Movies and I have watched some of these people so many times that I feel like I know them. This book helps me get to know them even better. When I got my hands on the book, I couldn't put it down! It is jam packed with really wonderful recipes from all of the best stars. Not only is it loaded with really great recipes, Frank Decaro shares some of his insight into the movies and TV shows the stars were in. Of course most of his insights are food related, which I loved. I really loved his writing on The Lucy Show. Also included are 6 recipes from Lucille Ball. He gives a short narration of Lucy's worst food fiasco's, and there were a lot of them. I also loved his re-count of Batman's sidekick, Robin's expressions. For example, "Holy Guacamole," "Holy Eggshells," etc., and about 15 more, along with recipes from the cast of Batman. There are so many recipes in this book that I want to make, but I don't know where to start. But, I am definitely going to make Katherine Hepburn's Brownies, Elizabeth Taylor's Chicken with Avacado and Mushrooms, Claudette Colbert's Cheese and Olive Puffs, Greer Garson's Capirotada, Vivien Leigh's Fruta Alumina, Bette Davis' Red Flannel Hash and Lucille Ball's Apple John. These are just a few of the recipes that I want to make. One of the main things I like about this cookbook is that even though these are recipes from Movie Stars, the ingredients are easy to find and the directions are easy to follow. Also, Frank DeCaro gives his tips for some of the recipes. For instance, if he thinks something needs additional ingredients or updating, he mentions that information following the recipe. Something that I find comforting is that these stars eat the same kind of foods that I eat. For instance, Gene Rodenberry's Lima Beans and Ham, Fred McMurray's Flemish Pot Roast, and Patrick Swayze's Chicken Pot Pie. I could go on and on because there is no end to the wonderful treasures in this book. Since I am reviewing this from a NetGalley copy, I am pre ordering it from Amazon. I don't want to miss anything this book has to offer. Thank you Frank DeCaro for writing this wonderful book. Now I can eat like the Stars!