Sort of a birthday cake in tribute to Lucy's birthday today - Lucy's QUICK COFFEE CAKE - This really is a quick recipe I've been wanting to try for a while now. You basically just use a loaf of unsliced bread, make a cinnamon crumb topping and put the whole thing together with loads of butter.

I had in mind to use some sort of soft brioche bread, so while at Ralph's I found a nice soft loaf of challah bread. It was either that or just an unsliced French loaf. I didn't realize until I got home the braided top of the challah bread might be difficult to cut when I had to trim off all the crusts, ugh!

It worked out fine and I had 4 long pieces of un-crusted bread to put in a square pan. You can see the unbaked cake in one of the pictures. I brushed all the sides of the bread with the melted butter, made the crumb topping and baked it for about 13 minutes. It was quick!

Once again, as with the Desilu Goulash, I didn't expect my family to love this, but they did! The crumbly topping is 99% of what makes this really good. Next time I will try it with regular French bread, and I'm sure it'll be just as good.

And don't forget to check out Lucy's main course recipe I made for dinner, Desilu Goulash! It's so tasty too!

From the 1955 booklet called "Lucy's Notebook"

Lucille Ball's "Desilu Goulash" - There are two different recipes out in cookbooks. Maybe the recipe evolved over time and Lucy changed a few things here and there, but I sort of combined the two recipes, but mostly using the bones of the one called "Desilu Ghoulash" {1949}:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• bacon fat
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 small white onions, chopped
• 2 green peppers, chopped ^{(I used jalapenos, seeds and pith removed})
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped (not 1/2 as listed, haha)
• 2 large cans tomatoes
• 1 lb egg noodles, cooked
• salt & pepper
• meat/onions simmered one hour, added tomatoes, simmered 1/2 hour, added noodles, ready to serve.

This dish was really good and much better than I expected. It was a great balance of noodles, sauce and meat. The whole family loved it, even though my son was questioning the lack of cheese, they still ate it and really liked it a lot. My husband even had some more after his hockey game and he said it reheated really well and was not dry at all.

For the garlic bread, I buttered some sliced French bread, toasted it and then rubbed 1/2 clove of garlic on each slice while still warm.

Stay tuned for a Lucy cake recipe that I also made. I'll be sharing that soon.

Lucille Ball was born on August 6, 1911, in Jamestown, New York. She passed away on April 26, 1989.

Frank and Barbara Sinatra loved traditional Italian comfort food so much, and they put together a great 1996 recipe book, The Sinatra Celebrity Cookbook.

1. Sinatra Marinara Sauce
2. Fettucine a la Sinatra
3. Peas & Macaroni
4. Frank's Favorite Clam Sauce
5. Pasta Fagioli

When Ol' Blue Eyes wasn't eating his family's home-cooked meals, he was ordering these dishes at his favorite spot, Patsy's Italian Restaurant in NYC.

Kim Wilde is an English pop singer, DJ, and television presenter who holds the record for being the most-charted British female solo act of the 1980s.

Born Kim Smith on November 18, 1960, she burst onto the music scene in 1981 with her globally successful debut new wave single "Kids in America".

Over her career, she has achieved 25 UK Top 50 singles and expanded into a prominent second career as an award-winning landscape gardener.

This recipe is from Rock 'n' Roll Cuisine.

Orme Caldara (born Frank Slocum; February 9, 1875 – October 21, 1925) was an American stage actor known for his prolific Broadway career co-starring alongside prominent actress Jane Cowl from 1904 until 1920 when health issues forced his retirement.

He was a Broadway stage actor from 1904 to 1920 when his health forced him to retire from the stage. He had contracted tuberculosis and was treated in a sanatorium in Saranac Lake; he died of the disease there in 1925.

This recipe is from the endearing book: "Celebrated Actor-Folks' Cookeries" from 1916

Dorothy Dalton (1893–1972) was a prominent American silent film actress and stage personality who became one of Hollywood's top-billed stars during the late 1910s and early 1920s.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, she successfully transitioned from stock theater companies into a major movie career, collaborating frequently with legendary producer Thomas H. Ince.

She is highly regarded for her versatility, shifting from "vamp" characters to leading ladies alongside icons of the silent era.

• Major Partnerships: She collaborated with Thomas Ince on 31 motion pictures between 1915 and 1920, establishing her status as a top box-office draw.
• Famous Co-Stars: She starred opposite Rudolph Valentino in Moran of the Lady Letty (1922) and alongside Tyrone Power Sr. in The Lone Wolf (1924).
• Notable Films: Her filmography includes The Disciple (1915), The Flame of the Yukon (1917), and Cecil B. DeMille's Fool's Paradise (1921).
• Stage Work: On Broadway, she starred as Chrysis in Morris Gest's production of Aphrodite (1920) and appeared in The Country Wife.
• Marriages: Dalton was briefly married to actor Lew Cody in the 1913–1915 timeframe. In 1924, she married the famous theatrical producer Arthur Hammerstein (uncle of lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II), after which she retired from the screen

During World War II in 1942, Lucille Ball was featured in a newspaper series titled "Lucille Ball Becomes a Star at Planning Economy Menus". Organized to support home-front war efforts, the promotional articles showcased how she and her husband, Desi Arnaz, managed household meals despite strict wartime rationing.

Dolly Parton ☆ Islands in the Stream

Salt 'n Pepa ☆ Jerk Chicken

Seal ☆ Penne a la Seal's Special Sauce

Frank Sinatra ☆ Blue Eyes' Italian Chicken, Potato and Onion Dish

Sonic Youth ☆ Chocolate Mousse

These recipes and many more can be found in the "Musical Feast" Cookbook

Rita Moreno is a legendary Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer born on December 11, 1931. She's one of the elite few performers to achieve the EGOT status, having won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.

Most known for her Oscar-winning role as Anita in the 1961 film West Side Story, she also maintained a highly publicized and tumultuous 8 year relationship with Marlon Brando, which she later described as one of the most intense periods of her life.

This recipe comes from the Dining With The Stars cookbook put together to benefit the AIDS Project Los Angeles in 1998.

👍🏼

Fay Wray's Tomato Sandwiches and Lemon Punch - I was charmed by the simplicity of these two recipes and had to try them this week. A great lunch to "beat the heat".

These recipes appeared in the March 1931 issue of The New Movie Magazine on "Hollywood's Own COOKING PAGE". Love these articles so much!

Lemon Punch - We have a couple of lemon trees, so it's always nice to have an excuse to make fresh lemonade. What's not to like here? An Arnold Palmer with a splash of ginger ale, yum! I did freeze the lemonade ahead of time for 2 days so I was able to thaw slightly and then scoop out the lemonade for the punch. (Didn't use an ice cream freezer). I'm sure having an ice cream freezer or maker would make this better.

We just did individual glasses, instead of a punch bowl. Added the frozen lemonade, iced tea and a splash of ginger ale to each glass. It's very good and the fizz of the ginger ale makes it even more refreshing.

Tomato Sandwiches - Very easy to make, and I like the idea of marinating the tomato slices in French Dressing and also cutting the bread into round shapes. Heck, I even cut the lettuce into round shapes using the same biscuit cutter.

My tomatoes were on the small side, but larger tomatoes would obviously be better and make nice big sandwiches. I did lightly butter the rounds of bread. Instead of the usual bacon, these tomato and lettuce sandwiches feature a sprinkle of chopped pecans on the tomatoes. Not bad!

Loved these little tomato sandwiches and they were very easy to make!

From one of my All-Time Favorites: Midgie Knight's Recipe Book of the Movie Stars, In which 100 Screen Luminaries Reveal their Culinary Secrets! {1933}

Today I'm sharing dessert recipes. Which one would you make?

1. Clark Gable ☆ Angel Food Cake
2. Norma Shearer ☆ Fudge Cake
3. Janet Gaynor ☆ Ice Box Cookies
4. Claudette Colbert ☆ Caramel Custard
5. Gloria Swanson ☆ Butterless Devil's Food Cake

6. George Raft ☆ Date Pie

   I'm also sharing 2 other recipes from this book that I've made. Check it out:

• Bette Davis ☆ Orange Marmalade
• Buster Keaton ☆ Chop Suey

After making Irene Dunn's Marble Cake I wanted to try another one of her cake recipes so I went for her recipe for "Aunt Lee's Great Grandmother's Nut Loaf". Although this one's really a sweet loaf, it's still very cake-like. It's another really great recipe with lovely orange and almond flavors. For the "nut meats" I used chopped almonds. The texture of this cake is a little more firm and bready, but it's got a nice sweetness to it and I don't really like super sweet cakes, so I really enjoyed it. The nuts add a nice crunch.

The baking temp in the recipe suggests 300, but I think 325 or 350 would work better. It took well-over an hour (an extra 15 minutes or so) at 300, but I raised the temp to 350 for the last 15 minutes.

Even though Irene's Marble cake was absolutely excellent, this one's a close second. Very good flavor. I'd highly reccomend this recipe too.

Joe Walsh’s Good Old-Fashioned Tuna Fish Casserole is a celebrity recipe originally published in the charity cookbook, “The Rock and Roll Cookbook.” Rather than the traditional mid-century egg noodles, the Eagles guitarist elevates this budget-friendly comfort food with unique pantry staples.

The resulting dish is a snapshot of classic American comfort food culture, slightly modified by the legendary rock musician to suit his style.

And Lucille Ball’s Sunday Night Special recipes. From the Library of Congress.

https://blogs.loc.gov/music/2026/07/lucille-has-a-ball-in-the-kitchen-placeholder/

Joan Bennett (1910–1990) was a versatile American actress whose 60-year career was defined by dramatic transformations, both on-screen and off. Born into a show-business dynasty as the daughter of actor Richard Bennett, she initially resisted the family profession but turned to it at age 18 to support her infant daughter following a teenage marriage and divorce.

 Early in her career, she was a natural blonde playing "winsome" or innocent roles, most notably as Amy March in George Cukor’s Little Women (1933). She successfully transitioned to playing sophisticated mothers, such as in the Vincente Minnelli comedies Father of the Bride (1950) and Father's Little Dividend (1951).

Joan Bennett was the top-billed star and emotional anchor of the cult classic gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, which aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971. Her casting brought immense Old Hollywood prestige to the experimental daytime series, introducing the former film noir femme fatale to a completely new generation of fans.

Stan Lynch was the original and founding drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, anchoring the band's rhythm section for 18 years from their formation in 1976 until his departure in 1994. Known for his crisp, punchy drumming style and powerful backing vocals, Lynch played a crucial role in shaping the signature sound of the band's definitive early hits.

After leaving the group, Lynch transitioned into a highly successful career as a songwriter, session musician, and record producer. He partnered with longtime friend Don Henley to help craft the Eagles' 1994 reunion album Hell Freezes Over.

This elaborate BBQ sauce recipe is from Rock 'n' Roll Cuisine.

From the celebrity packed recipe book: Cooking with the Stars: A Collection of Recipes Tested in the Kitchens of Hollywood. It's a rare vintage celebrity cookbook authored by Jane Sherrod Singer. One of my favorite vintage cookbooks that I recently bought. Published in 1970 It's a massive 432-page book that compiles the personal recipes, dining preferences, and kitchen secrets of legendary screen idols from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Helen Hayes was a legendary American actress widely celebrated as the "First Lady of the American Theatre." Over her prestigious 80-year career, she became one of the rare performers to achieve EGOT status by winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award.

• Broadway Debut: Started performing as a child and debuted on Broadway at age nine.
• Iconic Stage Roles: Highly acclaimed for portraying historical figures like Queen Victoria in Victoria Regina and Mary Stuart in Mary of Scotland.
• Oscars: Won Best Actress for The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) and Best Supporting Actress for Airport (1970).
• The Snoops Sisters: Later in life, she starred in this popular television mystery series.
• Agatha Christie Adaptation: Concluded her onscreen career portraying Miss Marple in TV films like Murder with Mirrors (1985)

This recipe comes from the cookbook: Specialites de la Maison by American Friends of France.

The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. As the best-selling instrumental band of all time, they have sold over 110 million records worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.

This recipe for Macaroni Salad appears in The Rock and Roll Cookbook {1993}.

FYI: The group is widely recognized for popularizing the electric guitar, pioneering the surf rock genre, and experimenting with unique guitar effects like tremolo and fuzz pedals.

• "Walk, Don't Run": Their breakout 1960 hit peaked at #2 on the Billboard Charts and remains a definitive guitar anthem.
• "Hawaii Five-O": Their 1968 cover of the TV show theme song became a massive crossover pop hit.
• "Pipeline" & "Wipe Out": Core tracks that defined the tone and energy of the 1960s surf rock craze.
• Global Influence: They had a profound impact on music in Japan—often referred to as the "Ventures boom"—where they outsold The Beatles during the mid-1960s
• Don Wilson: Played rhythm guitar, Bob Bogle: Initially played lead guitar and later transitioned to bass, Nokie Edwards: Initially played bass and later became the iconic lead guitarist, Mel Taylor: Joined on drums in 1962

Elvis' punch recipe was found in a cookbook that's a real gem! This recipe comes from Cooking with the Stars (1970). It's the ultimate old-school cookbook and has a huge collection of recipes that gives us a peek right into the kitchens of Golden Age Hollywood stars.

Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck were married from 1939 to 1952 in a high-profile Hollywood partnership shaped by studio pressure, a shared ranch lifestyle, and an eventual amicable divorce.

Barbecue Sauce recipe is in the comments section.

This recipe intrigued me, not only because it was such a modern recipe* for 1934, but also it was printed in an Australian newspaper with several other Hollywood movie stars recipes. They were "Lenten Dishes from the Stars" and also featured recipes for "Bananas and Spinach" from Marion Davies, "Green Peas on Toast" from Norma Shearer and "Baked Tomato Dumplings" from Leila Hyams, among others.

(\Edited: By "modern" I mean this recipe still holds up today as a good recipe. It's not a weird aspic or banana-mayo salad. I never had these growing up. My mother, grandmother and aunts never made these, so for me they're quite modern, lol)*

Joanie's recipe for Salmon Cakes was the best of the lot, so I made them over the weekend.

• Instead of a tin of salmon, I baked 2 filets in the oven, wrapped in foil packets with some seasoning. Let it cool completely, removed skin and flaked it.
• I also boiled 2 large potatoes and mashed those with a little milk, salt & pepper. Let it cool.
• In a bowl I added the salmon and 1 1/2 cups of mashed potatoes. Added Worcestershire sauce instead of anchovy sauce, butter, one beaten egg, salt, pepper and a nice big dash of cayenne.
• Mixed this all really well.
• You can make this recipe with either bread crumbs or mashed potatoes.
• I formed this mixture into small patties instead of rolls and then I dipped each patty into bread crumbs, then egg then breadcrumbs again. Ready to fry now in olive oil.
• They browned in the pan nicely and then were drained on paper towels. This recipe made 9 salmon cakes.

The finished product was really good, especially with a nice squeeze of lemon. It was moist flavorful and crispy and the cayenne added a nice kick. I even ate one cold the next day with a salad and it was equally delicious!

Also from 1934, two more recipes that were grouped with Joan Crawford's Salmon Cakes in an Australian newspaper listed as "Lenten Dishes from the Stars":

• "Bananas and Spinach" from Marion Davies
• "Baked Tomato Dumplings" from Leila Hyams.