vintage celebrity recipes!

Hey everyone! We are so happy to announce a fun new cooking adventure… We have a new Reddit page for all things related to Old Hollywood Celebrity Recipes. We're excited to have you join us!

I'm u/ciaolavinia, the founding moderator of r/OldCelebrityRecipes. 

 

We will be sharing dozens of fun recipes made popular by some famous folks of the past. As we step into 2026, it’s the perfect time to celebrate with classic dishes from the Golden Age of Hollywood and beyond.

 

Let us ring in 2026 by toasting the future by revisiting the glamorous flavors of the past with iconic dishes and cocktails popularized by silent era film stars, mid-century movie stars, and iconic tv stars from the 70's & 80's.

 

Won’t you join us in posting your favorite Old Hollywood Celebrity Recipe that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring? Feel free to share your thoughts, photos, or questions about some delicious recipes that are still so yummy today!

 

Many vintage celebrity recipes are available, ranging from Old Hollywood classics to mid-century dishes, often found in vintage cookbooks and online collections. Notable examples include Katharine Hepburn's Brownies, Elizabeth Taylor's Chicken with Avocado and Mushrooms, and Johnny Cash's "Old Iron Pot" Chili.

 

Lucille Ball’s Chicken Saute Sec with Mushrooms and Artichokes

Their Favorite Recipes from John Wayne, Alan Jones and Charles Boyer.

- Baked Macaroni

- Corned Beef and Cabbage

- Cheese Souffle a la Sussex

Loretta Lynn's Peanut Butter Fudge

Lauren Bacall's Spinach and Sesame Salad

Kirk Douglas' Hamburger Patties

Joan Collins' Vegetable Rice with Parmesan Cheese

Gloria Swanson's Cream Fudge

Gene Tierney's Star-Kist Salad Royal

Farrah Fawcett's Chicken Marengo

Dolly Parton's Banana Pudding

Princess Diana's Fudge recipe

Clint Eastwood's Spaghetti Western

Clark Gable's Lemon Cream Pie

Cary Grant's Steak & Kidney Pie 

Rosalynn Carter's Flank Steak

Betty White's Easy Prune Loaf

Happy New Year from CIAO NEWPORT BEACH blog 

and OLD CELEBRITY RECIPES!

 

 

ciao fabiana

 

lucy and ivy

There’s just something exactly about this glorious green and white ivy print, and all I know is I'm in LOVE! It all started with first seeing this pretty tablecloth and napkins from Pacific and Rose.

I instantly remembered that I had some vintage Franciscan Ivy dinner plates and thought these items would be a match made in heaven.

The Franciscan Ivy dinner plates are a classic piece of American dinnerware. They were first introduced in the 1940s by the Franciscan Pottery company, which was based in California.

 

The design features a charming ivy pattern that wraps around the edges of the plates, giving them a timeless and elegant look. These plates became especially popular after being featured on the TV show "I Love Lucy"

These lovely Ivy plates and other dishware is a classic that's been around since 1948, and more importantly, you may recognize it in a black and white version, because it was featured on "I Love Lucy" for years in those darling scenes where Lucy and Desi are in the kitchen having breakfast. It was Lucy's everyday dishware!!

 

The Franciscan Ivy dinner plates definitely made their mark in TV history thanks to "I Love Lucy." 

I love how they added such a cozy touch to the Ricardo’s kitchen scenes. These Ivy clad cups and plates have become iconic in their own right.

 

It's so fascinating how something as simple as dinnerware can hold such nostalgic value and bring back memories of those classic moments. 

Do you have any favorite episodes or scenes from "I Love Lucy"? Lucy always had such a knack for getting into hilarious situations!

 

Lucy and Ricky had such great chemistry, and their kitchen antics were always entertaining. 

Whether it was Lucy’s hilarious attempts at cooking or Ricky’s exasperated reactions, those moments were pure TV gold.

One of my favorite scenes is when Lucy tries to bake bread, and it turns into a gigantic loaf that pushes her out of the kitchen. Such a classic! 

Do you have a favorite kitchen moment from the show? Or maybe a scene that always makes you laugh?

While the Franciscan Ivy dinner plates and cups are most famously associated with "I Love Lucy," they also appeared in other shows like "Bewitched."

 

As you can see here in Larry and Louise’s kitchen, the ivy pattern's timeless charm made it a popular choice for set designers looking to create a cozy, homey atmosphere.

Now take the plates featured on the set of Samantha and Darrin’s dining room. It’s red transferware. 

Red and white transferware, along with blue and white transferware has been a classic for hundreds of years!   

But set in the groovy Americana set of the 1960’s Bewitched dining room, it once again creates a relatable comfort zone for viewers.

 

Transferware is known for its intricate patterns and vibrant colors, making it a popular choice for both everyday use and special occasions.

These dishes often feature scenes of pastoral landscapes, floral designs, or historical events, and they were produced by various manufacturers, including Wedgwood, Johnson Brothers, Spode, and Mason's.

The red and white color combination is particularly striking and has a timeless appeal.

Do you have a favorite pattern or design when it comes to transferware?  

ciao fabiana

 

 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on Instagram!

 

 

 

You can check out some of my favorites here at “Tablescaping Essentials” 

 

 

 

Please note that this post may contain affiliate links.

i love Lucy's persimmon cake

Who doesn't love Lucy? Well today, I'm sharing Lucy’s persimmon cake is a recipe that I tasted many years ago, and have often thought about making, especially when autumn rolls around. It’s a sweet and rich cake, and I was so happy to come across the recipe recently in my vintage Celebrity Cookbook by Dinah Shore.  

Luckily, here in southern California, persimmons are just coming into season, and my neighbor has a very fertile tree and always is generous in sharing with us. This recipe originally comes from Lucy’s mother, Desiree and her Aunt Helen and was always a part of their Christmas tradition.  They usually made this cake for gift giving. I'll be trying this recipe this weekend. I hope it’s as good as I remember! 

  

Lucy’s Persimmon Cake

Ingredients

·       2 c. sugar

·       3 T. butter

·       2 c. persimmon pulp

·       1 c. raisins

·       4 c. sifted cake flour

·       grated rind of 1 orange

·       1/2 t. each cloves, allspice, nutmeg

·       1 t. baking soda

·       2 t. vanilla

·       2 c. chopped walnut

·       1 c. dates, finely chopped

·       1 c. milk

·       2 t. cinnamon

·       3 t. baking powder

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter.  Add persimmon pulp, nuts, raisin, dates and orange peel;  mix well.  Sift flour with baking soda, baking powder and spices.  Add flour mixture alternately with milk beginning and ending with flour.  Stir in vanilla.  Turn batter into 2 well-greased loaf pans and bake approx. 1 ½ hours at 300 degrees F.  

Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.  Garnish, if you’d like, with glazed fruits and nuts.  

Persimmons  - photo credit: Two Peas and their Pod.

Persimmon Cake - photo credit:  Jessie Monds

ciao! fabiana

happy 100th birthday lucy!

Those eyes, those lips, that hair! Beautiful Lucy was the "Queen of the B movies" long before she ever met Desi. To celebrate what would have been Lucy's 100th birthday on August 6th, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is devoting 24 hours of air-time to Lucille Ball. Starting at 6am on Saturday, we will be treated to a mega-marathon of 14 of Lucy's Hollywood films.  

It all starts with Dubarry was a Lady, with music by Cole Porter and also starring Red Skelton and Gene Kelly. At 9:30am, they're showing Without Love which stars Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy and was written by Philip Barry who also penned The Philadelphia Story. Miss Grant Takes Richmond is next which stars Lucy as William Holden's wacky secretary. 

Of course The Long, Long Trailer is a classic. It stars Lucy and Desi in a very I Love Lucy like movie. I'm looking forward to Lured, a Jack-the-Ripper like movie also starring one of my favorites, George Sanders, and Boris Karloff, who's always fun to watch!   

“I'm happy that I have brought laughter,

 because I have been shown by many

the value of it in so many lives,  in so many ways.” 

Lucille Ball

"Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. 

You really have to love yourself 

to get anything done in this world."

 Lucille Ball

“Once in his life,

every man is entitled 

to fall madly in love

with a gorgeous redhead.”

Lucille Ball

“The more things you do,

the more you can do.” 

Lucille Ball

“The secret of staying young is

to live honestly, 

eat slowly,

and lie about your age.”

 Lucille Ball

“Use a make-up table with

everything close at hand

and don't rush; 

otherwise you'll look

like a patchwork quilt”. 

Lucille Ball

Women's Lib? 

“Oh, I'm afraid it doesn't

interest me one bit. 

I've been so liberated it hurts.”

 Lucille Ball

For a complete listing of movies and details go to 

TCM Summer Under the Stars Lucille Ball. 

And everyday in August, 

TCM is featuring one star per day in their 

"Summer Under the Stars" series.

ciao! fabiana