F. A. de Caro

His mother checked into the hospital to have a tumor removed. She came home with a baby boy. Thus begins the saga of a boy named Phyllis -a funny, witty, touching memoir of growing up gay in the aluminum-sidinged wild of Little Falls, New Jersey, that is the perfect antidote to the angst-ridden gay memoir. With a family that resembles the cast from the Munsters, Frank DeCaro explores other major influences on his formative years -from Flipper to the Partridge Family, Paul Linde to Disco- and broadens gay coming-of-age literature with a comic touch.… (meer)

Decaro is best known for his appearances on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart", and here he's gathered recipes, and a bit of gossip, from celebrities who have passed. Whether they put out a cookbook themselves, added a home recipe to a charity cookbook or made their recipe themselves for a cooking segment on a daytime talk show, these are homey dishes that often reflect the particular personality. Most sound pretty good, but a few are included with a "it's your funeral" caveat, such as "Gloria Swanson's Potassium Broth", which is a dreadful pot of cooked string beans, celery, zucchini and Swiss chard, no seasoning. Recipes that sound very good include Katherine Hepburn's brownies, George Reeves' Super Cookies and Eartha Kitt's chicken wings. And since I have the ingredients on hand, I might be making "Robert Reed's Beef & Biscuit Casserole" tonight.
This is a pretty fun cookbook.… (meer)

Author: Frank DeCaro
Published by: Health Communications
Age Recommended: ALL
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Book Blog For: GMTA
Rating: 5

Review:

"The Dead Celebrity Cookbook Presents Christmas in Tinseltown: Celebrity Recipes and Hollywood Memories from Six Feet Under the Mistletoe" by Frank DeCaro is really a great book for the holidays. If you are a movie lover or cook this book is for you being filled with the bygone era of the true stars that really are good. You will also find "terrific tales of long ago era and the stars that created those memories for many people." Not only is the book a great gift idea, for it is a wonderful book full of antidotes. You will find Frank DeCaro is 'hilarious and full of pop culture and Hollywood ennui.'

"Christmas in Tinseltown" features recipes for the holiday season and all year around. All of the celebrities who are featured have a special connection to the holidays. Frank DeCaro's funny, friendly narrative writing style adds a warmly witty tone to the book, and the recipes run the gamut from simple to superb. The chapters are divided into courses, and the titles are quite punny: "It's a Wonderful Lunch"; "Miracle Whip on 34th Street", "Munch of the Wooden Soldiers", and "What a Fruitcake", just to name a few. Here are some recipes that really caught my eye: "James Stewart's Spareribs with Barbeque Sauce"; "Jimmy Durante's German Cole Slaw"; "Red Skelton's Ham Hock and Lima Beans"; "Natalie Wood's Beef Stroganoff"; "Dinah Shore's Fruitcake";"William Frawley's Mulligan Stew"; and "Oliver Hardy's Baked Apples with Honey and Almonds". Just like the original "The Dead Celebrity Cookbook","Christmas in Tinseltown" is delicious from appetizer through to after-dinner drink." That just about says it all. These are great recipes all rolled up into this great collection.

I am a cookbook collector and indeed these are some of the best recipes of the bygone era and would make a wonderful gift for any movie buff. So, if you are looking for a special recipe book for the holiday, I would recommend: "Christmas in Tinseltown."… (meer)