I had a friend that absolutely adored Marilyn Monroe. He used to tell me that when he was younger, he had such a crush on her, but then he would say, “What young man at that time didn't?”
One day I found a jigsaw puzzle of the famous photo of Monroe wearing that beautiful gold dress. Since my friend's birthday was coming up, I decided to buy the puzzle as a birthday gift for him. But what fun is it to receive a box filled with 500 pieces that you have to do all the work of putting it together?
With the help of several “assistants”, which included an “insider” at his office, I kicked it up into high gear to put together this puzzle, only to take it back apart in sections and use puzzle glue to make it stay together. I planned a daily mailing of each section, beginning with the outer edge, then letting him work the pieces inward until the puzzle was complete. Each envelop was numbered, just in case they arrived out of order, and I included a short note, usually a rhyme or funny quote. Each afternoon, I would receive a call from my “insider” reporting how the events were playing out on that end.
I soon learned that the puzzle pieces had been moved from his desk into the conference room. When the mail was delivered, everyone met in that room to see what quote and puzzle piece had arrived for that day. Since the outer edges and a lot of the background was black, it took several days before any pieces with color started to arrive. Once the gold dress and the blonde locks started to appear, he figured what the puzzle was going to reveal. But he still had no clue who was sending this to him. It was driving him crazy.
When the last section arrived on the day of his birthday, I received a phone call that “Marilyn's face was in place.” I placed a phone call to him, which was strategically timed and transferred to the conference room where everyone was waiting. My “insider” took the call and put me on speakerphone. In my best Marilyn Monroe voice, I sang “Happy Birthday”, just as she sang it to a certain president. Then I hung up. He went nuts. He had no clue who his “Secret Marilyn” was. And my “insider” wasn't talking. I let him ponder for a few days, then I called to confess that I was the “Puzzle-master”. He said that was one of the greatest birthday gifts he had every received.
If Monroe were alive today, she would have turned 85 years old on June 1. I often wonder where her career would have taken her if she had not died so young.
In the book “Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters” there is a copy of a recipe hand-written by Monroe on a piece of stationery from a title insurance company. Who would have thought that such a Hollywood sex symbol would enjoy cooking in the kitchen?
Then....I had an “Aha!” moment, complete with an evil grin. I was on a mission!
MARILYN'S STUFFING (No garlic)
●A 10-ounce loaf sourdough bread
●1/2 pound chicken or turkey livers or hearts
●1/2 pound ground round or other beef
●1 tablespoon cooking oil
●4 stalks celery, chopped
●1 large onion, chopped
●2 cups chopped curly parsley
●2 eggs, hard boiled, chopped
●1 1/2 cups raisins
●1 cup grated Parmesan
●1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts, pine nuts or roasted chestnuts, or a combination
●2 teaspoons dried crushed rosemary
●2 teaspoons dried crushed oregano
●2 teaspoons dried crushed thyme
●3 bay leaves
●1 tablespoon salt-free, garlic-free poultry seasoning (or 1 teaspoon dried sage, 1 teaspoon marjoram, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg)
●1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
●1 tablespoon pepper.
Split the bread loaf in half and soak it in a large bowl of cold water for 15 minutes. Wring out excess water over a colander and shred into pieces. Boil the livers or hearts for 8 minutes in salted water, then chop until no piece is larger than a coffee bean. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef in the oil, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat, so no piece is larger than a pistachio. In your largest mixing bowl, combine the sourdough, livers, ground beef, celery, onion, parsley, eggs, raisins, Parmesan and nuts, tossing gently with your hands to combine. Whisk the rosemary, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper together in a bowl, scatter over the stuffing and toss again with your hands. Taste and adjust for salt. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use as a stuffing or to bake separately as dressing.
MARILYN MARTINI
●4 oz champagne
●1 t grenadine
●1 oz apple brandy
Mix together with crushed ice in a glass and garnish with mint leaves or cherries.
Famous Marilyn Quotes~
~ “I don't mind living in a man's world as long as I can be a woman in it.”
~ “It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone.”
~ “I don't want to make money, I just want to be wonderful.”
NEXT WEEK—Summer Grilling Tips
Remember......Life is short. Eat Dessert first!!
No comments:
Post a Comment