Everyone knows how the entertainment industry has taken a hit during the pandemic with the closure of theaters and Broadway, but the Academy Awards are still going to roll out the Red Carpet and give it their best. I would love to write about all the movies I have seen and actors I love to watch on the big screen, but like everyone else, there was no theatre open to attend with a crowd and munch on a big bucket of popcorn for over a year. So how to write about it?
While browsing through one of my favorite local book stores recently, I was (of course) in the cookbook section. This Old Book is a great store to find all kinds of books, used and some new.
Thank goodness, this bookstore that has been around for twenty years made it through the pandemic. My daughter Kristina and I headed straight for the cookbook section.
How cute is this? I love the back wall which I’m not sure if it’s wallpaper or painted!
While perusing through all the titles, I found many books I already owned. but then one very small book was wedged between a couple large books and I pulled it out, curious what was in this tiny book. It was my answer of what to write about. It was a cookbook about the movie Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart. I thought if I couldn’t talk about all the new movies, I’d write about the recipes from The Casablanca Cookbook. How much more Hollywood can you get than a classic like Casablanca?
The cookbook is a little treasure. With chapter titles of “Famous Cocktails, Fruit Drinks, and Tempting Tidbits,” “Kebabs and Other Hors d’oeuvres,” “Sweet and Savory Salads,” “Treasured Desserts,” and “Lip-Smacking Cookies,” how could I resist? Each chapter has a photo from the movie, and lots of the movie quotes.
I chose to make one of the classic cocktails from “Rick’s Café Américain,” where Humphrey Bogart spoke many of the famous lines. I settled on the “Classic Martini.”
Sit back, turn on the Academy Awards Show, and enjoy a classic drink in honor of old Hollywood and toast to new Hollywood and hopefully the return of theaters and Broadway. Vote for your favorites, relax and have a little fun. You know you want to see some of those gowns, right?
Here is a list of all Oscar nominations for this year.
- 2 ounces gin
- 2 teaspoons dry white vermouth
- Olive
- Fill a master glass with ice. Add gin and vermouth. Stir. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an olive. Serve straight up. Serves one.
- Note: Vermouth should be added to taste. For a regular martini, add 2 teaspoons vermouth, for as dry martini, add 1 teaspoon vermouth. For an extra dry martini, add only a splash of vermouth.
That cookbook sounds like fun, especially if one enjoys those wonderful old classic movies. We do!! I like the Casablanca Cookbook’s Classic Martini recipe Note about making a regular martini verses a dry or extra dry martini, but let’s not forget our personal favorite, the dirty martini adding a splash of olive brine and extra olives. Enjoy the show!
Kim, thanks for the info on how to make as dirty martini. The book didn’t include it.
Oh my! The cooking section of the bookstore looks delightful! I wonder how much time you spent there . . . I know I’d be there a while! Thanks for sharing, Debbie.
Denise, that bookstore is always fun. I lose track of how long I look through cookbooks!