Armed Response

Murder, She Wrote - S1:E19

Happy New Year! Wishing you all much fun with Murder, She Wrote in 2022!

It's a massive shock to see Jessica go flying when some pesky kids knock her over at the beginning of this episode.

I squealed with alarm the first time I saw this happen, but after multiple watchings, I have convinced myself that a stunt double was involved and no Angela Lansburys were harmed during the making of this episode.

J.B. has a fifth metatarsal fracture and is characteristically sanguine about a hospital stay with her leg in plaster.

Luckily, she has a fun companion to keep her entertained in Sadie Winthrope, played by the legendary Martha Raye. 

Sadie is a game old bird who is also in the hospital with her leg in a cast. Cracking jokes about sex, bourbon and dancing, she tells Jessica that her injury results from trying to "take a shortcut on a Texas two-step."  

Reading about Martha Raye online, it's easy to get the impression that her Murder, She Wrote character isn't too far from how she was in real life. She was banned from several airlines for boozy behaviour onboard and was married seven times. Her last husband was over 30 years younger than her. Quite the cougar! Apparently, Ms Raye popularized the catchphrases "Oh, Boy!" and "Yeah, Man!" in the 1930s. If I were in hospital, I would definitely want someone like Sadie/Martha around to keep my spirits up.

I love Martha's recipe for chicken livers. It has an element of fun about it, but if you aren't a fan of offal, you could serve apple flapjacks instead (we'd call these pancakes in the UK) as Jessica and Sadie have these for breakfast together at the hospital.

If you want to be healthy, have some carrot juice too. Sadie thinks this "liquid carrot" looks "venomous" but is under Doctor's orders to have it rather than caffeine-laden coffee as "she's too hyperactive for her own good."

Carrot juice a vital clue in a murder case? Only in Murder, She Wrote!

Martha Raye's Chicken Livers en Brochette

Baking potatoes

Cooking oil

Chicken livers

Bacon

Parsley or watercress to serve

Preheat oven to 425℉.

Wash, dry and oil large baking potatoes.  Bake in the oven until almost done.  Arrange chicken livers and small pieces of bacon on a skewer.  Arrange two skewers in each potato. Bake until livers, bacon and potatoes are done.  Garnish with parsley or watercress.

Serves: 1 potato per person

Next week on Murder, She Cooked, a recipe from the kitchen of Joey Bishop.

Here come all the linky-links!

More movie star recipes can be found over at the Silver Screen Suppers blog - 15 years and counting.

You’ll find me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook by searching for Silver Screen Suppers.

Would you like to test a recipe for the forthcoming Murder, She Cooked book? Leave a comment on this post or drop me a line via this link to my contact page.

All testers will receive a postcard featuring a specially commissioned illustration of an Angela Lansbury recipe, artwork by Miriam Figueras. Not this big though!

If you like Columbo, you might like my Cooking With Columbo cookbook

Got a Joan Crawford fan in your life? My Cooking With Joan Crawford book is only available from Blurb.

Only a few copies of the Vincent Price cookbook left so don’t delay if you’d like one of these.

Check out Tim Benzie’s Solve-Along-A Murder-She-Wrote website here. His shows are an absolute HOOT - Tim did a private show for my hen night. Can you guess which episode we did?

Check out Thom Kofoed’s etsy shop for loads of great goodies plus he’s doing T-shirts now, including one featuring our beloved Angela Lansbury.

Cheerio for now, tune in for another episode next week!