Footnote to Murder

Murder, She Wrote - S1:E17

Jessica has lots of writer chums, and she’s obviously very fond of a poet called Horace Lynchfield, although she disapproves of his smoking.

They are having fun together at an awards ceremony. But it is plain to see that the movers and shakers of the publishing world are much more interested in the highbrow novelists than the lowly mystery and poetry writers.

J.B. is proud of her writing, but she doesn’t have a huge ego. When someone who has read a couple of her books tells her they are “lightweight, but kinda fun” they receive the following jaunty response, “Thank you very much! I never claim to be Dostoyevsky.” 

This is the first time we see Ron Masak in Murder, She Wrote.  He will turn up later as the much-loved Sheriff of Cabot Cove, but here he’s just a slim young buck, working for the New York homicide division, chatting on his walkie talkie and climbing out of windows. When he crops up later in the series, he’ll become a great friend to Jessica. I love this guy.

I am a big fan of Ron’s Tex-Mex dish too. I rustled this up once when my book group came around for the evening, and it’s a crowd-pleaser for sure. I stacked it up in a glass trifle dish so you could see all the layers. I am sure Sheriff Metzger would approve of that! 

Ron Masak’s Taco Salad Olé

1 tablespoon light vegetable oil

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

2 heads of lettuce, chopped

1 x 16-oz bag of tortilla chips

1 x 1½-oz package taco seasoning with water added to keep moist

5 large tomatoes, chopped

1 quart of sour cream

1 x 12-oz jar of salsa

1 x 4-oz can of chopped black olives

2 lbs cheddar cheese, grated

Brown the beef and onions in the oil in a frying pan.  Drain off any excess grease.  Place the lettuce in a large bowl, the beef in another and the chips in another bowl or basket.  Place each of the other ingredients individually in smaller bowls.  Serve buffet style in order for your guests to make their own salad.  Use the chips as scoops.

Serves: 6-8

Next week on Murder, She Cooked, a recipe from the kitchen of Linda Blair.

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!