Recipes for Life (26 page)

Excited to be flying with the Blue Angels.

I don’t remember the interview, but I do remember the minute it was all over telling Bunky to get in the car fast. I drove off the base at full speed. As soon as we were out of sight, I got out and handed Bunky the keys, collapsing into the backseat. She drove me immediately to the nearest chiropractor.

A few days later, I was still green, which Bunky informed me was not my best color. Even so, it was an amazing experience and, pea green or not, I wouldn’t have missed a moment of it.

D
URING THE HEIGHT
of
Dynasty
’s success, the network decided we should do a commercial to promote the upcoming season. They wanted it to be very romantic and sexy: Blake carrying Krystle up the grand staircase to the bedroom, a la
Gone with the Wind
. I loved doing those scenes.

John and I had unusually late calls that day, coming in around eleven in the morning, instead of our usual six o’clock. We didn’t bother to change and were still in jeans, looking less than Carrington-like.

During rehearsal, John dramatically swept me into his arms and up the length of the stairs, with the cameras following and the lighting crew working their magic. This was going to be a piece of cake. So we broke for lunch, agreeing to be back on the set “camera ready,” that is, in tux and gown.

For this commercial, Nolan Miller had made me an exquisite beaded gown, which was so beautiful John applauded when I arrived on the set. John was always so thoughtful and kind in moments like this.

The director yelled “Roll camera,” then “Action!” John and I exchanged a couple of romantic lines, and then John dramatically picked me up—and promptly fell to his knees, sending me rolling to the floor. “Cut!”

Everyone was silent on the set as John looked at me in horror for a long beat, then asked, “What did you eat for lunch?”

All I could do was laugh. I had no idea why he’d been able to carry me around half the morning with no problem, but suddenly was acting like I weighed a ton. Well, not exactly a ton—but I was now wearing at least twenty-five pounds of hand-stitched beads on my gown.

Once we figured it out, the whole set burst out laughing and John vowed never again to do a scene like that before consulting with Nolan on my wardrobe. Needless to say, I changed into a lighter beaded dress so we could complete the scene.

Carrying on with John

The moral of the story: never attempt any romantic carryings-on in a beaded gown.

If you are usually afraid of attempting a soufflé, don’t be afraid of this one. This is unlike any other cheese soufflé, because in this one you don’t need to beat egg whites and fold them in. You can even assemble it up to two hours ahead and bake it just before serving. Serve immediately as, like all soufflés, it will fall. Believe it or not this is a low carbohydrate recipe.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

6 eggs

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

¼ to ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or ¼ teaspoon iodized salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon hot sauce

½ pound cheddar cheese, cut into large chunks

11 ounces cream cheese, cut into large chunks

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 6-cup soufflé dish with the butter.

In a food processor, combine the eggs, cream, Parmesan, mustard, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Blend until smooth.

Add cheddar and cream cheese chunks and pulse to blend until completely smooth and all ingredients, especially the cream cheese, are incorporated; this may take up to 5 minutes. Scrape the sides and pulse again to make sure it is well blended.

Pour into soufflé dish and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

M
Y DIVORCE FROM
my second husband Stan was very amicable, so it wasn’t necessary to divide up our friends; fortunately, a couple of other friends of ours had a friendly split as well: Tina Sinatra and Richard Cohen. So, years later, when Richard and I decided to start dating, it wasn’t awkward at all. I’d known him quite a while and knew that his reputation for being “one of the good guys” was absolutely justified.

Thankfully, I was finally ready for a man who was both loyal and ethical. Richard was a truly wonderful man and I loved being with him, so we decided to try living together.

Although our houses were only minutes apart, Richard lived in a very different world. His was as opulent as a real-life
Dynasty
, but without all the drama and the angry ex.

A snug fit.

Two of the passions that Richard and I shared were art and great food. So Richard would take me to Paris, where we’d start off the trip with dinner at the House of Caviar, having beluga and blinis. Then we’d visit endless galleries while Richard began teaching me how to be a savvy art collector.

Coming up roses.

Richard loved life and lived it to the fullest, and in many ways he was every woman’s dream. He was charming, bright, funny, athletic, and very romantic. He put a lot of thought into the gifts he gave me, and it was beautiful to see how much joy he got from giving. It wasn’t uncommon to get into bed at night and jump with surprise when my foot touched something unexpected like a small painting, diamond necklace, or ruby bracelet. Richard was extremely generous and sharing with those he loved.

His warm and beautiful home was always filled with friends and family: by day for tennis and by night for movie screenings and dinners. His dear friends became my friends and we shared many amazing times laughing and cooking together.

Cooking up fun with Louis Jordan.

When we met, Richard already had a great chef working for him, so I felt privileged to share the kitchen with Andrew.

The Royal Tasters: Bridget, Louis Jordan, me, Richard, Sidney Poitier.

I’m not sure Nena always agreed, but we both learned a great deal from him.