Post by rkmugen on Jun 12, 2016 20:05:27 GMT -8
As a foodie and a home cook, one of the things that caught my eye as I was researching the history of Karen Carpenter online (on various sites) was her favorite foods and recipes. And I thought, what better way to remember Karen than through the food she DID enjoy (when she was able to enjoy them)?
So far, I've only come across recipes for her frozen lemonade-based iced tea and her peach melba. I also know that Karen was quite fond of Snickers candy bars and her mother's (Agnes') homemade chili. Not to sound morbid or anything, but I'm also aware of Karen's "last meal", which was 2 servings of shrimp salad from Bob's Big Boy restaurant in Downey, and a taco from a nearby restaurant, presumably an El Taco (detailed below). In the made-for-TV film, Cynthia Gibb, who portrayed Karen, was enjoying a slice of pizza before the actor who portrayed Richard eagerly snagged it from her!
Fellow fans, what I would like to know are:
So far, I've only come across recipes for her frozen lemonade-based iced tea and her peach melba. I also know that Karen was quite fond of Snickers candy bars and her mother's (Agnes') homemade chili. Not to sound morbid or anything, but I'm also aware of Karen's "last meal", which was 2 servings of shrimp salad from Bob's Big Boy restaurant in Downey, and a taco from a nearby restaurant, presumably an El Taco (detailed below). In the made-for-TV film, Cynthia Gibb, who portrayed Karen, was enjoying a slice of pizza before the actor who portrayed Richard eagerly snagged it from her!
Fellow fans, what I would like to know are:
- does anyone here know Agnes' homemade chili recipe? Or even a close approximation to it?
- since Bob's Big Boy doesn't seem to have the Shrimp Salad item on their current menu, I assume it's been discontinued... does anyone know or remember what ingredients were in it? Where I live, in Northern California, we don't have a Bob's Big Boy restaurant/diner, so there's really no way for me to ask anyone in-person who might know. I have come across an old commercial from the late 1970's that depicts what might be Karen's favorite salad, but I'm still not sure. It's around 0:08-0:09 seconds into the video (). Joseph Schmoe on YouTube mentioned the following:
Actually I read in Little Girl Blue a while back that her last meal was on Florence Ave. in Downey, Bob's Big Boy which turned into a Carrow's, which turned into a Coco's (Shrimp Salad) and then KC picked up the taco... and that was right next door at El Taco. Address was 7900 Florence Ave. and El Taco was 7870 Florence Ave. Sounds legit.
I checked both Coco's and Carrow's current websites and they either don't have the shrimp salad in the style of Bob's Big Boy, or don't have shrimp salads at all. The El Taco seems to still be at it's 7870 Florence Ave. address, as of June 12, 2016.
Cathy Thomas of the Orange County Register said on an article:“When we would finally pull in at the drive-in, it would be either a Bob’s Big Boy with avocado or the superb shrimp salad with lettuce and would-you-believe peeled tomato wedges. Well, today I can re-create that salad with my peeler.”
She said she makes delicious Bob’s-style shrimp salads, using either iceberg lettuce or mesclun (mixed baby lettuces), removing any radicchio or frisee. She tops the lettuce with wedges of peeled tomatoes and cooked shrimp, then makes Thousand Island dressing with mayonnaise, ketchup, chopped bread-and-butter pickles and minced green onions.
I don't know how accurate Cathy's recipe is, or even if it is in the style that was being served at the time when Karen was still dining there, but it's a start.
- Does anyone have any other recipes from Karen (or Agnes) they would like to share? Or any other food/drink favorites of Karen?