r/OldCelebrityRecipes

The Dick Van Dyke Show hit the airwaves sixty-five years ago today, and it completely changed how sitcoms worked.

Half the fun was watching Rob Petrie deal with his co-writers in the writers' room, where Buddy threw insults at Mel and Sally matched the guys joke for joke while always hunting for a husband.

When Rob would head home to New Rochelle and his scenes with Laura were always cute and sweet. She glamorously managed the household and wore adorable capri pants on tv, which caused quite a stir back then. Son Richie was running around here and there and neighbors Millie and Jerry were always popping into the Petrie living room or kitchen for a bit of fun.

We loved watching the whole crew, even though viewers spent half the time wondering if Rob would finally trip over that living room ottoman or actually clear it. They gave us five seasons and plenty of matching twin beds before walking away at the top of their game.

I made Mary Tyler Moore's Curried Pears yesterday to serve with chicken and rice. It was really good and I'll share that dish next here on the sub!

My favorite episode: "Uhny Uftz" (Season 5, Episode 3), originally aired September 29, 1965. An exhausted Rob Petrie is working late at the office when he spots what looks like a flying saucer hovering outside. Making things even weirder, he keeps hearing a bizarre, repeating voice that sounds like "Uhny Uftz"—which he initially mistakes for the name of actor Sonny Tufts!

I finally tried making Rock Hudson's Chicken Casserole, and it is officially a new family favorite! Honestly, it went over so well that I ended up having to make it two days in a row.

Instead of adding a can of cream of mushroom soup, this recipe actually has you make a very simple homemade version, starting with a roux (butter & flour) and then adding milk and chicken stock. Besides lots of chicken, mushrooms and peas, this recipe also has a cup of pasta, which doesn't seem like a lot, but it was perfect!

• Start by cooking a cup of noodles of your choice. I used penne, but the second time I used shells, and I liked those a lot better. I measured the pasta dry, not cooked like maybe you should, but it turned out fine.
• Then I started the sauce in a medium sized pot and the mushrooms in a pan.
• While adding seasonings to the cream sauce, I also added a pinch of cayenne.
• Once the sauce cooked for 10 minutes or so, I added the mushrooms, chicken, peas (no need to cook them) and noodles. I have no sherry, so I added a dash of champagne vinegar.
• Used an 8 x8 casserole dish and greased it first before adding casserole ingredients. This was the perfect size dish to fit into my toaster/convection oven.
• Topped with breadcrumbs (only needed about 1/4 cup and dotted with butter. The second time I made this I used homemade bread crumbs which I thought were better.
• To make homemade bread crumbs, I just lightly baked some slice French bread to get it toasted and dehydrated and then blitzed it in the food processor.
• Baked in a preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes. Make sure it's bubbly and browned on top.

Now, like I said, my family loved this and devoured it happily. It's nice and saucy. The peas are sweet and add a little fresh crunch. The mushrooms work their magic and then you get all the comfort of the gravy laden chicken with a few noodles here and there. The proportions were spot-on.

The breadcrumb crush on top make this dish perfect! Another thing to love about this recipe is it serves 4-6. It's not a huge casserole, so it cooks easily.

If you haven't made Rock's Casserole yet, this is your sign! It could instantly become one of your favorite comfort foods.

This recipe was originally published in the 1981 book Celebrity Cookbook.  Other recipes I've made from this book:

1. Jon Voight's Artichokes
2. Brenda Vaccaro's Italian Sausages
3. Betty White's Chicken Wings Pacifica 
4. Barbra Streisand's Instant Coffee Ice Cream 
5. Bill Bixby's Zucchini Bread
6. Ester Williams' Empanadas
7. Truman Capote's The Colony's Fettuccine

I actually made Groucho's Mushrooms Under Glass. I’d tell you how it went, but my doctor says I need to avoid excitement—and honestly, so do the mushrooms. Read all about this culinary masterpiece here!

I have to confess, the mushrooms under glass turned out beautifully. It’s so delightfully decadent that I’m entirely convinced Groucho only put it under glass to keep me from eating the entire thing in one sitting.

From the 1953 book Stars in Your Kitchen.

Buster Keaton's Chop Suey recipe - This is a good recipe! I made it a couple of months ago and we all enjoyed it. It's exactly like old-school Chinese food and fun to make!

Leila Hyams was basically the definition of a 1930s Hollywood chameleon, jumping from silent films to talkies without missing a beat.

Born into a vaudeville family, she practically grew up on stage, which gave her this effortless, natural charm that jumped right off the screen.

You’ve probably seen her face if you love classic horror—she starred in the iconic 1932 masterpiece Freaks and played the heroine in Island of Lost Souls that same year.

Despite being an absolute darling of the studio era and starring alongside giants like Buster Keaton, she decided she’d had enough of the Hollywood grind and retired completely by her mid-thirties, leaving behind a brief but incredibly memorable legacy.

Vincent Price's Dark Mocha Cake can be found in the Treasury of Great Recipes cookbook.

^(Curated with partner links.)

Joe Cocker’s Cheesecake Pie from Roberta Ashley's 1972 cookbook, Cool Cooking: Recipes of Your Favorite Rock Stars, is an iconic, effortless dessert that will lift you up where you belong in the kitchen, haha.

Dinah Shore's Pecan Rum Cakes recipe are from the Celebrity Kosher Cookbook: A Sentimental Journey with Food, Mothers, and Memories