Collin County Living Well Magazine Winter 2013 | Page 29

Southern Favorites with a Taste of Hollywood, a collection of recipes gathered over the years, many from friends
including Debbie Reynolds, Buddy Ebsen, Phyllis Diller,
and Valerie Harper.
“The cookbook came about as a way to share my favorite recipes,” says Donna, who recalls home cooked meals
prepared in the rich Southern tradition that many will also
remember from their childhood.
“Homemade dishes are almost unheard of today,” she laments. “They’re all premade in a box or from a drive-thru.
That’s today’s way. But there was something about the way
your mom made dishes with a special touch––with a bit of
this and a pinch of that.”
Although her own mother never used Granny’s “possum fat,” her childhood meals weren’t exactly lean.
“Lard and bacon grease, especially in the South, were
cooking essentials!”
Interspersed between the book’s recipes are delightful
personal anecdotes from her Hollywood days. “I thought
fans would enjoy a few remembrances from my life, along
with some photos from my scrapbook.”
In an effort to remind readers of the long lost art of good
manners, there’s also a quaint section called Hollywood
Social Graces. Advice includes never using your fork as a
toothpick, chewing gum in someone else’s home, or answering a cell phone while a dinner guest. “Etiquette was taught
in the South, but I’m afraid it’s a thing of the past now. So-

cial graces are lacking all around us, people are rushing all
the time, and no one sits and visits any longer.”
Not a big fan of today’s television programming, Donna
says she likes to watch the classics in reruns, such as
Touched by an Angel as well as the occasional Hillbillies
episode, which brings back memories. “Elly may not have
kissed many fellows during the show’s run, but she sure did
kiss a heap of animals. Somewhere around 500 were used
during the series, provided by Hollywood animal trainer
Frank Inn.”
Today, she shows little sign of slowing down. “I seldom
really rest,” admits Donna, who turned 81 in September.
“I travel all over the U.S. and Canada and have a very busy
schedule. But I have to turn down a lot of requests. I also
garden, spend time with family and friends, and still get
quite a bit of fan mail. My days are full and then some, so
I’m always playing catch-up. Life has been very good to me,
and full of blessings for a little backwoods girl from Louisiana who never had any thoughts of a career in showbiz.”
Thomas’ features and columns have appeared in more
than 320 magazines and newspapers. H e can be reached at
his blog: http://getnickt.blogspot.com

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