Whoever colorized this bare backyard tree with crepe paper, balloons and a lone beach ball deserves an award of outstanding excellence. It’s birthday-on-budget brilliance at its very best. What are we waiting for? We should all have such tree treatments at our backyard parties. I want a whole forest of colorized trees!

It’s perfect for this quartet of bright-eyed blondies bonding beside a carousel cake bordered with fresh daisy sprigs on candy stripes.

Party planners, you may want to take a note on this. And Happy Birthday!!!

Here’s to colorized trees, carousel cakes, kids and YOU!

Charles Phoenix
February 2, 2012

How much do we all love it when a big fake mini-golf course Dutch windmill spins over a classy, glassy corner coffee shop somewhere in SoCal’s sleek suburbia. Its old world charm meets mid-century mod and the match is mesmerizing.

These Dutch blue delights once trademarked every Van De Kamps Bakery and/or Coffee Shop in their vast empire of food service.

Having a windmill on your roof is a foolproof way to entertain everyone passing by in their space age coupes and convertibles. You simply can’t miss it.

Van De Kamps started in downtown Los Angeles in 1915 peddling potato chips. The next year a potato famine forced them to diversify into baked goods – pretzels and macaroons and Holland Dutch Bakeries were born. By the 1950s, their Dutch windmill shaped bakeries, complete with Dutch dress costumed employees, had morphed into full-fledged coffee shops. Today, the Van De Kamp’s brand only exists on boxes of fish sticks and other frozen fishy offerings found in your grocer’s freezer section.

Here’s to fake windmills, Van De Kamp’s, fish sticks and YOU!

Charles Phoenix
January 27, 2012

A heavy metal typewriter is not something you often see perched on the lap of a young lady sitting in a powder blue ’54 Olds 88 Convertible. Especially when parked with the top down and the door open in the forecourt of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the greatest star factory in all of Hollywoodland.

Peering over her shoulder she exudes the elegance of simplicity posing in a flowy, full-skirted lavender sundress over white high-heeled sling-backs and a generous strand of malt ball-sized coral beads.

This is no time for dictation! She ought to be in pictures! Someone call Dory Sherry, the MGM producer made famous on I Love Lucy.

But first get this young lady a laptop, quick! Oooops, they haven’t been invented yet.

Here’s to her, the ’54 Olds, MGM and laptops!

Charles Phoenix
Jan 21, 2012

The blue of winter chills this snow-stormed parking lot scene of fun-font signage, rocket ship wannabe rides and their tire tracks that make abstract art on the asphalt.

In the middle of it all a grey tweed overcoated gent smartly topped, tied and trousered in basic black over crisp white strikes a cold weather pose with one of Detroit’s most streamlined space age offerings: The all-new Buick for 1959. They have stopped at the Howard Johnson’s. Think yummy deep fried clam strips, 28 flavors of ice cream, everything else a diner ever served and more.

Howard Johnson began selling ice cream in Quincy, Mass. in 1925. To stand out, he painted the roof of his stand orange. By 1954, when he began expanding into the motel business Hojos was the largest restaurant chain in the country and their oh-so familiar orange roofs had become an American roadside icon of the highest order.

Today Howard Johnson’s hotels are thriving but just three restaurants remian serving.

Here’s to 1959 Buicks, Howard Johnson and YOU!

Charles Phoenix
January 12, 2012

Charles Phoenix
January 12, 2012

With the exception of the Tiki-themed rose float I will have the honor and joy of riding on January 2nd, in the 123rd annual Tournament of Roses Parade, this big giant piece of cherry pie has got to be my favorite rose float of all time!

Oh-so inspired are ways the rays of early morning sun capture that perfectly pinched crust and that giant breast of French vanilla ice cream melting between those big, juicy cherries. This is all thanks to the fine folks of the city of Van Nuys who brought us this flavorful floral fantasy piece of parade pie perfection in 1958.

Speaking of the Rose Parade, and I do often, (don’t you?) keep an eye out for me this year parading down Colorado Blvd. on Jan 2nd. I’ll be waving with gusto and grace between a fire-spewing volcano, two tropical waterfalls, three tiki gods, and five teenage beauty queens on board the City of Downey’s “Enchanted Paradise” rose float. Will be a dream come true and a great way to ring in a happy and prosperous 2012 to you all!!!

Here’s to the cherry pie float, the Rose Parade and YOU!

!!! Happy New Year !!!

Charles Phoenix
December 29, 2011

Since I needed to make dip for an upcoming party, I thought it would be fun to try this first since I could reheat it later. I did this at my parents’ since I don’t own an electric skillet. They loved it. My mom thinks my head melted in a much better direction than the one in the video. I also tried to make a “rotel” belly, which I don’t recommend. If you want rotel, added after the melt.

A joyful trio of well-dressed, well-pressed gents entangle themselves carving a parsley garnished roast tom turkey centered on the Christmas dinner table. Mini Santa’s in boxes, an upside down bowl-shaped jellied cranberry sauce mold in a tall green-stemmed glass, and the ladies are all watching.

Vintage slides are at their best when they belatedly inspire fun new holiday tradition ideas, like this one, Turkey Twister. After all, it’s high time turkey carving evolves from a chore to a sport!

Here’s to Turkey, Twister, Turkey Twister and YOU!

!!! Merry Christmas !!!

Charles Phoenix
December 22, 2011

Frosty the Cheeseball Man is made of three Velveeta balls stacked and frosted with cream cheese and decorated with veggies. Proudly present him in an electric skillet to party guests then plug it in. In 30 minutes, he melts into cheesy fondue dip! … FUN n YUM !!!

FROSTY RECIPE

• 2 large blocks of Velveeta
• 2 large bricks of Cream cheese
• Red and Green Bell pepper
• Carrot
• Black Olive Slices
• 2 Pretzel Sticks

MAKING FROSTY

1. Hand roll Velveeta into three balls – small medium and large.
2. Frost each with cream cheese
3. Stack (u may want to use a pretzel rod as a spine)
4. Decorate with veggies

MELTING FROSTY

1. Plug electric skillet in set at 300 degrees.
2. Watch him melt.
3. After about 30 minutes, he’s dip. Dig in.
 Serve with chips or whatever else u wanna dip in melted Velveeta and cream cheese.

THROW A “FROSTY THE CHEESBALL MAN” COCKTAIL PARTY!
Display Frosty posed in an electric skillet. Gather guests around him with cocktails in hand and have a toast to him: “Here’s to and cheers to Frosty the Cheeseball Man!” Plug him in and watch him perform over the next 30 minutes by melting into cheesy fondue dip and dig in! Great for adults but kids like him too! … FUN n YUM !!!

“Make a gingerbread house fly” was one of my answers when the fine folks at the L.A. CO Arts Commission asked me what I was planning to do this year to get in the mood for the holiday season. They said “Great!, can we make a video of you and your attempt at gingerbread house flying?” Of course, I said, of course!

So off to Streit’s German Bakery I went (featured in last week’s slide) where under the watchful eye of gingerbread expert, Oscar Streit, I built and decorated a little a-frame gingerbread house.

With the finished gingerbread house in hand, I met up with Ballusionist, Brian Potvin who was standing by with bunches of bright colored, helium-filled balloons. We carefully attached the balloons to the gingerbread house and with a proper “5-4-3-2-1 BLASTOFF!” launched it. But did it go where no gingerbread house has gone before? You’ll have to watch the video above to see if gingerbread houses can fly!

Watch this video and more Charles Phoenix Holiday Videos on TV during the 55th annual Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration – Live on KCET-TV on Christmas Eve.

Here’s to flying gingerbread houses and YOU!

Charles Phoenix
December 13, 2011

See Frosty melt and learn how to make your own cheeseball man in the latest video from the Charles Phoenix Test Kitchen.

My latest test kitchen concoction is pretty much proof that the spirit of Christmas has hijacked my seasonal sensibilities and skyrocketed them into the stratosphere of culinary kookiness! But that’s ok because otherwise how would I ever have thought that Frosty the snowman needed to “come back to life one day” as Frosty the Cheeseball Man, made not “of snow as the children know” but as Velveeta frosted with cream cheese.

Not only will your very own cheeseball man creation be the perfect party conversation centerpiece, but Frosty will also inspire gasps, awes and shrieks when you announce to your guests that he will also be the evening’s entertainment.

But make sure to toast Frosty before you melt him. Center him in your best vintage electric skillet, gather your guests around, and with your smart cocktails held up in the air, salute him. All together say, “bye bye Frosty,” as you turn the skillet on low and let the performance begin. Serve up more cocktails and delight in the joy of witnessing the amazement and amusement your tipsy guests as Frosty morphs over the next 30 minutes into cheesy fondue dip! Stir, then serve with All-Americana Pride !!!

Frosty’s melty performance is something your party guests will not soon forget!

Watch the how-to video here!

Here’s to Frosty the Snowman, Frosty the Cheeseball Man and YOU!

Charles Phoenix
December 8, 2011