Most Hollywood-themed histories fawn over the glamorous stars and trivia associated with the early 20th century movie industry.  Recipes4Rebels packages film history in a more fun way. It focuses on actor James Dean (1931-1955) and his associates through their recipes. This gives the blog a refreshingly wide range of topics, from Sal Mineo’s pizza snacks to Elizabeth Taylor’s banana cream pie. The descriptions take us behind the scenes to quirky individuals as well as food history.

The annual Cowboy Day Cook Along gives fellow bloggers a chance to be inspired by James Dean and the film, “Giant,” which takes place on a cattle ranch in Texas. Though Ronald Reagan didn’t perform in “Giant,” his Rancho California Rice fits the cowboy theme – plus I wrote a cookbook about the White House Garden so I’m always interested in recipes from former presidents. But let’s remember, Ronald Reagan was an actor first. His recipe, rich with cheese and sour cream, would not be suitable for a starlet on a diet but it does make a good side dish for chicken or other simple fare. I used chopped mild chilies instead of whole ones and cut the quantities in half for an 8×8 inch baking dish. Happy National Day of the Cowboy!