While all of the food was wonderful on the Viking River Cruise, the desserts were legendary. A variety of desserts were offered at both lunch and dinner. Most days, my husband and I opted to pass on desserts at lunch but it was tough because they were really good.
My favorite was the apple strudel that was part of a special afternoon cooking demonstration executed by the ship’s head chef – Chef Chester.
I enjoyed the food so much that I purchased the Viking River Cruise cookbook which is sold onboard the company’s ships for 20 Euros.
Apple Tartan Linzertorte Homemade Peach Melba Ice CreamApricot Tart Apple Strudel Banana Split Lava CakeDonauwelle Black Forest Ice Cream Chocolate Mousse Key Lime PieBrioche Pudding Mango and Coconut Cake Bread Pudding with Berries and Pralines Opera Cake Ice Cream with Vodka-Soaked Strawberries Viking SachertorteViking RecipeViking’s Cookbook Sold Onboard
This is one of those books that I had to finish quickly. I stayed up late for several nights in a row. It is about the 1958 Johnny Stompanato murder at the hands of either Lana Turner or her daughter Cheryl Crane.
This famous murder case has so many interesting facets. Was it really Cheryl or did her famous mother Lana Turner kill him? How much cover up did the legendary attorney do prior to notifying the police? Stompanato’s association with the mafia and his partnersip with the infamous Mickey Cohen makes the story even more juicy.
The murder happened before my time but has alwys intrigued me. I aways thought that Cheryl Crane killed him but this book addresses why Lana Turner most likely killed him. Stompanato was a brutal thug who was an enforcer for the notorious Mickey Cohen. Cohen eventually ended up in Alcatraz.
Sherman goes into detail regarding Turner’s tough early years. Apparently, she slept with many of her male costars and other famous men, including the notorious mobster Bugsy Siegel. The Howard Hughes and Joan Crawford tidbits are especially entertaining.
She appears to have been an unfit mother who exposed her daughter to a sordid life filled with a series of vile boyfriends and husbands – including one who sexually abused Cheryl for two years. It is difficult to feel empathy for Turner – not doing a better job of protecting her daughter and letting her take the blame for Stompanto’s murder.
Turner hired the most definitive powerhouse Hollywood attorney of the time to handle Cheryl’s defense – Jerry Giesler. Other famous cases he handled include: Errol Flynn, Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe and Bugsy Siegel. Supposedly, Siegel had once told Turner to hire Giesel if she ever got into trouble. Interestingly, in his tell all book, Giesler omits the Lana Turner case from his memoir.
NO time for boredom today 