Recipes for Life by Linda Evans Page A

within a few days, Aaron would tell me I’d be playing Krystle Carrington. What was also surprising was that Aaron asked if I would wear the little diamond cross I had on during filming, because he felt it suited Krystle’s character. I gladly wore it for the first year of the show and continued wearing it for many years after, until Yanni’s mother, Felitsa, admired it and I put it around her neck.
    Aaron had a very dry wit, which I experienced shortly after he and the show’s creators, Esther and Richard Shapiro, gave me the part. He said that we wouldn’t start filming right away, which was great for me because I was leaving in a week for Aspen to take skiing lessons. I had a condo and an instructor all lined up. Aaron just smiled and said, “Have a great trip. We’ll be happy to replace you if you break your leg.”
    Needless to say, I canceled my ski trip. I didn’t reschedule it until last year, when I spent many, many joyous hours on the bunny slopes learning to ski. I’m happy to report no broken bones.
    As it turns out, I could have broken both legs and healed them by the time we shot the two pilots and endured a lengthy Screen Actors Guild strike.

Friends for Life

    I HAD JUST begun
Dynasty
and Bunky had just divorced her umpteenth husband, so she was free to begin a new career as my personal assistant. However, neither of us were too sure how long the show would run, so Bunky moved into one of my guest rooms for the first season. Ursula came from Europe to visit and took the other bedroom, and from that point on the laughs just kept coming. My home was constantly filled with joy and madness, which drew a stream of friends and family like magnets.
    Bunky was in heaven when one of Ursula’s regular visitors turned out to be her
second
fantasy man, Sean Connery.
    Needless to say that when Sean came over to sunbathe by the pool with Ursula, neither Bunky nor Nena got any work done. Who could blame them?
    There’s been a lot of media about the unusual friendships between John Derek’s four wives, but even John thought it was funny when I invited Ursula to stay at my house during the last month of her pregnancy. It was a little unusual for sure, but there was a good reason. Ursula had made a movie with Harry Hamlin called
Clash of the Titans
and they had fallen in love. Ursula was living with Harry in his house in LA, which had some steep steps. The doctor decided it would be safer for Ursula to live somewhere else, so I invited her to stay with me.
    On May 19, 1980, the big day arrived. Bunky and I prayed we didn’t end up behaving like everyone in the classic
I Love Lucy
episode: can’t find the suitcase, the car won’t start, total mayhem. I ended up driving Ursula to the hospital while Bunky located Harry, who was shooting a film at the time. It all came together beautifully. Harry, Bunky, and I waited togetherfor the blessed event. A beautiful boy, Dimitri Alexander Hamlin, was born. How many ex-wives could share something so magical?
    When Dimitri came into the world, we made these wonderful fresh fruit desserts. With a new baby in the house, who has time to make anything complicated? The following are two simple, easy-to-make recipes.

STRAWBERRIES AND DECADENT SAUCE
    This elegant combination is so much more than the sum of its parts. Everyone loves it.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
    1 cup heavy cream
    2 cups buttermilk
    ¾ cup granulated sugar
    ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    2 pints strawberries, stemmed and sliced
    ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
    In a mixing bowl, blend the cream, buttermilk, sugar, and vanilla together until incorporated. Pour into an 8 x 8-inch Pyrex dish and chill in the freezer until firm on the edges but not frozen (the center will jiggle), about 1½ hours.
    Put the strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with the confectioners’ sugar. Turn with a spoon gently until all the sugar is evenly distributed. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes (no more or it will pull the juice out of the