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Post your high school photo and join the fun!
Great photos of Sara Lewis Holmes here, and Betsy Bird, here!
Thanks for forwarding my pic, James!
fall frolic
reagan repast
~ This is the third in a series of posts about Presidential Food
“You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jelly beans.” ~ Ronald Reagan
Weren’t they a beautiful couple?
The Reagans brought elegance, glamour and a degree of formality to the White House. Over the course of 8 years, they supposedly entertained about 75,500 guests per year, including seven kings, three queens, thirteen princes, and seventy-seven prime ministers. Not to mention all those movie stars.
With the expertise of White House Executive Chef Henry Haller and Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier, Nancy orchestrated many, many finely tuned, exquisite private and official State Dinners, luncheons and teas.
The President had a sweet tooth, always taking a large serving of dessert, and then having seconds. He loved honey-baked apples and chocolate. Nancy took great pride in their “dessert dinners,” constantly challenging the Chefs to create new dishes that were light (fruit oriented), sophisticated, and pleasing to the eye.
Continue reading
noshing with the notables: The White House Cookbook
This is the second in a series of posts about Presidential Food.
When I was in school (Dark Ages), my impression of past Presidents was like this:
imposing, distant, monumental. Great men of great deeds, courageous leaders wearing powdered wigs, waistcoats, and stovepipe hats.
While I liked learning about legislation, wars, fireside chats, and alas, assassinations, something was always missing in the biographies I read: food — the one thing that could have humanized the Presidents for me in an instant.
These days, there’s no escaping all things presidential. But rather than let all the spit, venom and sting spoil my appetite, I’ve been overindulging in tasty tidbits, decidedly delicious dirt, and titillating tales of past Presidents and First Ladies. I love reading about Ronald Reagan’s sweet tooth, that Eleanor Roosevelt once served King George VI and Queen Elizabeth hot dogs and baked beans for lunch, and that Abraham Lincoln had the smallest appetite of all our Presidents — often eating only fruit salad and cheese and crackers for dinner, much to his wife’s dismay.
stir up some autumn garden soup (part one)
What’s the perfect way to savor the colors and flavors of autumn?
Make some soup!!
*alphabet soup kitchen helpers jumping up and down with glee*
Several years ago, I found a wonderful recipe for vegetable soup in The Washington Post. It was a from-scratch version of the canned soup I loved as a child. Since it calls for some hearty root veggies, it’s the perfect accompaniment to cooler autumn days. Simple, straightforward and unpretentious, it’s back-to-the-basics nourishment that can be adapted in numerous ways with optional ingredients.
It could be my imagination, but whenever I eat this soup, I feel and think better. Vegetarians can add beans for more protein, while carnivores can opt for sausage, ham, or smoked turkey. Whatever your preference, the results are guaranteed to satisfy your creative urges as well as your hunger pangs. Perfect with some crusty bread and whipped butter. Yum!
AUTUMN GARDEN SOUP
(10 to 12 servings)
(this batch with smoked turkey, Canadian bacon and chickpeas)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, trimmed and diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 cups (1/2 medium head) shredded cabbage
2 medium potatoes (preferably Yukon Gold),
peeled and cut into 1/4-1 inch cubes
2 medium turnips, peeled and diced
3 parsnips, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups canned plum tomatoes, undrained, lightly crushed
(28-oz can)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves
9 to 10 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a large nonreactive pot or casserole, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions, increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently until the onions have just begun to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 45 seconds. Add the celery and carrots and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has just begun to wilt down, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the potatoes, turnips, and parsnips and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices, the parsley, broth and several pinches of salt. Cover partially and bring to a gentle boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and adjust the heat so that the contents simmer gently. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. You may need to add more broth during the last hour of cooking if the vegetables are not completely covered and simmering; may add up to 1-1/2 cups additional broth, then bring to a simmer and continue cooking. Season the soup with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.
*This soup freezes well — divide into individual food-safe storage containers if you wish, and store for up to 6 weeks.
**To vary the flavor, you may add any of several vegetables, cooked meats or starches during the last minutes of cooking. Do not add optional ingredients if you plan to freeze the soup; their texture and flavor would pale considerably.
VARIATIONS:
Kielbasa. In a skillet over medium heat, heat 2 T vegetable oil. Add 1/2 pound kielbasa cut into 2-inch sections and sear until browned and warmed through. Cut, on the diagonal, into thick slices and add to the soup for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Sweet or hot sausage. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown 1/2 pound of sweet or hot link sausage. Remove from heat, add 1 cup chicken broth, cover, and return to medium heat until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Cut the sausage into chunks and add to the soup for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Pasta. In a pot of salted water, boil 1/4 cup small dried pasta shapes until almost tender. Drain well and add to the soup for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Cheese. Sprinkle 1 to 2 T freshly grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese over each bowl of soup before serving.
Cooked beans. Stir 1 cup cooked chickpeas or Great Northern white beans into the soup for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Smoked turkey. Add 1/2 pound diced smoked turkey to the soup for the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Canadian bacon. Add 1/2 pound diced fully cooked Canadian bacon to the soup for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Fennel. Trim 1 fennel bulb, discarding the fronds and any light green sections, and dice the bulb. In a skillet, saute the diced fennel in 1 T of olive oil for 3 minutes. Add the fennel to the soup for the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Smoked ham. Add 1/2 pound diced smoked (fully cooked) ham to the soup for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Part Two coming next week: Autumn Garden Picture Book Soup
you can’t have your cookie and eat it too
~ This is the first in a series of posts about Presidential Food.
“If we work together, then everyone can eat our cookies,” said Michelle to Cindy.
For the past four presidential elections, Family Circle magazine has asked its readers to vote for their favorite potential first lady cookie recipe in order to predict who will go to the White House. So far, the poll has been right every time.
Laura Bush won the last two bake-offs with her Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk and Texas Governor’s Mansion Cowboy cookies, and before that, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Chocolate Chip recipe was the overwhelming favorite (see all recipes here).
So what’s on the platter for 2008?
We’ve got Cindy McCain’s Oatmeal Butterscotch battling against Michelle Obama’s Shortbread. But alas, even a simple Cookie Bake-off has been tainted by the rigors of this rough and tough election.
Shortly after Cindy’s recipe first appeared back in June, astute readers complained that it was identical to one on the Hershey’s website. Angry cries of plagiarism echoed in kitchens across America, casting doubt on Cindy’s integrity (she said she got the recipe from a friend).
At first I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. Family Circle had asked for a favorite recipe, not an original one. The average person gets recipes all the time from friends and family, never really knowing the exact source. So, in theory, perhaps Cindy did get her recipe from a friend, who maybe got it from Hershey’s or anywhere else. This happens all the time.
When it comes to recipes, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt.
But that was before I read about the fiasco in April, when several recipes labeled as supposed “family favorites” appeared on the McCain campaign website. These turned out to have been ganked from the Food Network by a McCain intern, and were removed after numerous complaints.
Yes, it’s only a silly magazine poll, just a pleasant diversion designed to increase Family Circle’s readership. I doubt many people actually believe Cindy spends her Sunday afternoons baking cookies for her family. Still, I can’t help but wonder why she or her staff didn’t bother to double check sources for her cookie recipe in the wake of the previous debacle. It’s like they’re thinking, “those dumb housewives who read the magazine won’t know the difference.” Way to go! Insult the very people you’re trying to impress.
While Cindy got her hand caught in the cookie jar, Hillary Clinton has burned a batch or two. You may remember the flack she received right after Bill was elected governor of Arkansas, when she said she’d rather have a career than “stay at home and bake cookies.” She conveniently changed her tune in the 1992 presidential election, touting her chocolate chip recipe and passing out cookies to the super delegates in hopes of getting the housewife vote. Still, after this year’s historic campaign, she’s left no doubt that she’s one tough cookie.
I find it interesting how “political” cookies have become recently, how “vital” they are for a first lady’s resume. They can be used to put down homemakers and stay-at-home mothers, implying that such people have no brains for “real” careers — and yet a batch of cookies is quickly whipped up to garner votes. And who’s to say just because someone doesn’t bake cookies they don’t have family values or are the epitome of wholesomeness?
As for Michelle, she claims she got her recipe from Malia and Sasha’s godmother, freely admitting that she isn’t one to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It’s shortbread jazzed up with Amaretto, orange and lemon zest, and samples appeared on all the pillows of Democratic Conventioneers staying at the Denver Marriott City Center back in August. A nice touch, and a personalized recipe that was properly credited. Not so much to ask.
Voting is over for now, and Family Circle will announce the winner on November 1st. The online tally presently shows Cindy McCain in the lead (yikes)! These votes will be combined with mail-ins solicited by the print magazine.
Meanwhile, why not check out Presidential Cookies* by Bev Young (Presidential Publications, 2005)? It contains favorite cookie recipes from all our presidents and first ladies, with fascinating anecdotes about dining in the White House. I’m anxious to test Martha Washington’s jumbals, Mary Todd Lincoln’s gingerbread men, Nancy Reagan’s Vienna bars, and Eleanor Roosevelt’s honey drops.
No competition or spin. Just some tasty history appropriate for the whole family.
*For tempting photos and comments on all the presidential cookie recipes, visit this blog.
Come November, which way will the cookie crumble?
Egads, bring on the shortbread!!
Sources:
“Recipegate” was first reported by The Huffington Post, which has published several pieces on the subject.
Cookie Contest photos from the Parents.com website, which includes Family Circle magazine.
Hillary cartoon from Creators Syndicate.
Jama's Alphabet Soup 