Eat Like A President

 Everyone wonders what it's like to live in the White House , no matter what the era. You can experience one aspect of it on this President's Day - the dining.  White House recipes have been varied but attainable. Anyone now can eat like the Commander-In-Chief.

One of the most popular (and it was Abe Lincoln's favorite) was cornbread. Rutherford B Hayes, the nineteenth president also served it at the White House and it's easy to see why. Who doesn't love a square of the freshly made bread, drizzled with honey the way Lincoln loved it or warm from the oven slathered with salted butter. Cornbread is a great bake , either as a snack or with dinner. Yet it also is a great bed for chili - a popular favorite with both George W Bush and family and Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson. Bake up a batch and then cut into squares. Ladle chili on top for a hearty winter dish. If you want something hardier, then look no further than William Howard  Taft and Teddy Roosevelt. Both men loved a good steak and potatoes dinner. This can be easily replicated with a good filet mignon and a baked potato. This would have suited them but you do need a little green in there to balance the meal's heaviness. Add a simple green salad with a few grape tomatoes , carrots and broccoli florets tossed in, Another spin on the presidential favorites is a grilled flank steak with French fries . You could add a simple au jus sauce to dip the fries into. 

Some of our leaders loved chicken instead of red meat. Woodrow Wilson loved his wife , Lou's, chicken salad. This dish is a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken. It's cubing the meat and combining it with mayo and chopped celery, Some add grapes for sweetness and color , other's add a dash of paprika for kick. A tastier add in would be green olives. It's good on white toast but also great on sliced French bread.Warren G. Harding was true to his Midwestern roots and loved chicken pot pie. Many home chefs shy away from it because they feel it's too complicated a recipe. You can easily simplify it by using frozen veggies, and canned cut chicken. The crust  can be Pilsbury pie crust or biscuits arranged om top. More recent presidents like Obama loved nachos. These are always a fun make. You can make them with just melted cheddar and salsa on top or try something more elaborate with guacamole, sour cream and chopped meat.  Our presidents weren't exactly ones for dessert yet some, like Calvin Coolidge loved a good apple pie. This is a great bake, and a refreshing break from all that bread and cake.  You can vary the recipe by adding walnuts or caramel. Dwight EIsenhower loved his wife's fudge and this is definitely a fun make. Add walnuts and marshmallows the way Mamie Eisenhower did. 

You can eat like a president. Make a recipe that was a White House favorite. It 'll be one of yours too.

Flying Solo Without The Master

Today was my first big cooking day without my Mom's help. It was dicey to say the least and I made a vat of sauce for two simple helpings of ravioli. I have to get used to this  - cooking and life without her.

We were never one of those families who write down recipes. We figured if you've made it more than enough times, then it was engrained in your memory.It becomes a part of you. I had thought this but realized I was wrong. I do need our family recipes written down. Sadly, they all went with my Mom. I will never get the exact measurements for our Piedmontese stuffed cabbage rolls, pescoi That will have to be made from memory and what my brother can remember. As for the sauce, luckily there are recipes on the net that I can follow. The sauce was smooth, not rich however thanks to the inclusion of sugar. I use my own spin  dark honey in homemade sauces. As usual I panicked  simply because I sauteed the garlic too soon.it resulted in burnt cloves and popping oil. I also added way too much sauce which would have been perfect had I made two or three pounds of spaghetti.Instead it was only four helpings of ravioli.

For those of you who scoff at writing down family recipes, don't.. Write down everything, keep them on index cards. Staples still sells these. You can also type them up and print them out to create a family cookbook. (This is the perfect holiday and bridal shower gift). If you can include a picture of the dish do so. Write down exact measurements. A pinch of something for you is a dab for someone else  . Make sure the measurements are exact, from a 3/4 of a teaspoon to 1/8 of  a cup. Also make sure the ingredients are the exact same ones. You can't sub in cinnamon for coriander or use an oat flour for a white one. Variations can be included,especially if there are allergies running through the bloodlines.Also give credit where credit is due. My Mom's apple pie recipe was taken by a few in-laws and it became their signature dish, with their branches giving them the acclaim. If Nama made the nutmeg Snickerdoodles, add her name, with the first and last name, and possibly the date it was first made. Include any family history regarding it too,Stories get lost from generation to generation.

I'm flying solo these days. I hate it. I wish my Mom and I had written down our family recipes.I need exact measurements with exact ingredients.

One Day Can Last A Year

Patriot's Day is a time not only of remembrance but of  coming together. In these divided times we need to be closer now more than ever. It's time to open our hearts ad our kitchens.

One of the best ways to keep up  communal unity and harmony  is to open our doors and let our neighbors come for a meal.It's the best way of getting to know people, their backgrounds, and  customs.,It's also a good time to expand palates and cookbooks. Many have experienced ethnic and even American foods second hand usually in restaurants and fast food joints. This is a chance to enjoy homemade kim chi, or samosas, apple pie and hamburgers made by home chefs.It's a chance for kids to also taste different food from different countries for the first time. It teaches them about their friends's ancestries along with bonding them even closer. An even better idea is holding a block party any time of the year (even winter when there is always a combination of different holidays from different beliefs). Everyone can contribute and make the best of their repertoire. Celebrate the event with a cookbook featuring everyone's  recipes and their pictures. A short description of each recipe , why it's made and what it means to the families can also be included.

Another way to unite a neighborhood is taking care of each other. Don't think twice about inviting elderly neighbors over for a Saturday night supper or a Sunday roast. They'd appreciate an old fashioned home cooked meal.Include their favorite dishes too and make sure that they have a plate of leftovers to take home. It's also a good time for the kids to learn history by asking a generation who may have lived through the Second World War and the Korean War. Elderly neighbors can also be invited over for a weekday lunch and possibly a card game if everyone has the time.Also don';t hesitate to bake a cake for their birthday as well as sharing your garden's late summer harvest with them.Remember also , those who may be in need too. Donate your bumper produce to the local food pantry along with helping out at soup kitchens. Do this throughout the year not just on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Bring the kids too because they need to acquire a sense of empathy towards those less fortunate.

This is only one day but it can be extended to last throughout the year. Be inclusive when you cook. Open your heart and garden and hearth to everyone . It's a great way of uniting people.

Ireland 's Culinary Star Cooks Bright

Ireland has always been the butt of culinary jokes.Yet this amazing island has produced some of the best beef ,fish and dairy along with world class fruits and vegetables.Now the Emerald Isle has another reason to attract foodie's,the chef Kevin Dundon.He is changing the face of Euro cuisine while honoring timeless Gaelic recipes. Chef Dundon has an easy laidback style.He's not competitive like Bobby Flay or in your face like Guy Fieri.He has the quiet ,low key yet comfortable attitude of Brit chefs Nigella Lawson and Tamasin Day Lewis.His public TV show is a gentle how to with breathtaking scenes of the Irish seascape and landscape.He goes about his kitchen ,much like a cooking instructor conducting master class . He uses everyday ingredients ,nothing exotic or fancy.It can be hearty dishes like an apple pie or a simple lobster dish made without the usual bells and whistles. This doesn't mean that he hasn't turned himself into a brand.Check out his website and you'll see some pretty expensive equipment(although truth be told it's on a par with Farberware).Mr. Dundon probably uses the pots and pans himself.He also sells some very impressive knife sets ,which are a must for anyone using his recipes.His site has the added plus of those recipes. His are quietly elegant as in his chicken crepe bake or his Eton mess,a traditional British dessert .They are also divided into seasons, new and old Irish along with family. Anyone can make these from novice to master chef.The results will be the same good food using basic ingredients. Kevin Dundon may not have the flashiness of some chefs He one ups them with his low key style and high quality recipes and style.A true Irish gem? Yes and probably the newest gem of Euro-cuisine,