Random Best Recipes From US Presidents And First Ladies (14 items)

• 

  (#2) Bill Clinton

  • 73

  As a candidate and president, Bill Clinton was known for his love of meat and relished making campaign stops at McDonald's. His favorite chicken enchiladas recipe - shared by The Guardian - is fit for a meat-lover like Clinton.

  Ironically, Clinton isn't likely to enjoy this dish in the future because his meat-eating days are over: he became a vegan after undergoing a quadruple bypass in 2004. These days he enjoys a nearly vegan diet. 

  Bill Clinton's Chicken Enchiladas

  2 (4-ounce) cans green chiles, drained and chopped
  1 garlic clove, minced
  Cooking oil
  1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes
  2 cups onions, chopped
  2 teaspoons salt, divided
  1 teaspoon oregano
  3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
  2 cups sour cream
  2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  1 cup cooking oil
  15 tortillas, corn or flour

  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the chiles and garlic in a small amount of cooking oil. Drain the tomatoes, reserving a cup of liquid. Break up tomatoes and add to skillet. Add the onion, 1 teaspoon salt, oregano, and reserved liquid. Simmer, uncovered, until thick (about 30 minutes). Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and set aside.

  In a large bowl, combine the chicken, sour cream, cheese, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 cup cooking oil. Dip the tortillas in the oil until they become limp and drain well on paper towels. Fill the tortillas with the chicken mixture; roll up and arrange side by side, seam side down, in a 9x13x12-inch baking dish. Pour the tomato mixture over the enchiladas. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until heated thoroughly.
• 

  (#10) Barack Obama

  • 58

  When the Obamas moved into the White House, they made it a point to promote healthy living. First lady Michelle Obama did this most explicitly with her Let's Move campaign and the establishment of a White House vegetable garden.

  Barack Obama himself eats a relatively healthy diet - he eats lots of vegetables and tries to snack a lot to control hunger - and stays active. So it's no surprise that one of his favorite dishes is turkey chili, a lean twist on a comfort-food classic.  

  PBS shared the recipe:

  Barack Obama's Turkey Chili

  1 tablespoon olive oil
  1 large onion, chopped
  1 green bell pepper, chopped
  5 cloves of garlic, chopped
  1 pound ground turkey
  ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  ½ teaspoon ground oregano
  ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  ½ teaspoon ground basil
  1 tablespoon chili powder
  3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  1 28-ounce can peeled tomatoes
  1 29-ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

  Prepared white or brown rice (optional)

  Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add the onions and green pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the meat to the pan. Once the meat has browned, add the spices. Stir in the red wine vinegar and tomatoes. Using a potato masher, mash the tomatoes. Stir in the kidney beans. Cook the chili covered for 15 minutes on medium-low heat. Serve over white or brown rice, if desired.
• 

  (#5) Ulysses S. Grant

  • Dec. at 63 (1822-1885)

  Ulysses S. Grant was a military general before he became president in 1869, and his time in the military shaped his eating habits. Perhaps because he witnessed what happened to men in the heat of conflict, he could not stomach rare meat.

  In contrast to his more culinarily adventurous wife Julia, Grant's tastes were simple. One of his favorite dishes was this rice pudding recipe - reprinted from the Courier-Journal - that featured a lemony punch of flavor.

  Ulysses S. Grant's Rice Pudding

  1 tablespoon butter
  3 cups hot cooked rice
  4 eggs, separated
  2 cups half-and-half
  2 cups milk
  ½ cup sugar
  1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
  1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  ⅛ teaspoon salt

  Preheat oven to 350 F. Stir butter into rice. Beat yolks and add half-and-half, milk, sugar, lemon peel, vanilla, and salt. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into rice mixture. Turn into a buttered, shallow 2-quart baking dish. Set in pan of hot water. Bake in oven for 1 hour or until inserted knife comes out clean. Serve warm.
• 

  (#7) Thomas Jefferson

  • Dec. at 83 (1743-1826)

  Thomas Jefferson was apparently a major foodie - more than any other Founding Father, his culinary tastes were bold and daring. His time abroad as ambassador to France exposed him to continental tastes, which he brought back to America. Among the French sweet treats he helped popularize in America was ice cream. This recipe for almond macaroons - as it appears in Baking Recipes of Our Founding Fathers - reflects his love of French cuisine.

  As an owner of enslaved people, Jefferson relied on enslaved men and women to run his kitchen. One who accompanied him to Paris was James Hemings, who learned about French cuisine and eventually secured his own freedom. 

  Thomas Jefferson's Almond Macaroons

  1 pound almonds
  Boiling water
  ¾ pound powdered sugar
  3 eggs, whites only

  Put almonds in a small kettle and pour boiling water over them. Stir well and remove skins. Wash the almonds thoroughly with cold water, then dry with a clean towel. Place almonds in a food chopper and grind to a fine consistency. Transfer the almond mixture to a large wooden mixing bowl and gradually beat in powdered sugar with a wooden mixing spoon. Beat in egg whites, one at a time, until it forms a smooth paste. With a teaspoon, drop small, nut-size balls of paste on parchment paper. Bake at 275 F for 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Set aside to cool.
• 

  (#6) Abraham Lincoln

  • Dec. at 56 (1809-1865)

  Abraham Lincoln apparently didn't have a big appetite and was pragmatic about food. In an era that prescribed men should be the breadwinners while women should be the bread-makers, Lincoln actually helped cook in his family kitchen in Springfield, IL.

  His tastes were also simple. During his childhood, Lincoln ate corn dodgers every day except Sunday. This recipe - which comes from Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen - yields hearty and filling corn dodgers.

  Abraham Lincoln's Corn Dodgers

  2 cups coarse, stone-ground cornmeal
  ½ teaspoon salt
  1 tablespoon melted butter or bacon drippings, plus more for cooking dodgers
  1 ½ cups boiling water
  ⅓ cup regular cornmeal (optional)

  Mix the coarse cornmeal and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the butter or bacon drippings. Pour the boiling water over the butter or drippings and stir carefully and thoroughly. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes to cool. Form the loose dough into shapes like ears of corn ("dodgers") by hand, adding regular cornmeal as needed; dodgers should be around 2 inches long and 1 inch thick.

  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet until melted. Place 6 dodgers in the skillet. Lower the heat and cook until the dodgers' bottoms are brown and tops are dry, about 8 to 10 minutes. Turn them over and brown the other side, about 5 to 7 minutes. Repeat with remaining dodgers. 

   
• 

  (#4) Harry S. Truman

  • Dec. at 88 (1884-1972)

  Harry and Bess Truman became president and first lady of the United States in 1945 after Frederick D. Roosevelt passed. Truman, tasked with leading the United States - and much of the world - out of the rubble of WWII, remained a Missourian at heart. Ozark pudding - a bready dessert - was one way he and Bess maintained their Midwestern identity in Washington.

  Ozark pudding had a cameo in a crucial moment of 20th-century history. The Trumans actually included it on the menu when they hosted Winston Churchill in Missouri, where he delivered his famous "Iron Curtain" speech in 1946.

  Here is the original recipe, as shared by the Loveless Cafe.

  Harry and Bess Truman's Ozark Pudding

  1 egg
  ¾ cup granulated sugar
  2 tablespoons flour
  1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  ⅛ teaspoon salt
  ½ cup chopped nuts, pecans preferred
  ½ cup raw Granny Smith apples, finely chopped
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat egg and sugar until very smooth. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir into the sugar-egg mixture. Add apple pices, nuts, and vanilla. Bake in a buttered pie pan for at least 35 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. 

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking