Louisa Adams was the sixth first lady of the United States, the daughter-in-law of John and Abigail Adams, and the wife of John Quincy Adams. She was one of the most experienced and formidable hostesses the White House has ever seen, living in Prussia, St. Petersburg, and London while her husband was in diplomatic service, and then entertaining frequently when her husband became Secretary of State and later President. When I found her four-ingredient recipe for clam chowder, I was […]
One of the original desserts of early American cooking was hasty pudding, or, as it was sometimes known, Indian pudding. (You may remember that hasty pudding is mentioned in the lyrics of the Revolutionary War song, “Yankee Doodle.”) Made with cornmeal, eggs, milk, and whatever spices a cook had on hand, it was sweetened with molasses or maple syrup. Later versions added ice cream, or candied fruit. This is my updated take on hasty pudding, based on recipes found in […]
This recipe has been over twenty years in the making. I didn’t come naturally to the matzoh ball, growing up in a small Midwestern town. (In fact, I’m pretty sure my husband was the first Jewish person my mother ever met.) This was one of those meals I wanted to learn when we got married, because I knew my husband loved matzoh ball soup, and Washington is not oversubscribed with delis. His mother told me the secret to a great […]
St. Patrick’s Day was a big holiday at the White House. The Prime Minister of Ireland often came to Washington for the celebration, and invitations to the reception and entertainment were much sought after by those of Irish-American descent. We always created menus based on traditional Irish food (see menu below), and the entertainers were renowned Irish artists. One year I had arranged for a troupe of dancers to perform, and we carefully established how many songs they would be […]
There’s an open air farmer’s market in Dupont Circle in Washington every Sunday morning, and my husband and I love to walk down there to take photos and load up on the fresh produce glowing in rude good health. After fighting our way through the crowds, we sometimes stop at a small café nearby that serves a fresh veggie farmer’s scramble that is the gustatory equivalent of what we’ve just seen at the market. Packed with almost as many vegetables […]
