Chef Henry Haller was the Executive Chef at the White House for twenty-one years and through five presidents – Johnson, Nixon Ford, Carter, and Reagan. Though I never had the pleasure of meeting him, I’ve used his cookbook, which he wrote after leaving the White House, many times. Every person who works in the Residence has a unique vantage point from which to view contemporary American history, but Chef Haller may have more to tell than most: he actually lived […]
Family-centric holidays like Thanksgiving can be fraught with tension. I doubt the original Pilgrims sweated the details the way we do today. Who carves the turkey? Do we need to wait for everyone to have food on their plates before we start eating? Who’s saying grace this year? And then there are the oddball friends and relatives whom we see once or twice a year. They ask invasive questions, take the day to let their passive-aggressive flag fly, or drink […]
I’m pretty sure the Pilgrims were too busy trying to stay alive to think much about centerpieces. In fact, flowers on a dining table didn’t come into vogue until Victorian times. The empty tabletops had to be filled with something when elaborate platters of food began being offered to guests individually by servants (known as service a la russe), rather than placed on the table for guests to serve themselves. And while centerpieces add a festive air to a table, […]
Pound Cake Sundaes With thanks to the Allman/McMurtry family for this wonderful recipe. Serves: 1 Prep time: 15 minutes, plus one hour and twenty minutes to make the pound cake For the raspberry sauce: To make the raspberry sauce: Grandmother McMurtry’s Pound Cake
Dear Lea, I have two, fairly large rectangular planter boxes on my front porch that are in the shade for most of the day. I also live in Los Angeles, so it stays relatively dry and warm all year. Other than impatiens, do you have any recommendations for vibrantly colored perennials that would thrive under those conditions? I look forward to hearing from you! Warm regards, Nathan Dear Nathan, Regarding your window boxes, you may want to rethink the […]
