A short time after I came to work at the White House, we found ourselves in need of a new chef. I was asked to reach out to well-known American chefs and solicit their recommendations for a new White House executive chef. One of the people I called was Thomas Keller, famed chef and food innovator, owner of French Laundry and Per Se, and author of some of the great cookbooks of our time. He was kind and helpful, and […]
Cheeseburger is paradise. Heaven on earth with an onion slice. Not too particular, not too precise. I’m just a cheeseburger in paradise. -from Jimmy Buffett’s Cheeseburger in Paradise A cheeseburger may not be everyone’s idea of a perfect food, like a banana, or an egg, or spirulina, but it is certainly one of mine. (Spirulina is lake algae, and healthy as it is, you probably wouldn’t love it. At least not the way you would love, oh… a cheeseburger!) Today […]
Bess Abell was Lyndon Johnson’s Social Secretary. The daughter of Earle Clements, a man who served Kentucky as both its governor and senator, she has lived her entire life around politics, and is currently the dean of the former social secretaries sorority. I love being around Bess. In addition to having some of the best social secretary stories of all time, she is a gifted raconteur, and always draws roars of laughter with her tales of Lyndon Johnson. Johnson was […]
After a weekend of too many heavy meals, and possibly an unauthorized visit to Shake Shack (don’t tell my kids), a vegetarian meal can go a long way toward regaining one’s nutritional equilibrium. I guarantee that you will be completely full after eating this meal. The quinoa salad is very substantial, and the butter-roasted radishes have a mellow flavor that is very appealing – almost like a slightly-spicy potato. The quinoa salad comes from Gwyneth Paltrow’s It’s All Good cookbook, […]
I can’t help but think of September as the beginning of the new year, because the start of school is such a significant event for students and parents. Between childhood and parenthood, our lives can revolve around school schedules for decades, and it becomes difficult to let go of the pattern. I prefer to embrace it and remain a perpetual student. Today I’m studying how to make the ubiquitous grilled cheese sandwich more memorable, and the process has been both […]
