My mother-in-law was not known as a great cook. Whenever she would offer to cook, my father-in-law would leap from his chair and say, “You look tired, Sal. Let’s go out.” That ploy seemed to suit everyone most of the time, but even people who claim not to cook usually have at least one dish they can prepare, despite their lack of interest or experience. For my mother-in-law, it was her beef brisket with potatoes and carrots. My husband still […]
My husband and I have been whooping it up at a guest ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana for a week every summer for over twenty years. I believe that heaven must look like southwestern Montana in June, when the upland meadows are covered in wild lupines and dog roses, and the lush green mountain trails climb up and up until you can see all the way to Yellowstone. We’ve had little adventures here over the years: battling cutthroat trout in […]
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 […]
Many years ago, my husband became friends with Senator John McCain. He worked for him on his presidential campaign, and has always admired the Senator’s independent and principled stands in the Senate. Earlier this week we gave a dinner in his honor, and I wanted to make the meal as straightforward as the honoree. Dinner was built around Senator McCain’s favorite two foods, hot dogs and chocolate. This gave me the perfect opportunity to put together a menu of easy […]
My Grandmother Svec was a formidable cook. She could size up the day’s larder at a glance, start lunch and dinner for twenty, then spend the day in the vineyards clipping grapes, before returning ahead of us to get the food on the table. The best part of her cooking was her baking. She was a master of the flaky or yeasty fruit-filled concoctions that are a Czech trademark, and she baked in such quantity that it all seemed to […]
