One of my husband’s favorite treats is rugalah, a Jewish pastry/cookie that is made with a cream cheese and butter dough, and filled with all kinds of delicious things, like cinnamon, nuts, fruit preserves, chocolate, Nutella – if you aren’t familiar with it, wouldn’t you like to be? This year I made apricot rugalah (my favorite flavor) and speculoos rugalah. Speculoos is a Dutch spiced shortbread cookie that is ground up and mixed with vegetable oil to create a peanut […]
A week of posts about great hosts wouldn’t be complete without a recipe from Laura Bush. I learned a tremendous amount about hospitality when I worked for her. There was no detail too small to consider, to make her guests feel comfortable and special, and she never stopped thinking about it. Once, when we were hosting a group of Lincoln scholars at a lecture at the White House on Lincoln’s Birthday, she called me over during the lecture and asked […]
Washington has seen more than its share of great hostesses. Whether they’re first ladies, ambassador’s wives, major philanthropists with a specific agenda for an evening, or people who just like a good party and entertain beautifully because it’s a form of self-expression, all great hostesses operate on the same theory articulated by Dwight Eisenhower when referring to the D-Day invasion: plans are useless, planning is indispensable. It’s not surprising that great hostesses are compared to generals. There are details to […]
There are some classic American foods that I revere: cheeseburgers, pizza, fried chicken – and pot roast. They’re found in restaurants everywhere, but it’s less easy to find the most delicious version of these classics. That’s why when I make something as basic as a pot roast, I want to lavish the freshest ingredients and the most thoughtful preparation on it to make it the best pot roast ever. If you’re going to enjoy a classic, shouldn’t it be worthy […]
In my ongoing quest to keep my husband losing weight (20 down, 20 pounds to go – and let’s not talk about my weight loss plan, if you don’t mind), I’ve been sending him to work with lunches from home to help keep him on the diet train. Taking your lunch to work is not a wildly exciting premise, unless the food is unique, or at least packaged in a way that is novel. Here are three lunch entrees that […]
