Presidential Food Favorites

posted February 21, 2007
  by Pamela Chester, The Savvy Slow Cooker

Since February is the official month of president’s birthdays and commemorations, and having just celebrated President’s Day (George Washington’s birthday) the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen, it is appropriate to take a moment and honor our current and past president’s favorite foods. The holiday, beginning in 1880 was originally intended to celebrate the “Father of the United States,” George Washington’s birthday. But it was not until the 1980s that the term “Presidents Day” made a more widespread public appearance with the holiday mainly being celebrated with much hyped retail sales and time off from work and school.

Recently, while touring the hall of presidential portraits at the Smithsonian museum in Washington D.C., it struck me how unique an individual each president was. While in office each president had his own leadership style along with personal preferences. Some presidents were very humble while others were much more gregarious. Many presidents and first ladies, upon inauguration, completely changed the look and menu of the White House depending on their distinct taste.

In the news you often hear about some of the president’s favorite foods, especially those who were recently in office. Who can forget Ronald Reagan’s predilection for jelly beans? Reagan was so associated with jelly beans that mourners included them in his farewell tributes last year. He is commonly quoted as saying “You can tell a lot about a fellow by his way of eating jelly beans.” How about George H.W. Bush’s distaste for the vegetable broccoli? And a memorable image from when Bill Clinton was on the campaign trail was his very public stops at McDonald’s for the purpose of enjoying a Big Mac.

Our current president George W. Bush favors Tex-Mex style food. Love him or can’t stand him, you have to love his favorite meal of tacos! Below is a simple meal of chicken tacos, in which the chicken is slow simmered with chipoltle chilies in the crockpot and then shredded. The fun part is that each person gets to assemble their tacos individually. Serve with mix-and-match bowls of condiments such as shredded lettuce, cheese, salsa, and sour cream, with limes to squeeze over the top.

Presidential palates have varied quite a bit over time but what about our senators? Another governmental favorite is traditional United States Senate Bean soup. According to tradition, this item must be available on the menu every day in Congressional dining areas. This custom is said to date back to the early twentieth century at the request of Senator Fred Dubois of Idaho. However another story gives credit to Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota who requested the soup daily beginning in 1903. Fortunately, recipes for Senate Bean Soup vary and the specific type of bean is allowed to change. You may want to alter the soup a little to suit your personal taste, using a mix of great northern, pinto or navy beans, and adding sautéed onions to the top. This soup is nutritious— high-protein and rich in B-vitamins, iron, calcium, potassium, and phosphorous, whether you are making decisions that affect the entire country or just your family.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 6
Ready in: > 5 hrs

* 1 chicken (3-4 lb size)
* 1 onion, halved
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
* 2 dried or canned chipotle peppers (or to taste)
* 16 flour or corn tortillas
* 1 medium head romaine or iceburg lettuce, washed, dried and shredded
* 1 cup sour cream
* Salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1 pound Monterrey Jack cheese or queso fresco, crumbled
* 1 cup fresh or jarred salsa
* Lime wedges

Place chicken in a crockpot. Add onion, garlic, peppercorns, chipotles and enough water to cover. Cover crockpot and cook for 6-8 hours on low until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from cooking liquid, and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove skin, and discard.

Shred 3 cups of chicken, and set aside. Reserve remaining chicken for another use.

Line a basket or a bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Place tortillas, one at a time, over medium heat directly on a gas burner. Cook until edges are beginning to blacken, about 30 seconds. Turn, and cook until edges of second side begin to blacken, about 20 seconds more. Turn once more, and cook until tortilla puffs slightly, about 10 seconds more. Transfer to towel-lined basket, and enclose in towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas, adding each to the basket when done. If making ahead, wrap in aluminum foil, and reheat in a 350F oven.

Place chicken in a medium bowl, taste, and if desired, season with salt and pepper. Set the cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, and lime wedges out in bowls along with the chicken and tortillas. Allow each person to assemble tacos as desired.

Senate Bean Soup Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 6
Ready in: > 5 hrs

* 2 cups dried navy beans
* 1 smoked pork hock
* 2 onions, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 stick celery, chopped
* 1 small handful fresh Italian parsley, chopped fine
* 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes

Soak the beans overnight in cold water.

In the morning, rinse the ham hock and place in slow cooker. Rinse the beans and add to cooker along with onion, garlic, celery and parsley. Stir and add enough water to cover the meat.

Cook on low setting for 10-12 hours, or high 6-8 hours.

Remove the hock and cut the meat off the bone. Raise slow cooker setting to high, return the meat to the cooker, and add potato flakes (if desired) as well as additional water if necessary. Stir, cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

©2008 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction of this article may be made without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.



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