I recently made Rosalynn Carter’s Chicken and Rice Casserole for dinner. It is a wonderful comfort food for dinner on a cold winter evening.
Mrs. Carter’s recipe was published in The Atlanta Journal on 20 January 20, 1977.
Rosalynn Carter’s Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
1 chicken – cut up and seasoned
½ stick butter
1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms, drained (save liquid)
4 large onions
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup uncooked rice (do not use Minute Rice)
Directions
Melt butter in casserole. Place chicken in layers with onions and mushrooms. Cook. Covered, for 1 ½ hours at 350 degrees. Remove chicken, add enough boiling water to mushroom liquid to make 4 ½ cups of broth in casserole. Dissolve bouillon cubes in broth. Add rice, replace chicken and cook for 1 hour.
At home in Virginia at his beloved Monticello, Thomas Jefferson had a large garden of different varieties of basically anything you can possibly think of. From herbs to fruits to the most delicious vegetables – including asparagus which was one of his personal favorites.
Thomas Jefferson’s Marinated Asparagus
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, stems peeled and trimmed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Pinch fresh thyme
Pinch chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg, hard cooked and chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fine capers, drained
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Directions
Wash the asparagus and trim the tough ends of the stalks. In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Place the asparagus in the water and cook until just tender, 2-3 minutes.
Drain asparagus. Add enough cold water to cover the asparagus. Let stand about 5 minutes, until the asparagus is cool.
Drain again and pat the asparagus dry with paper towels. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, thyme, parsley, egg, onion, and capers, and salt and pepper to taste.
Place the asparagus on a serving platter. Pour the vinaigrette evenly over the asparagus. Let the asparagus marinate in the dressing for a few minutes (optional). Garnish with additional chopped egg and parsley, if desired.
Cherry Pie is as “All American” as much as Apple Pie. It’s often made to celebrate the 4th of July. Serve the pie with a side of vanilla ice cream to make it extra-delicious!
Cherry Pie
Ingredients
Refrigerated pie crusts for a 2-crust pie
2 cans (21 ounce each) cherry pie filling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
Optional: 1 egg, mixed, for an egg wash plus granulated sugar for sprinkling over the top.
Directions
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Prepare the pie crusts as directed on the box instructions for a two-crust pie. Use a 9-inch pie plate.
In a medium bowl, combine the pie filling, vanilla and almond extracts, lemon juice and mix until all is thoroughly combined. Spoon the pie filling into the bottom layer of the pie crust. Add the cubed butter over the pie mixture evenly. Place the additional pie crust over the filling and seal the edges and flute.
If doing an egg wash over the top layer, brush the top crust with the mixed egg and sprinkle with sugar.
Use a small paring knife to cut slits in several places onto the top of the crust.
Bake the pie for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. After the pie has been baking for 15-20 minutes, cover the crust edges with strips of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning.
Remove the pie from the oven and cool the pie at room temperature for at least 2 hours (or more).
Make sure the pie is completely cooled before slicing and serving.
President Kennedy was a big fan of chowder. His favorites were Fish Chowder and Clam Chowder. According to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, President Kennedy often enjoyed a sandwich, soup and fruit for lunch.
Clam Chowder
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks, trimmed and quartered lengthwise and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 (10 ounce) cans of chopped clams (reserve the juice into a small bowl)
1 cup heavy cream
2 bay leaves
1 pound potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
In a large pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sliced celery stalks and sauté until softened – mix often.
Add in the flour and stir to mix evenly. Add the stock and the reserved juice from the clams. Add the heavy cream, bay leaves and the cubed potatoes and stir constantly. The mixture will thicken as you stir.
Reduce the mixture to medium-low heat and cook for at least twenty minutes. Make sure to stir often until the potatoes are tender.
Add the clams and season with salt and ground pepper.
Cook for another 2 minutes until the flakes are nice and firm.
It’s a wonderful night to enjoy chili for dinner and so we tried out LBJ’s Chili recipe. It truly is one of the best Chili’s I’ve ever tasted. The steak was tender. The seasonings perfect.
President Johnson was a huge fan of chili and enjoyed it very much. He even is attributed as saying “Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing. One of the first things I do when I get home to Texas is to have a ‘bowl of red’. There is simply nothing better.”
This recipe is directly from the Johnson family archives at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas.
President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Chili
Ingredients
4 pounds round steak or chuck roast – trimmed and coarsely ground (a chili grind) – or cut into ½ inch cubes work.
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
6 teaspoons chili powder
2 – 16 oz. canned whole tomatoes – cut up
Hot sauce- to taste
Salt – to taste
2 Cups hot water
Directions
In a large frying pan, brown meat with onion and garlic until meat is lightly browned; transfer ingredients to a large heavy kettle or a cast iron dutch oven. Add oregano, cumin, chili powder, tomatoes, hot sauce, salt, and hot water. Bring just to a boil; lower heat and simmer, covered, for approximately 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
This is not your momma’s traditional Banana Bread 🤣 With a dash of Rum in the ingredients it’s just so tantalizing and tasty! Rum brings an extra subtle sweetness to the bread.
Ingredients
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs lightly beaten
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon of rum. For more of a rum taste, add an extra tablespoonful.
Directions
Note: It is important to have all of the ingredients at room temperature.
Position the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. I use parchment paper to line the bottom and grease again just to make sure the bread doesn’t stick! Once this is done, set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda).
Set the bowl aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter until it’s lightened in color and texture.
Mix in the flour mixture until well blended and is like the consistency of brown sugar.
Gradually beat in the eggs.
Fold in the mashed bananas, walnuts, and rum.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the bread cool in the pan for a few minutes until removing. Once removed, place the bread onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
President Theodore Roosevelt and Mrs. Roosevelt usually began each morning eating their favorite breakfast of hard-boiled eggs and biscuits called Fat Rascals.
The Roosevelt’s enjoyed Fat Rascals for breakfast or as a snack. The biscuits are best served fresh out of the oven with lots of butter.
Ingredients
4 Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cup butter (3 sticks)
1 1/4 cup milk
1 pound of dried currants ***
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Cut the butter into chunks and add to the flour mixture. Using a pastry knife combine the butter with the flour, until the mixture has the texture of large breadcrumbs.
Add the dried currants and stir, then add the milk and mix to form a rough dough – try to knead it as little as possible. If there is a lot of flour left at the bottom, add more milk a tablespoon or so at a time until the dough comes together. If the dough is too wet do the same thing with flour.
Place dough on lightly floured surface and roll into 1” thickness.
Using a 2” biscuit cutter, cut out the biscuits and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are lightly browned and the insides are thoroughly done.
Remove from the oven. The biscuits are best served fresh out of the oven. Slice in half and fill with butter or your favorite preserves.
Several years ago, Family Circle Magazine held a cookie bake off during each Presidential election season. The contest was between the Presidential candidates wives aka the potential future First Ladies. Readers would then vote for their favorite cookie and it was said that whoever’s cookie won the contest – their husband would win the Presidential election.
In the year 2000, Tipper Gore and Laura Bush made their favorite cookies for the contest. Tipper Gore made Ginger Snaps and Laura Bush made her Cowboy Cookies. Laura Bush’s cookies won and well…the rest is history 🇺🇸
Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups light-brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened flake coconut
2 cups chopped pecans
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in bowl.
In 8-quart bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars to combine, 2 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla.
Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut, and pecans.
For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart.
Bake in 350 degree F oven 17 to 20 minutes, until edges are lightly browned; rotate sheets halfway through.
Remove cookies to rack to cool. Enjoy!
Recipe is from the George W. Bush Presidential Center
George Washington’s favorite breakfast staple was a stack of Hoe Cakes fresh off the griddle smothered in butter, syrup or honey. He also enjoyed a cup of hot tea or one his other favorite beverages: hot chocolate cream (which we know now to be a version of hot chocolate).
Hoe Cakes
Ingredients
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup melted butter lightly cooled
Vegetable oil or bacon grease for frying
Directions
In a large bowl add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt and whisk together really well.
Make a hole/well in the center of the mixture and add in the beaten eggs, buttermilk, water, and melted butter and mix until thoroughly combined.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil (I use butter) in a cast iron skillet or frying pan on medium-high heat.
Scoop enough batter as if you are making a pancake and drop into the frying pan.
Fry each Hoe cake until the edges start to bubble and the edges are golden brown. Flip over and fry for another couple minutes until golden brown.
Remove and serve immediately with butter, and or syrup. Or you can be like George Washington and add honey!
President Andrew Johnson was a man of simple tastes and humble beginnings from North Carolina.
One of his favorite dishes was Sweet Potato Pudding – which is a traditional Southern dessert.
Sweet Potato Pudding
Ingredients
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large well-beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9×9-inch baking dish.
In a large pot, add the cubed sweet potatoes and cover with water. Bring to a full boil and cook the potatoes until they are tender (this will take about 15-20 minutes).
Drain the sweet potatoes and return them to the pot.
Mash until smooth. Set the pot aside.
In a large bowl, add the mashed sweet potatoes with the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, beaten eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.
Mix until well combined and the texture is smooth.
If using the chopped pecans, fold the pecans into the mixture for added texture and flavor. You can also just sprinkle onto the top too vs. folding into the mixture.
Pour the sweet potato mixture into the greased baking dish and spread it evenly over the entire dish.
Bake the pudding in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until the pudding is set and slightly golden on the top.
Remove from the oven and let the sweet potato pudding cool slightly before serving.
The pudding can be served warm or at room temperature.
For extra deliciousness add a dollop of homemade whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The Historical Homemaker 