Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady during the era of The Great Depression. She was very mindful of this and The White House meals were often very frugal and she tried to implement a low-cost menu whenever possible.

Ernest Hemingway once dined with the Roosevelt’s at The White House and found the food to be not very spectacular. In a letter to his mother-in-law, Ernest Hemingway wrote of his dinner experience at The White House:

“…We had rainwater soup followed by rubber squab, a nice wilted salad and a cake some admirer had sent in by an enthusiastic but unskilled admirer.”

Eleanor Roosevelt did, however, indulge in her favorite dessert during these years – which was also a favorite of her Uncle Theodore Roosevelt’s as well.

Her favorite dessert was quite simple and was a delicious and simple Hasty Pudding.

Hasty Pudding was once referred to as Indian Pudding. The dessert most likely originated in Britain and the recipe brought over by the colonists. While the British recipe consisted of flour, the American colonists used cornmeal because of the abundance of corn in the colonies. As the recipe evolved, it incorporated the use of sugar or molasses, eggs and spices to the ingredients.

Hasty pudding is not a very elegant dessert and is often referred to as mush because well…it’s kinda mushy. It didn’t stop Eleanor Roosevelt from serving it at The White House for dessert at a Thanksgiving Dinner meal one year. Instead of the traditional pumpkin pie, she served Hasty Pudding. She also made sure to top it with vanilla ice cream.

Here’s a wonderful recipe for Hasty Pudding. It’s very easy to make and how wonderful to be able to taste and enjoy something Eleanor (and Teddy!) Roosevelt enjoyed so very much during their lifetime.

Hasty Pudding

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup molasses

¼ cup brown sugar

⅓ cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

Optional: Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream for a topping

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, heavy cream, molasses and brown sugar almost to a simmer over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, ginger, cinnamon and salt.

Add the cornmeal mixture to the milk mixture and whisk together. Bring to a simmer and keep whisking.

Pour the mixture into an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. The batter will be thin.

Bake the pudding in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir well and then return the pudding to the oven and continue cooking for another 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven.

The pudding will still be quite wobbly but will set as it cools. Let it cool for 20 minutes and serve warm.

For extra deliciousness, serve the pudding topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Today in American history…Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 in New York City.

“We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it as not as dreadful as it appears, discovering that we have the strength to stare it down.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Today in American History…Calvin and Grace Coolidge were married on October 4, 1905 at her parents home in Burlington, Vermont.

Today in American history…James Earl Carter Jr. was born October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia to Bessie Lillian Gordy and James Earl Carter, Sr.

He served as our Nation’s 39th President from 1977 to 1981.

President Carter is the oldest former President in American history.

A few years ago when asked about the secret to his longevity he responded “It’s hard to live until you’re 95 years old. I think the best explanation for that is to marry the best spouse, someone who will take care of you and engage and do things to challenge you and keep you alive and interested in life.”

Former Naval Officer. Governor of Georgia. President of the United States of America. Humanitarian. Statesman. Farmer. Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. Sunday School Teacher. Husband. Father. Grandfather.

Happy 99th Birthday, President Carter. Thank you for your lifelong service to our country and to the world.

It’s starting to feel a little like Halloween 🎃 The cooler weather is now upon us after a very hot Summer (and we finally got rain!)

My son sent this cute recipe to me the other day from something he had seen on TikTok. It looked like so much fun and I thought it looked perfect to make to welcome Fall. They are so easy to make, too! Would be a great idea to make with kids too. Especially to encourage them to eat their vegetables (if they are anything like I once was (or still am 🤣)

Everyone has their own recipe of what they like to use for their stuffed peppers so for this fun dinner recipe I would just recommend to use your own and be creative with the “pumpkin” faces. Many thanks to my husband and his incredible carving skills!

This recipe is what I used to make the stuffed peppers but you really can improvise. Have fun! Oh and…Welcome Fall! We’ve missed you! 🍁

Stuffed “Pumpkin” Peppers Recipe 🎃

Ingredients

3-5 Orange Bell Peppers

1 package of Ground Turkey (Ground Beef works well too)

1 Bottle of Tomato Sauce

1 Bag of Minute Rice

1 8oz package of shredded cheese (we used Sharp White Cheddar but you can use whatever is your favorite!)

Salt and Pepper (or your favorite seasonings)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the tops off of the bell peppers (make sure to save those, set aside!) and clean/scoop out the inside of the peppers.

Place the peppers in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to soften. Remove and set aside.

Cool the ground turkey in a skillet until done.

Boil the bag of rice according to package instructions.

Mix the cooked rice into the cooked turkey. Add the pasta sauce. Combine thoroughly. Add Salt and pepper or whatever seasonings you prefer.

Place your peppers on a baking sheet and stuff each with the meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Add the top of the peppers – will look like pumpkins. So cute!

Enjoy your Stuffed “Pumpkin” Peppers 🎃

It’s always wonderful having family together – especially for a meal. For dinner last night, I made a family favorite: Homemade Lasagna along with Pistachio Cake w/Pistachio Frosting for dessert ❤️

Growing up in an Italian family, we had some sort of pasta with nearly every meal. Especially when visiting my grandmother Marini. She made the best homemade ravioli, chicken cacciatore and of course…lasagna. Dessert was often her homemade Almond Biscotti served with fresh coffee.

As a child, I would carefully watch as my mother made her homemade meatballs and I couldn’t wait to taste them. When she made lasagna it was always for special occasions like a birthday or Christmas.

One year, my sister made pans of lasagna to give away as Christmas gifts. Italian food, red wine and laughter were always a part of our home. I miss these days so very much.

I’m thankful for the memories, traditions and for the times of being with my Italian grandmother and mother in the kitchen. They didn’t follow recipes but instead used a “pinch of this” and a “pinch of that” and everything came out perfect.

I get asked for my lasagna recipe and I really don’t have one. It’s all banked in my memory of how my mother, sister and grandmother made it – so therefore it’s what I do as well. But I wanted to share with you…directly from my memory bank…so that you can have this deliciousness on your table for dinner too I’m with your family and friends.

Mangia! Viva Italia! 🇮🇹❤️

Homemade Lasagna

(For 10-15 hungry people!)

Ingredients

2 Boxes of Lasagna Noodles

1 Large Bottle of Pasta Sauce (I airways use Ragu – it’s a tradition and favorite)

2 -3 pounds of Ground Beef

32 oz and 15 oz Ricotta Cheese

1 1/2 Cups shredded Parmesan Cheese

4 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (reserve a cup and set aside)

3 Eggs

Your favorite Italian Seasonings

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees.

In a large pot, boil the water for your lasagna noodles. Add a touch of olive oil (to prevent the noodles from sticking together) along with a pinch of salt. Cook according to package instructions and constantly stir the noodles. When done, drain the water and set aside.

Cook the ground beef in a skillet. Add your favorite seasonings. I always use salt, pepper and minced onions. When cooked thoroughly, drain the grease from the skillet and add the pasta sauce, stir and combine really well. Put on a low simmer.

For the cheese mixture, add the Ricotta, Parmesan, Mozzarella into a large bowl. Add the eggs and your favorite seasonings. Mix and combine really well.

Start the layering.

In a very large lasagna pan, begin by adding sauce to the bottom of the pan and spread evenly.

Add a layer of lasagna noodles lengthwise across.

Add the meat/pasta sauce mixture evenly across.

Add lasagna noodles lengthwise across.

Add the cheese mixture and spread evenly.

Continue to layer with lasagna noodles, meat/pasta sauce mixture and cheese mixture. Continue layering – last layer is lasagna noodles lengthwise across.

Add pasta sauce to the top layer.

Put foil over the top of the pan.

Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Bake for 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, remove the foil and sprinkle a cup of mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven.

Let the lasagna sit for about 10-15 minutes so that it will settle and will be easy to cut into.

Enjoy!

One of the best parts of having the family together is when you are so full you just fall asleep in each others arms ❤️

It’s a perfect (and finally rainy and cool!) day to make cookies in the kitchen today. I recently stumbled across a recipe for Southern Tea Cake Cookies and I couldn’t believe how simple they were to make – which is always my favorite: simple ingredients and easy to make.

They are soft, buttery and delicious with a hint of nutmeg. Melt in your mouth type of cookies 😋 They remind me of childhood while standing next to my grandmother as she made cookies. Carefully watching and salivating with anticipation of the warm, homemade deliciousness that would soon come out of the oven.

Tea Cake Cookies most likely evolved from the recipe for English Tea Cakes and gained popularity in colonial America in the 1700’s. The cakes were served at the homes of wealthy planters for afternoon tea (or “high tea”) and consisted of currants or other dried fruits.

It’s wasn’t very long before the popular tea cakes made their way into Southern homes and the recipe changed to make them much simpler and affordable for poor Southern families. The basic ingredients were what most had in their kitchen already: flour, sugar…butter…eggs.

They are a perfect cookie to make for any occasion. For Christmas, just add some icing and color…sprinkles…and would make the perfect Christmas cookie! Or if you want to be fancy, make them to impress your friends and gather for afternoon tea with tea cake cookies and small sandwiches.

On a wet, rainy day like today? It’s the perfect comfort food that brings me back to childhood. So I think I will just binge watch a favorite show and eat a few cookies with a large glass of milk.

Life is good 👍

Southern Tea Cake Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

One large egg, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together butter and sugar with a hand held mixer (about 4-5 minutes) until creamy.

Add the egg and vanilla to the mixture.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon.

Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes.

Using a small cookie scooper, scoop the dough and using your hands to roll the dough into a ball.

Place the cookie dough balls onto a lined cookie sheet. Use a cup, glass…press…anything that you have handy to flatten the cookie balls.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes until the edges are brown.

Remove from the oven. Cool for a few minutes before removing from the cookie sheet so they will set properly. Enjoy! ❤️

Today in American history…the U.S. Constitution was created on September 17, 1787.

The Constitution was then ratified on June 21, 1788 and became effective on March 4, 1789.

Happy U.S. Constitution Day 🇺🇸

Today in American history…John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy were married on September 12, 1953 at St. Mary’s Church in Newport, Rhode Island.

Today is National Teddy Bear Day 🧸

What is the story behind the Teddy Bear? And how did he/she get their name?

President Theodore Roosevelt was an avid hunter. In 1902, he was out hunting and came across a bear cub and decided to not shoot it. Clifford Berryman published a cartoon of the event in The Washington Post on November 16th, 1902 and the cartoon became an instant classic.

A New York store owner named Morris Michtom saw the cartoon and he created a new toy and even had a name in mind. Mr. Michtom wrote a letter to President Roosevelt to ask permission to name the new toy a “Teddy Bear.”

Seems as if every child had some type of teddy bear growing up – including me.

For my very first Christmas in 1970, my sister gave me the most precious gift: my teddy bear. When I was old enough to name him, I called him “Teddy.” I know…so original, right?

Teddy has been with me for over half a century now. Most of his original fur is gone from the times I tried to bathe him as a child. His arms are gone from when my childhood dog, Rags, decided to chew on him. His eyes are missing. He actually looks pretty scary. But to me? He’s beautiful. He still smells like my childhood. I slept with him throughout childhood. I cried to him when things were painful. I dressed him up. There were times in my childhood that I truly believed he was the only one who understood me.

Today, he proudly sits in a special place and he’s still with me. All I have to do is hold him and I’m at peace again. So many years…he’s been a most treasured friend.

Lastly, I can’t thank my sister enough for the best gift I’ve ever received in life. He has stood the test of time and is ageless and he’s still loved so very much.

“A teddy bear does not depend on mechanics to give him the semblance of life. He is loved – and therefore, he lives.” – Pam Brown