Several U.S. Presidents had pets during their tenure at The White House. Several of them had dogs. President Lincoln and family had goats and ponies strolling about at one point through the Executive Mansion.
At one point, the Kennedy family had eight dogs. One in particular was Pushinka, a gift from Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
Pushinka on the White House Lawn in 1963
Abraham Lincoln was very fond of his dog, Fido. When he realized it wasn’t a good idea to take his beloved dog to The White House, he asked his good friend and neighbor, John Roll, to care for Fido until he returned to Springfield after serving as President. He had a long list of concerns and requests for the daily care of Fido. According to the website America Comes Alive, some of the requests were:
-They were never to tie him up in the backyard by himself.
He was a house dog, so he should be allowed inside when he scratched at the door.
-He was not to be scolded for having muddy paws.
-He should be permitted to join the Roll family at dinner. Fido was accustomed to being fed by everyone at the table.
Lincoln also had one other thought. Would the family like their couch that was specially made for Abe? It was green horsehair—7 feet long to accommodate the president’s height. Fido loved being on or near the couch, too.
Abraham Lincoln’s dog, Fido
A few other Presidential dogs were:
Gallagher with President Grover Cleveland King Tut with President Herbert Hoover and Mrs. Hoover (AP Photo) Fala with President Franklin Roosevelt (AP Photo) Freckles with President Lyndon Johnson (AP Photo) Liberty with President Gerald Ford and daughter Susan (AP Photo) Buddy and President Clinton (AP Photo) Barney and Miss Beazley with President George W. Bush (AP Photo)The Obama Family with Bo and Sunny (AP Photo)
I love stumbling across old recipes and trying them out in my kitchen. Sometimes I’m successful…other times? It can be a little dicey. It’s always a fun time researching and exploring though! Some recipes I get really excited about. Other ones like a former President’s squirrel stew recipe not so much.
The other day I came across a recipe for Norman Rockwell’s favorite oatmeal cookies and I was so excited like a kid in a candy store. Oatmeal cookies are my personal favorite (peanut butter closely behind it) so I just had to make them. Plus, it’s always such a fun thing to taste what people in history enjoyed too!
Norman Rockwell was an American painter and illustrator. He is most famous for his cover illustrations of every day life in America which were published in the Saturday Evening Post for nearly five decades.
Today in American history…former First Lady Rosalynn Carter was born on August 18, 1927 in Plains, Georgia.
Happy Birthday, Mrs. Carter! 🇺🇸
Rosalynn Smith at age 13 in her hometown of Plains, Georgia Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter on their wedding day on July 7, 1946 in Plains, Georgia Official White House Photo
In honor of Florence Harding’s birthday, I whipped up one of her family’s favorite meals: Chicken Pot Pie.
Florence Harding was well known for her chicken pot pie recipe as well as her popular waffle recipe.
I envision on a special night like her birthday, the family may have had their favorite chicken pot pie as well as possibly President Warren Harding’s favorite almond cookies for a dessert.
I tried to research her personal recipe for chicken pot pie online but could not come across one. There is a cookbook of her recipes though…I may have to add to my collection!
I decided to just make my own version of Chicken Pot Pie with a recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman. Can’t go wrong there!
Today in American history…former First Lady Florence Harding was born on August 15, 1860 in Marion, Ohio.
Florence Harding was the first future First Lady to vote in a Presidential election following the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Consititution.
During her tenure as First Lady, she used her platform to advocate for animal rights, veterans welfare and women’s equality.
Florence Harding and her brother in childhood Official White House Portrait
There is nothing better than the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. It’s one of the most ultimate and decadent comfort candies (Reese’s Peanut Butter cups…OMG)
Recently when I asked my stepson, Ian, what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday and he suggested peanut butter – and his girlfriend, Gracie, suggested chocolate frosting…my heart was very happy 😊
PS. I am all about using generic brands – which work just as well. But there are a few exceptions like peanut butter and chocolate that I use the trusted brands that I love the most and that’s Jif Peanut Butter and Hershey’s Chocolate.
¾ cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil which worked perfectly!)
1 ½ cups light brown sugar
¾ cup smooth peanut butter (I always use Jif – it’s my personal favorite!)
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅓ cup sour cream
¾ cup milk
Ingredients for Hershey’s Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup butter (or margarine (one stick)
2/3 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
3 cups Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar
1/3 cup Milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions for Peanut Butter Cake
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease two cake pans very well. I always grease the pan, layer of parchment paper on the bottom and then grease again. This gives you extra protection from the cake sticking to the pan!
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
Then in a separate large bowl, beat together the oil, light brown sugar and peanut butter until all is a smooth texture. You can beat by hand or a hand mixer – however you prefer.
Into the large bowl, add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk in the sour cream. Do not over mix – just enough to combine the ingredients.
Mix in about 1/2 of the dry ingredients from the small bowl and then add the milk. Mix thoroughly.
Then add the rest of the dry ingredients until the flour mixture is incorporated.
Divide and pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans and put into the oven to bake.
Bake for 25 minutes. Use a toothpick to check for doneness. If not completely done, keep checking every 3 minutes.
When completely baked, remove from the oven.
Cool for about ten minutes and remove the cake from the pans onto a cooling rack.
Start making your frosting…
Directions for Hershey’s Chocolate Frosting
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately, add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.
Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.
When the cake is completely cooled (in about an hour) start frosting.
I used Reese’s mini peanut butter cups (unwrapped) for garnishing to give the cake extra chocolate and peanut butter deliciousness! 😋
Today in American History…our 31st U.S.President, Herbert Clark Hoover was born on August 10, 1874 in West Branch, Iowa. His favorite food was fried chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. His favorite dessert was his Grandmother Hoover’s Peach Cream Pie. So to honor President Hoover’s birthday today we are enjoying his favorite meal 🇺🇸
Today is National Book Lovers Day (it’s like Christmas for my cousin Vicki 🤣) It’s a special day for everyone who loves to read. I encourage you to find your favorite quiet place and a good book and just take the time out of your day and read 📖 ❤️
My family knows how much I love Abraham Lincoln so I’m finally diving into this wonderful book.
I had a few leftover strawberries, bananas and blueberries and was trying to figure out what to make with these. I could have made a healthy fruit smoothie but nah…not that a smoothie isn’t delicious BUT I just love to bake. So what’s better than a delicious fruit bread with a few pecans thrown in too 😋
Strawberry-Banana Bread w/Blueberries
Ingredients
Everything you’ll need to make Strawberry-Banana Bread w/Blueberries
3 ripe bananas, smashed
⅓ cup butter melted
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice (I used lime)
½ cup strawberries, chopped
½ cup blueberries
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix mashed bananas and melted butter, using a wooden fork or spoon. Mix in the sugar, egg, and honey.
Add the baking soda and salt into the mixture and mix.
Add the flour, mix just enough to blend the ingredients.
Add lime (or lemon) juice, chopped strawberries and whole blueberries to the batter and mix them in to distribute evenly through the batter. Mix in the chopped pecans.
Butter a traditional sized loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, butter the parchment paper too! Pour the batter into the pan.
Bake for 1 hour (test with a toothpick for doneness – if not? Cook a few minutes longer)
The Historical Homemaker 