We made former First Lady Barbara Bush’s famous chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen tonight. Mrs Bush was known for her friendliness and fun but above all – she was truly dedicated and loyal to her family. It’s not surprising at all that she would have a treasure trove of family recipes and how generous it was of her to share them so that we could enjoy them too!
Barbara Bush’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup butter 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups instant oatmeal 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 package (12 ounces) chocolate chips
Directions
Blend the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs. Sift and add the flour. Add the baking soda and salt. Add and mix in the oatmeal, vanilla and chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Enjoy!
Today in American history…George and Barbara Bush were married on January 6, 1945 in Rye, New York.
They were engaged directly before he was shipped overseas as a Naval pilot during World War II and the only communication they had for some time was through letters.
In a letter dated December 12, 1943, George wrote to his beloved Barbara:
My darling Bar,
This should be a very easy letter to write — words should come easily and in short it should be simple for me to tell you how desperately happy I was to open the paper and see the announcement of our engagement, but somehow I can’t possibly say all in a letter I should like to.
I love you, precious, with all my heart and to know that you love me means my life. How often I have thought about the immeasurable joy that will be ours some day. How lucky our children will be to have a mother like you —
As the days go by the time of our departure draws nearer. For a long time I had anxiously looked forward to the day when we would go aboard and set to sea. It seemed that obtaining that goal would be all I could desire for some time, but, Bar, you have changed all that. I cannot say that I do not want to go — for that would be a lie. We have been working for a long time with a single purpose in mind, to be so equipped that we could meet and defeat our enemy. I do want to go because it is my part, but now leaving presents itself not as an adventure but as a job which I hope will be over before long. Even now, with a good while between us and the sea, I am thinking of getting back. This may sound melodramatic, but if it does it is only my inadequacy to say what I mean. Bar, you have made my life full of everything I could ever dream of — my complete happiness should be a token of my love for you.
Wednesday is definitely the commissioning and I do hope you’ll be there. I’ll call Mum tomorrow about my plan. A lot of fellows put down their parents or wives and they aren’t going so you could pass as a Mrs. — Just say you lost the invite and give your name. They’ll check the list and you’ll be in. How proud I’ll be if you can come.[1]
I’ll tell you all about the latest flying developments later. We have so much to do and so little time to do it in. It is frightening at times. The seriousness of this thing is beginning to strike home. I have been made asst. gunnery officer and when Lt. Houle leaves I will be gunnery officer. I’m afraid I know very little about it but I am excited at having such a job. I’ll tell you all about this later too.
The wind of late has been blowing like mad and our flying has been cut to a minimum. My plane, #2 now, is up at Quonset, having a camera installed.[2] It is Bar #2 but purely in spirit since the Atlantic fleet won’t let us have names on our planes.
Goodnite, my beautiful. Everytime I say beautiful you about kill me but you’ll have to accept it —
I hope I get Thursday off — there’s still a chance. All my love darling —
Poppy
Letter and picture courtesy of the George H.W. Bush Library and Museum.
Leading up to her marriage to George Washington, Martha Dandridge Custis was a young, wealthy widow residing in New Kent County, Virginia (about 35 miles outside of Williamsburg) with her two small children.
George Washington was a dashing military hero who would make the long visits from his home outside of Fredericksburg, Virginia to visit the charming and accomplished Martha in 1758. Within a few months of their courtship, they decided to plan a future together.
The Courtship of Washington, engraved by John C. McRae, 1860. Courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.
Martha placed an order from London for beautiful purple slippers and a wedding dress that was to be “grave but not extravagant nor to be mourning.”
Martha Custis Washington’s wedding shoes, worn on her marriage to George Washington on January 6, 1759. Silk, linen, leather, metallic lace and sequins, and wood. The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.
They were married at her home, White House, in New Kent County, Virginia on January 6, 1759.
In the biography Martha Washington: First Lady of Liberty, Helen Bryan wrote:
“The wedding was probably a very robust affair. Most social occasions in the tidewater were. Martha would have known what to expect and would have made meticulous preparations in advance to feed and accommodate a houseful of guests who would be cooped up together in the house for an indeterminate number of days. Plantation weddings went on for a long time, and once guests had made the trip over bad, frozen, or snow-covered roads or up the icy Pamunkey River to White House, they would have had no inclination to go home quickly. Advance preparations must have involved making up endless sleeping pallets; preparing bedding; stocking up with firewood, extra soap, and candles; and an orgy of roasting, smoking, and baking; not to mention provisioning with cordials, brewing of beer, and ordering plenty of wine, Madeira, port, rum, brandy, and whiskey. Colonials were a notoriously hard-drinking lot. And in keeping with the custom of the time, Martha probably decorated White House with pine boughs, holly, mistletoe, and ivy.”
Life of George Washington, The Citizen, lithograph by Claude Regnier, after Junius Brutus Stearns, 1854, depicts the marriage of George Washington and Martha Dandridge Custis at White House Plantation in New Kent County. Courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.
Calvin and Grace Coolidge had simple tastes when it came to dining and they cherished anything related to their home of New England. One of the delicious items you could always find with one of their meals (including breakfast!) was New England Corn Muffins.
In honor of our former First Lady from New England’s birthday today, we decided to whip up some New England Corn Muffins to celebrate the fabulous Grace Coolidge.
Today in American History…former First Lady Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge was born on January 3, 1879 in Burlington, Vermont.
In 1902 she graduated from The University of Vermont with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Teaching and is the very first First Lady to have earned a traditional four year undergraduate degree. After graduating from college, she taught at the Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech in Northampton, Massachusetts. She would remain loyal and dedicated to helping the deaf community for the rest of her life.
Mrs Coolidge was very social, extroverted and cheerful unlike her husband who was often silent and reserved.
In his autobiography, President Calvin Coolidge wrote about his marriage to Grace “For almost a quarter of a century she has borne with my infirmities, and I have rejoiced in her graces.”
She was a very popular First Lady and received a gold medal from the National Institute of Social Science. In 1931, she was voted one of America’s twelve greatest living women.
Childhood Photo of Grace Anna Goodhue Official White House Portrait. White House Historical Association.
Another Christmas Cookie favorite..Snowball Cookies are fresh from the oven tonight. I always use this recipe from Land O’Lakes because well…I literally just LOVE their butter 😋
Snowball Cookies are also often referred to as Russian Tea Cakes and Mexican Wedding Cookies. Either way you call ‘em – they are so delicious! And so simple to make 👍
It’s starting to feel like Christmas especially in the kitchen! Tonight I started making our family favorite Christmas cookies and of course will be making a few historical recipes. The first one made tonight was Laura Bush’s famous Cowboy Cookie.
We made Warren Harding’s favorite Almond Cookie in the kitchen tonight.
The almond cookies were very popular during the Harding Administration. The White House grounds had been closed during World War 1 and when the Harding Presidency began in 1921, The White House and the magnificent grounds were re-opened to the American public after being closed for so long.
It was a joyous occasion to have The White House open again and President and Mrs Harding loved holding socials on the White House lawn – especially on Sunday’s. Everyone would wear their “Sunday Best” and enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the lawn. The food was always delicious and there were plenty of lemonade, punch, cookies, cakes and sandwiches. One of the most popular cookies was an almond cookie – which was an absolute favorite of Warren Harding.
Recipe
Ingredients
3/4 Cups of Sifted Flour 2 Eggs (used separately)
1 Cup Sugar 1 Cup of butter (2 sticks), softened to room temperature 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda Grated rind of one lemon Just a dash of salt 1/2 Cup grated and blanched almonds (we used slivered almonds) Blanched almonds for garnish (we used slivered almonds)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a bowl. sift the flour and set aside.
In another bowl. mix thoroughly I whole egg, sugar, butter, baking soda, lemon rind, salt, and grated almonds (we used slivered almonds)
Add the sifted flour to the mixture and mix thoroughly.
Form the dough into 2 rolls about 2 inches in diameter.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.
Unwrap and cut into 1/8-inch slices.
Place sliced cookies on an ungreased baking sheet
Brush the cookie dough with the other egg that has been beaten
Decorate each cookie with 3 blanched almonds ( we used slivered almonds)
Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are browned.
Cool on a cooking rack for a few minutes before removing.
Makes about 2 to 3 dozen cookies. All depends on how you slice them. We got 2 dozen from the ones we made tonight.
It was a beautiful day to enjoy the Fall foliage at the State Arboretum of Virginia and walk through the wonderful Ginkgo Grove which consists of 300 Ginkgo trees that sit on 3.3 acres.
I hope you are enjoying the beautiful colors of Fall 🍁 this weekend. It’s amazing, isn’t it?
The recipe I used was directly from a Betty Crocker cookbook – the same recipe my mother used many years ago.
Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine or butter, softened
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Mix into a large bowl with a wooden spoon the following: granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, margarine or butter (softened) and egg.
Stir into the mixture: all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Shape the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Put the balls about 3 inches onto a cookie sheet. Flatten balls gently in cross cross pattern with a fork dipped in sugar.
Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool cookies 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove with spatula to a wire rack. Then cool.
Recipe from: Betty Crocker’s Best of Baking cookbook, 1997.
The Historical Homemaker 