The September 1957 issue of Family Circle Magazine ran the article "When the Eisenhowers Cook". It included 13 recipes including some touted as Ike's favorites.According to the Eisenhower Presidential Library, his favorite foods included Beef Stew, Vegetable Soup, Mint Delight, Deep Dish Apple Pie, and Million Dollar Fudge-- all of which are included in this magazine!
Of course, Mamie herself did not cook while in the White House--the staff did it. She and Ike ate dinner on TV trays while watching I Love Lucy, just like millions of other Americans.
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| Ike dips each fish in olive oil then corn meal before wrapping in foil for fast grilling |
"A friend has called the President a 'walking recipe book who is as vain about his dishes as any fussy cook.'"Ike's mother taught him to cook on an old two-burner stove. He and his brothers made bread for the family--kneading it by tossing the dough ball back and forth! He was to have told GI chiefs to add butter to the pancake batter and sorghum in the baked beans.
"Food is part of a soldier's pay, and it's my determination to see that none of his pay is going counterfeit."Here are some of Ike's favorite dishes, straight from 1957. You, too, can Eat Like Ike.
Ike's Vegetable Soup
Makes about 4 quarts
8 cups beef stock and meat
1 can tomatoes
1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup diced white turnips
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/4 cup barley
1 cup coarsely shredded cabbage
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/2 cup whole kernel corn
2 teaspoons gravy seasoning
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Heat stock and meat to boiling in a large kettle, then add tomatoes, potatoes, turnips, celery, carrots, onion and barley; bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cabbage, peas, and corn; return to a boil then simmer for about 10 minutes longer. Stir in gravy seasoning, celery salt, and pepper. If you cannot watch and stir the soup, Ike says to cook the barley first.
Beef Stock
Makes about 2 quarts
2 pounds shin of beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 beef knucklebone, cracked
4 marrowbones 2" long
1 large sliced onion
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 quarts water
Place in large kettle and heat to boiling; skim top; cover and simmer for 3 to 4 hours. Remove bones, cool, and chill over night (stock will jell and fat will rise to top and harden). Remove fat.
Ike's Old Fashioned Beef Stew
Makes 8 to 12 servings
4 pounds stewing beef cut into 1 1/2" cubes
1 quart beef stock
12 potatoes, pared and quartered
12 carrots, scraped and quartered
1 pound white onions, peeled
3 tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp monosodium glutamate
2 bay leaves
1 clove of garlic
1/4 coup flour
1/2 cup cold water
Simmer meat in beef stock in large kettle for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. Add vegetables and seasonings. Simmer 30 minutes longer, or until vegetables are tender. Blend flour with cold water in a cup to make a smooth paste. Slowing stir into beef stew. Cook, stirring often, 1 to 3 minutes, or until gravy is slightly thickened.
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| Mrs. Eisenhower smilingly admit her husband is the better cook. |
Makes 12 servings
1 can crushed pineapple
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3/4 coup mint jelly
Few drops of green food coloring
1 pint whipping cream
2 teaspoons confectioner's sugar
Drain syrup from pineapple into a small saucepan; put fruit into a large bowl. Soften gelatin in pineapple syrup and add mint jelly. Heat slowly, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved and jelly has melted. Stir into pineapple; tint a deeper green with food coloring if you wish. Chill for 20 minutes. Whip cream and sugar until stiff. Fold into pineapple and pour into 2 ice cube trays. Freeze until firm.
Mamie's Deep Dish Apple Pie
Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes
10 to 12 tart cooking apples, about 8 cups cut up
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup sifted flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
Pare apples and cut into small pieces. Stir in sugar and lemon juice to coat well. Spoon into buttered 9-inch shallow baking dish. Combine flour and brown sugar, cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives. Sprinkle over apples. Bake in moderate oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with whip cream, ice cream, or snappy cheese.
Mamie's Million Dollar Fudge
Makes 5 pounds
2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces
3 packages sweet cooking chocolate
1 jar marshmallow cream
2 cups broken walnuts
4 1/2 cups sugar
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 tall can evaporated milk
Combine semisweet and sweet chocolates, marshmallow cream, and walnuts in large bowl. Combine sugar, salt, butter and evaporated milk in heave saucepan; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil 6 minutes. Pour at once over chocolate mixture, stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until creamy. Pour into buttered shallow pan 13x9x2 and let stand for a few hours. Cut into squares and store in tightly covered metal box.
Fittingly, the cover of the magazine was in pink: Mamie Pink!
See her pink bedroom at
http://firstladies.c-span.org/FirstLady/36/Mamie-Eisenhower.aspx
See some of her pink dresses at
http://firstladies.c-span.org/FirstLady/36/Mamie-Eisenhower.aspx
