Topic not covered before: presidential (or their wives) favorite recipes from the past

I have found another topic for recipes today that I know I haven’t written about before. It’s recipes from past Presidents or their wives (I’m sure all of the wives fixed these foods.) The recipes are from a Midwest Living magazine... October, 1996. It’s interesting as some of the recipes are still used by many of us. Here are some of those chief executives’ favorites.
I’ll start with Truman’s

‘THE BUCK STOPS HERE’
(Missouri Meatloaf)
1 T. butter melted
2 beaten egg yolks
1/4 c. each, finely snipped parsley and fine dry bread crumbs
3 T. chili sauce or ketchup
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper
2 lbs., ground beef
1-8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. Worcestershire sauce Parsley (optional)
Radish roses (optional)
Brush butter onto bottom and sides of 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Set pan aside. In a large bowl, combine the yolks, parsley, bread crumbs, chili sauce, onion salt and pepper. Add beef; mix well. Turn into loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or till a meat thermometer inserted in center registers 170 degrees. Transfer to platter. Cut into slices. In small saucepan, combine tomato sauce, brown sugar and Worcestershire. Cook and stir till heated. Spoon over meat. Garnish with parsley and radish roses if you like. My notes: while meatloaf is baking, I would make the sauce, having it ready to spoon over slices while both are hot. Radish roses? I’d stick with just the parsley! Salt? I’d use 1/2 tsp. And I don’t think this meatloaf would serve 10 people. I would say six-eight.

+++++

A Herbert Hoover recipe...
BRAISED BEEF
1 lb. beef stew meat
1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
2 T. cooking oil
1-8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 t. paprika
1 bay leaf
1 c. water
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper Hot cooked noodles
In a large skillet, cook stew meat, half at a time, in hot cooking oil till stew meat is browned. Drain off any excess fat. Return meat to skillet. Add tomato sauce, onions, paprika and bay leaf. Stir in water, salt and pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer the stew, covered for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours or till meat is tender. Remove bay leaf; discard. Skim off fat. Spoon meat over noodles. Serves four.

+++++

And Ronald Reagan...
NANCY REAGAN’S VIENNA BARS
1 c. butter softened
1 c. sugar, divided
1/8 t. salt
2 egg yolks
2-1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. seedless red raspberry preserves
2 egg whites
2 c. finely chopped walnuts or almonds
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 c. sugar and the salt; beat till combined. Add egg yolks; beat well. Gradually add flour, beating on low speed until combined. (If necessary, stir in last portion of flour by hand). Pat dough evenly onto bottom of ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Remove from oven; dollop preserves in small amounts, evenly on crust; carefully spread to cover. In medium mixing bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl).
Gradually add last 1/2 c. sugar, about 1 T. at a time, beating at high speed, till mixture forms stiff peaks. Fold in nuts. Dollop over preserves, lightly spreading to cover. If small amount of preserves gets into egg-white mixture, cookies won’t be harmed. Bake 20 minutes more. Remove from oven; let cool 15 minutes on wire rack. While still warm, cut into bars. Cool completely before serving. Makes 48 bars. Sounds like a really good bar to me. I’ll put raspberry preserves on my grocery list.

Thought for the Day: Work for the Lord. The pay isn’t much but the retirement plan is out of this world.