President’s Day Dinner; Winner of Giveaway

Congratulations to Carrie Sargent, random winner of the giveaway. She said “I received a handwritten letter in my mailbox, which nowadays is a rarity. Inside the envelope were many kind words that meant so much to me. A blessing doesn’t have to cost much at all.” What a great reminder! She’ll get another piece of snail mail with Captain Garrison and a few treats inside. Remember, you can now buy or review the book on Amazon HERE.

I did have great fun hosting the President’s Day dinner, and I’ll share a few photos with you. To determine which foods were presidential favorites, I referenced the list produced HERE by Wide Open Eats. Since the presidents seem to have mostly enjoyed soups and puddings, I thought it appropriate to serve Dwight Eisenhower’s Old-Fashioned Beef Stew as a main course. This was especially meaningful since President Eisenhower prepared it himself many times. I mention it in my story of Tom Kirkman briefly as well. As follows, Colonel Schulz reassures Tom that a quiet meal with the President of the United States and his beef stew will be no trouble:

“It’s just the Boss cooking up beef stew, Tom. They won’t give you three forks, I promise! Oh, and Mamie doesn’t approve of slang, like the word Okay. So do your best, my friend.”

Tom Kirkman: Artist, Spy, Amishman

Here is the recipe for the President’s beef stew. I did not know the words consommé, roux, or bouquet garni before this recipe. I found out that consommé is quite similar to beef stock and is available at Walmart. Roux is a sauce made from fat and flour. I would not have bothered putting the bay leaves and garlic into a cheese cloth and tying it with a long string, other than I was trying to copy President Eisenhower and if that’s the way he did it that’s the way I did it! So yes I had a sloppy bouquet garni.

President Eisenhower’s Old-Fashioned Beef Stew
2 pounds beef round, cubed
2 (12-ounce) cans consommé
Water
3 tablespoons shortening
3 scant tablespoons flour
1 pound small red potatoes, peeled
2 cups 1-inch carrot pieces
12 small onions
1 cup chopped peeled tomatoes or 1 (8-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped
Salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon MSG (optional)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1 clove garlic, halved lengthwise
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, bruised
1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns, bruised
2 sprigs parsley or 1/2 teaspoon dried

Wash beef cubes. While still wet, place in large heavy pot over medium heat. Cover and cook about 5 minutes. Stir, cover, and continue cooking. Meanwhile, blend consomme with 2 1/2 cans water. Set aside. In saucepan heat shortening. Add flour and stir over medium heat until mixture turns medium brown. Remove from heat and add 1 cup connsome water mixture, stirring to blend. Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups more liquid until roux is smooth. Set aside. Add potatoes, carrots, onions and tomatoes to meat. Stir in salt to taste, pepper and MSG. Make bouquet garni by tying thyme, bay leaves, garlic, black and white peppercorns and parsley in square of cheesecloth with long string. Add bouquet garni to pot along with remaning consomme. Cover and simmer 30 to 45 minutes until beef and vegetables are tender. Into roux stir some of hot liquid from stew pot until smooth and liquid. Stir warmed roux mixture into stew. Cover and cook over low heat another 30 minutes. Serve with crusty French bread. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

To make a meal of it, start with something light, such as a half a grapefruit, and follow with a good piece of Midwestern cheese and a fine pear or apple.

Mamie, President Eisenhower’s wife, cooked almost never. However, she was known for her chocolate fudge, so I made her recipe to share Monday. You can see that recipe here on Taste of Home.

I have the last of the beef stew warming up for our meal tonight, and I am hoping to give away the last of Mamie’s fudge to a neighbor. Warning, her recipe makes an enormous pan! Have fun checking out the photos.