Presidential Dishes

Former President Dwight Eisenhower and his family enjoy Thanksgiving dinner in 1963

By Lori Grossman

This month, Americans will elect a new president.

All the excitement started me thinking about former U.S. presidents either from Texas, or with Texas ties. Some are obvious, and a few, less so. I'll start with a short history of each one – emphasizing his Texas connection – and follow with one of his family's favorite recipes. (No, you don't need your Voter Registration card!).

Dwight David Eisenhower, 34th President, 1953-1961
The family originated in Bavaria, where relatives had served in Charlemagne's army. Eventually, they moved to Switzerland, then Pennsylvania, and to Kansas, where they settled 12 miles south of Abilene.

The Texas connection happened when Dwight's father, David, got a job with a railroad company and sent for his family. They joined him in Denison, Texas, where the future president was born in 1890. Their stay in North Texas was brief. Dwight's father was offered a better job, and they moved back to Kansas.

Dwight D. Eisenhower graduated from West Point in 1915. Later that year, he reported to Fort Sam Houston, on the outskirts of San Antonio, to join the 19th Infantry Regiment. There, he met 18-year-old Mamie Geneva Doud, whose family lived in Denver, but spent winters in San Antonio. They were married in 1916. While in San Antonio, Eisenhower – an outstanding college athlete – coached the Peacock Military Academy's football team in 1915, and the St. Louis College (now St. Mary's University) team in 1916.

After progressing through a series of assignments, the Eisenhowers returned to 'Fort Sam' until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He served as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II. In 1953, Eisenhower became president. His birthplace in Denison is now the Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site.

Mamie's Million Dollar Fudge

• 1 bag (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 12 ounces Baker’s German sweet chocolate, cut into pieces
• 1 16-ounce jar marshmallow creme
• 2 cups nuts (peanuts, pecans, walnuts, or cashews), chopped
• 4-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Butter the inside of a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside. Put the chocolate chips and pieces, marshmallow creme, and chopped nuts in a large heat-proof mixing bowl and set aside.

In a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, salt, butter, and condensed milk. Bring to a boil, stirring to blend, and boil for 6 minutes.

Pour the hot sugar mixture over the ingredients in the bowl, stirring to melt the chocolate until the fudge is well blended. Pour into the prepared pan.

Let cool for at least 1 hour, then cut into squares and serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Makes 12 servings.

Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President, 1963-1969
Texas' first home-grown president was born in 1908 on a farm near Stonewall. Johnson's father had served in the Texas legislature, and both parents encouraged their son's political ambitions.

In 1927, Johnson enrolled at Southwest Texas State Teachers College in San Marcos (now Texas State University). He earned an elementary teacher's certificate and put it to use teaching poverty-level Hispanic children in Cotulla (south of San Antonio).

After a whirlwind courtship, he married Claudia "Lady Bird" Taylor in 1934. In 1955, he became majority leader of the U.S. Senate. LBJ wanted the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960, but lost it to the young, charismatic senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. Johnson settled for the vice-presidency. Then came the tragic day in Dallas.

Johnson declared his War on Poverty, pushed through the landmark Civil Rights Bill, and authorized further U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The country's disapproval of the war caused Johnson's popularity to plummet, and, in 1968, he announced he wouldn't run for reelection. He and Lady Bird retired to their LBJ Ranch (now a National Historical Park). His presidential library is on the University of Texas at Austin campus.

Lady Bird's Spice Tea

• 6 teaspoons tea (or 8 teabags)
• 2 cups boiling water

• 1 small can frozen lemon juice
• 1 small can frozen orange juice
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 2 quarts water
• 1 cinnamon stick

Editor's Note: More recipes and related photos are in our Lady Bird Johnson article on Texana.

George H.W. Bush, 41st President, 1989-1993
George Herbert Walker Bush was born in 1924 in Massachusetts, but grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut. He married Barbara Pierce in 1945. Three years later, the Bushes moved to Odessa, then Midland, where Bush worked for an oil company. The family moved to Houston in 1959, and George Bush's political career began.

After serving in Congress, President Nixon appointed him as U.S. representative to the United Nations. Other posts included head of the U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing, China, and director of the CIA.

In 1981, Ronald Reagan was elected president, with George Bush as the vice-president. Bush won the presidency in 1988, but lost his bid for reelection and returned to Houston. His presidential library is on the Texas A&M campus in Bryan-College Station, Texas.

Barbara Bush's Vegetable Salad

• 2 pounds fresh spinach, chopped
• 10 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 medium head of lettuce, shredded
• 1 cup shallots, sliced
• 1 package thawed frozen peas, uncooked

Salad Dressing

• 2-1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 2-1/2 cups sour cream
• Salt and pepper
• Worcestershire sauce to taste
• Lemon juice to taste
• 1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated

George W. Bush, 43rd President, 2001 – 2009
The son of the 41st president was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1946. During the 1950s, the family moved to Odessa, then to Midland. Bush graduated from Yale in 1968, returned to Texas, and enlisted in the Texas Air National Guard.

After earning an MBA in 1975 at Harvard Business School, he returned to Midland and started an oil and gas exploration company. George Bush married Laura Welch in 1977. In 1989, he and a group of investors bought the Texas Rangers baseball club.

George W. Bush was elected Texas governor five years later, and won the presidency in 2000. He bought a ranch in Crawford, Texas (near Waco), where he spent vacations and most holidays. His presidential library will be built on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Wild Mushroom Soup

• 1-1/2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 pint heavy cream
• Butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 pound wild mushrooms (chanterelle or yellow foot)
• 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms
• 1 leek (white only), finely diced
• 1 small sweet onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

Put the soup in a blender and pure&eagave; the soup. Leave it a little chunky and return it to the stove. Add salt and pepper, as well as more cream and remainder of chicken stock, if necessary. Makes 6 servings.

For more information, check out these web sites:

• Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site: www.tpwd.state.tx.us
• Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park: www.nps.gov/lyjo
• LBJ Library and Museum: www.lbjlib.utexas.edu
• George Bush Presidential Library and Museum: www.bushlibrary.tamu.edu
• George W. Bush Childhood Home: www.bushchildhoodhome.org