Marla Maples Waffles

July 31, 2016 in Election 2016

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As we enter the last few months of the 2016 presidential election cycle, I’ve been thinking of how I want to give this particular time the Head of State Cakes treatment. So, I’ve decided to do waffles for the spouses of this year’s presidential candidates. There’s more ground to cover with Trump’s wives, so I decided to start there.

Of the three women that Donald Trump has been married to, I can’t tell you exactly why Marla Maples is the one who first piqued my curiosity.

Marla Maples was Donald Trump’s second wife. They were married 1993-1997, and she is the mother of his daughter, Tiffany Trump.  Maples is an actress and has starred in movies, on television and has done theater work. Marla Maples also starred on Dancing With the Stars. It was on that show where she admitted that she’s tired of getting questions about Donald Trump’s hair. 

Watching a few clips of Marla Maples highlights an apparent difference in personality between her and Donald Trump. Maples is very into health and wellness, and Tiffany Trump said that when she was younger that Maples would make healthy chocolates, but that Donald would sneak her down to the store in Trump Tower for Almond Joys.  Maples is originally from Georgia, and has been Tiffany Trump’s primary day-to-day parent, and has tried to raise her daughter with the values that she holds dear from her own upbringing.

These are the flavors that make up this Marla Maples waffle. The waffle itself is a whole wheat waffle with chopped roasted almonds in it. For sweetness there is a homemade chocolate syrup drizzled atop the waffle. Finally, the waffle is topped with fresh sliced peaches, a nod to Maples’ Georgia roots. 

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Mike Pence Popsicles

July 30, 2016 in Election 2016

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I have to admit, I’m more interested in the presidents and other historical or political figures after their terms are served.

This year, I know virtually nothing about the  vice presidential candidates.

Google told me that Tim Kaine is known for his expressive eyebrows.

A few months ago, a podcast told me that Mike Pence is know for, among other things, some controversial legislation that has to do with women’s bodies. Mike Pence is a politician with strong anti-abortion convictions. He signed into law  House Bill 1337.

This law “Provides that a miscarried or aborted fetus must be interred or cremated by a facility having possession of the remains. Requires a person or facility having possession of a miscarried or aborted fetus to ensure that the miscarried fetus or aborted fetus is preserved until final disposition occurs.” This is the language that caused some Indiana women to contact Pence’s office detailing very personal information. As some miscarriages happen before a woman knows that she has been pregnant, women began to contact Pence’s office describing the detail of their menstrual flow and asking whether they needed to inter or cremate the contents. 

This popsicle references these events. This popsicle has a coconut milk base which is sweetened with agave syrup. There are also cherry preserves, and homemade chocolate sauce in this popsicle. The white of the coconut milk represents the white of a toilet bowl or a maxi pad. The add-ins, with their mix of red and brown represent menstrual biological material.

So often, conversations about medical issues focus on philosophy. This popsicle, no matter your position on the involved issues, encourages you to think about the flesh and blood lives attached to these issues.

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Cocktail Coundown: Founding Fathers

June 7, 2016 in Countdown Cocktails

If Election 2016 makes you feel like drinking, I can help. Here I’ll make cocktails for each US President. By November, we can drink them all!

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One died in service to his county. Three died on the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, two on the same day, one, five years later. Among the first five presidents there were the Commander of the Continental Army, the main voice of the Declaration of Independence, and the father of the Constitution. Here are men who remained friends for life. There were also, among them, men who were friends, and then estranged from each other, and then friends again.

The American Revolution and the years that followed were fiery ones which provided the perfect landscape for a variety of passionate men with diverse personalities and visions for the new nation they all had a role in creating. As presidents of a new nation, they set the traditions of the office, and also established the precursors to the partisan politics that are so familiar to us now.

Now you can drink them.

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Candidate Cookies: Hillary Clinton

March 17, 2016 in Candidate Cookies

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Candidate cookies are a quick look at the men and women who aspire to be President of the United States 2017-2020.

It’s not easy running for President of the United States when you have a long, public political history. It’s also not easy for a presidential biocookieographer to decide how to turn such a candidate into a cookie. Hillary Clinton’s cookie, though, is very informed by the “I’m with her” tagline associated with her logo. This cookie nods to the precarious balance that a female candidate has to strike. This cookie is about the balance between projecting oneself as a strong candidate, but also capitalizing on your feminine edge. Lemons are the perfect ingredient, then, for this cookie. Lemons have a strong flavor. The protective skin, via it’s oil, provides vary strong flavor, so lemon zest is throughout this cookie. There are two types of chocolate in this cookie, but not chocolate chips. This bar chocolate, one bittersweet, one extra dark, is a bit more expensive than many chocolate chips, and alludes to the the dollars that back her campaign. Finally, the cookie is contains a creamy crumble on top, as female candidates are squeezed into paying attention to the way that they come off differently than male candidates do. This is a reminder that such a candidate may have to dust herself with extra sugar from time to time.

For substantive information about Hillary Clinton, you might take a peek at her campaign website, or at her Project Votesmart profile page. The Wikipedia page will lead you to some other articles and resources if you scroll down to the bottom.

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First Lady Donuts: Abigail Adams

March 15, 2016 in FLOTUS Donuts

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Candidate Cookies: Ben Carson

March 12, 2016 in Candidate Cookies

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Candidate cookies are a quick look at the men and women who aspire to be President of the United States 2017-2020.

While Ben Carson is no longer in the presidential race, I see no good reason to let a photo of a cookie made months ago go to waste.

This cookie makes reference to Ben Carson’s past, something that was a hot topic of discussion during parts of his bid to become to Republican Party’s 2016 presidential candidate. At one point, Carson was on the board of directors for Kellogg Co. With this in mind, crushed corn flakes make sense for an ingredient in his cookie. Better Made potato chips, which are, like Carson, from Detroit are also a part of this cookie. Finally, this cookie contains chocolate chips. Here’s the part where I  briefly considered selling you guys a bill of goods regarding the chocolate chip. I thought about telling you that this was a reference to his wife’s name, Candy. I mean, all the most famous candy bars have chocolate, right? But, Ben Carson has chocolate in his cookie because he’s this year’s black candidate.

For substantive information about Ben Carson, you might take a peek at his campaign website, or at his Project Votesmart profile page. The Wikipedia page will lead you to some other articles and resources if you scroll down to the bottom.

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Candidate Cookies: Mike Huckabee

January 11, 2016 in Candidate Cookies

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Candidate cookies are a quick look at the men and women who aspire to be President of the United States 2017-2020.

 

Mike Huckabee, an ex-Baptist minister, is one of the presidential candidates who is a proponent of “family values,” as he defines them. On his website he makes it clear that he will not apologize for his faith nor his values. Some of the positions he takes are Biblical positions, as he interprets them. 

Some of the criticism that he’s taken during this election cycle ties directly to his religious views. For example, when he said that Josh Duggar should be forgiven for his teenage sexual transgressions against five girls, including his sisters. He did not condone Duggar’s behavior; he said that this was inexcusable. He meant unforgivable in a greater sense. He said also that those who talked about these deeds, suggesting that they were enjoying someone else’s difficulty, “revealed their own insensitive bloodthirst.” Fiery language. 

Mike Huckabee is the candidate who once said, “Will you vote the values that will stand the test of fire?Will you vote the values that will stand the test of fire?”

Huckabee’s cookie contains cinnamon, cinnamon candy pieces, and a dash of cayenne.  These spicy mix-ins represent fire. They also represent the fire that he believes should be applied to the United States tax system, burning it down to the ground.

For substantive information about Donald Trump, you might take a peek at his campaign website or at his Project Votesmart profile page. TheWikipedia page will lead you to some other articles and resources if you scroll down to the bottom.

 
 
 
 

 

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First Lady Donuts: Martha Washington

December 30, 2015 in FLOTUS Donuts

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Candidate Cookies: Donald Trump

December 29, 2015 in Candidate Cookies

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Candidate cookies are a quick look at the men and women who aspire to be President of the United States 2017-2020.

Donald Trump’s cookie references both his personal story and statements that he has made over the last several months. As a billionaire, his cookie should have ingredients that one might not use every day. This is where saffron comes in. Donald Trump comes to us from the world of entertainment. As a result, some of the coverage that he gets is a bit different than coverage of other candidates. This is where the cashews come in. The cashew tree has a short, irregular trunk. There was a whole Vanity Fair article about a claim that Donald Trump has short fingers. The coconut flakes are a reference to Mr. Trump’s famous hair. The flakes sit in the cookie at a variety of angles. Also, the flakes are white when they go into the batter, but those that sit on top of the cookie take on a sandier, never-quite-brown color upon baking. This represents the variety of colors we can observe in Trumps hair if perusing Google images. Finally, Donald Trump’s nativist leanings inspired the inclusion of white chocolate chips.

For substantive information about Donald Trump, you might take a peek at his campaign website, or at his Project Votesmart profile page. The Wikipedia page will lead you to some other articles and resources if you scroll down to the bottom.

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Candidate Cookies: Rick Perry

August 9, 2015 in Candidate Cookies

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Candidate cookies are a quick look at the men and women who aspire to be President of the United States 2017-2020.

Rick Perry’s cookie takes a look at some of Perry’s favorite things. Rick Perry plays the piano, so white and chocolate chips are used here to represent the ebony and ivory keys. He is said to like popcorn, too so they are also included in his cookie. Because Rick Perry is a fifth-generation Texan, it seemed appropriate to also include pecans since Texas grows a lot of them. 

For substantive information about Rick Perry, you might take a peek at his campaign website, or at his Project Votesmart profile page. The Wikipedia page will lead you to some articles and other resources if you scroll down to the bottom.

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