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Head of State Cakes

Making politics palatable

Cabinet Cream Pie: Rex Tillerson

I have a weak spot for a Texas accent. 

And in the midst of a controversial presidency, I feel like I shouldn’t admit that I like to listen to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speak because of the way that Texas sound drips from his tongue. Hmmm….this is taking a tone that is probably a little uncomfortable.

So, let’s talk about a Rex Tillerson cream pie!

Since Secretary Tillerson spent much of his career working for Exxon Mobile, it seems right that his cream pie would have make reference to oil. Since oil isn’t very tasty, let’s take another route. This pie has a chocolate cookie crust and an chocolate cream filling. This represents the dark color of crude oil.  Between the crust and the creme is a layer of pecan butter, a reference to the southern climate that grows pecans so well. The pie is garnished with a White Russian-inspired whipped cream due to the many questions about Tillerson’s ties to Russia as he moves through his duties as Secretary of State. 

As Secretary of State, Tillerson is the head of the State Department, and the president’s chief advisor on foreign affairs. The department is also responsible for promoting American foreign policy around the world. For more a about Tillerson’s responsibilities and the the department he’s responsible, head over to the state department’s website. 

 

Posted in Cabinet Cream Pies Tagged chocolate, chocolate cream, kahlua, pecans, Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State, Texas, vodka, whipped cream Leave a comment

Cabinet Cream Pies

Over the last year, I have been thinking a bit more about the different functions of the federal government. As cabinet appointments were being made last year, I realized that I didn’t know much about what the different cabinet-level officials areas of responsibility. I vaguely remember learning about them in a civics course in high school, a class that I approached with a memorize-what-you-have-to mindset which pretty much always results in such facts falling from my head as soon as it’s safe.

I decided that I would take a moment to learn a bit more about the US government’s executive branch and that I would interpret each of the president’s cabinet members as a cream pie.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for alliteration.

“…he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices…” United States Constitution, Section II Article 2

For some basics, cabinet members are selected by the president with the senate approval. 

The role of the cabinet is to help the president to perform his responsibilities as the nation’s chief executive. Cabinet appointments are for the duration of the president’s term, however, a president may dismiss a cabinet member at his pleasure without the approval the Senate. President Trump’s cabinet consists of Vice President Mike Pence, the Attorney General, Heads of the executive branch’s fifteen departments, the White House Chief of Staff and the heads of the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Management and Budget, United States Trade Representative, United States Mission to the United Nations, Council of Economic Advisors and Small Business Administration.

That’s a lot of cream pie! And I’m ready to dive in.

 

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Joe Biden Big Scoop Bracket: Friendship

To talk about the friendship between Vice President Biden and President Obama isn’t a new thing. I mean, if you’re so inclined, you can lose your entire evening exploring the memes.

I’m just saying…if that’s the sort of thing you’re susceptible to.

Ahem.

I don’t think that many people would disagree that it is more difficult to make deep friendships in adulthood than it is in youth. This is part of what makes the “bromance” between Joe Biden and Barack Obama so special. 

When I decided to honor Joe Biden with ice cream, one of the things that came to my mind were the images this summer of Joe Biden and Barack Obama making friendship bracelets for each other. 

With this ice cream, I wanted to capture this sense of play. So, I made an ice cream that reminded me of childhood fun. The base of the ice cream is flavored with fruity cereal. The fruit flavor was boosted a bit with some strawberry flavoring. When the ice cream was churned, I added more cereal. Then I needed to add sprinkles. It seems that only kids really appreciate the magic of sprinkles. However, that’s not true. Some adults, too can see the magic. Just like some adults can forge those special, strong bonds that the lucky among us experience in our youth.

Posted in Biden Big Scoop Bracket Tagged cereal, fruity, ice cream, sprinkles, strawberry Leave a comment

Joe Biden Big Scoop Bracket: Dark Times

Everyone has experienced difficult times. This means different things to different people, but this is something that each of us has experienced.

Not everyone has had to deal with these difficult times publicly. Joe Biden has does that. Anyone who knows about the great tragedies that have, in some senses, book-ended his career knows that Joe Biden has walked through his grief in front of us.

Here, this very dark chocolate represents the darkness that Joe Biden has had to walk through. This salt both in the ice cream and on the surface represents his grief, The grief that he has been strong enough to show us. To some, his grief has been a gift that has given them the permission and freedom to feel what they feel.

Posted in Biden Big Scoop Bracket Tagged dark chocolate, ice cream, salted dark chocolate Leave a comment

Joe Biden Big Scoop Bracket: Blue Eyes

Can we all just agree that Joe Biden is a handsome silver fox?

There are so many of us out there who have pined for Joe Biden. In a respectful way, of course, we all have class around here.

But those eyes, those twinkly blue eyes, make you feel like he enjoys life. Joe Biden seems to appreciate every day that he is among us. Joe Biden seems to enjoy us, the people, those who he has spent his life serving.

Is it so bad that some of us enjoy him back? You know, enjoy looking at him. And those eyes. And that sparkly smile.

Yes, this ice cream is dedicated to Joe Biden’s physical appearance. 

This vegan ice cream contains coconut milk which represents that bright white smile of his. Also, his hair which he wears so well. The blue are for the eyes. The eyes that look directly at his audience. Those eyes that stare back at us when we consider what it means to dedicate one’s life to the public.

 

Posted in Biden Big Scoop Bracket Tagged apple pie spice, blueberries, coconut, coconut milk Leave a comment

Joe Biden Big Scoop Bracket: Train Tracks

As a Delaware senator, Joe Biden made a daily commute from Wilmington to Washington DC for work. The decades he spent making this trip are the inspiration for this ice cream. Since you don’t get a train commute without train tracks, I thought that I’d create an interpretation of  Moose Tracks ice cream. Moose Tracks is a vanilla ice cream with fudge and peanut butter butter cups.

Since 2009, Delaware’s official dessert has been the peach pie. With this in mind, I wanted peach pie flavors to figure into this ice cream. So, the Train Tracks ice cream has a vanilla-peach base, and is swirled with fudge and peach pie filling. The base begins the same way a vanilla ice cream would, but peach preserves are added to the custard. I adapted a peach pie filling recipe and heavily borrowed from a fudge recipe for the mix-ins. I also made pie crust crisps by taking a pie crust and brushing it with egg whites and brown sugar and then baking it.

As the first Joe Biden ice cream, Train Tracks is in first place so far, undefeated by another. How long can it remain at the top?

Posted in Biden Big Scoop Bracket Tagged fudge, ice cream, peach, peach pie, peach preserves Leave a comment

Joe Biden’s Big Scoop Bracket

A few weeks ago, a few people posted a video montage of Joe Biden eating ice cream on my Facebook wall. My heart swelled with emotions. The first was mild confusion. No, I wasn’t confused as to why I opened up my habitual feed to find this particular visual. But I wondered, Is this who I am? Am I a woman who comes to mind when other people see Joe Biden eating ice cream? Is this who I want to be?

Then I watched the video twice.

When I was asked whether I thought about making Joe Biden themed ice cream, I was shocked that it hadn’t occurred to be before. And just like that, shazam, I had a new mini project on my hands. (And an excuse to spend time on the internet looking for more videos of our Vice President eating ice cream.)

Small pleasures, man, small pleasures.

Joe Biden has given so much of his life to public service that I couldn’t imagine dedicating just one ice cream to him, so I’m going to have to do an Joe Biden ice cream bracket. I like to think that he would approve of this, after all, he did share an ice cream cone with Jimmy Kimmel on TV.

So, in the next couple weeks, you’ll see here on Head of State Cakes the Joe Biden Big Scoop Bracket. I’ll develop eight ice cream recipes, based on different elements of Biden’s life or career, and we’ll have to just see which one is the best.

I can’t wait.

 

Posted in Biden Big Scoop Bracket Tagged ice cream, Joe Biden Leave a comment

Sangrias for Celebration or for Sorrow

Many people have been asking what the Donald Trump presidential cupcake will be. There are guesses and suggestions flying at me at the most unexpected times. I have to say that I don’t know yet. I’ll need to give President Trump some time in order for me to create the right biographical cupcake for him.

In the meanwhile, post-election, I decided to make sangria.

Since those who drink often drink when they’re celebrating or when they’re sad, it seemed like this election could be commemorated here with a drink. That way, you could sort of choose your own post-election, politician-themed adventure.

Hillary Clinton, I think that most people would agree, was a more traditional politician. She spent several years surrounded by and working in our political system. Here, she is represented by a more traditional sangria. Hers contains what you might expect to see in a sangria: wine, brandy, apple and orange.  There is also grapefruit, lime and lemon in this sangria, a reference to the broad group of voters that she would need to attract, that a single constituency wouldn’t win this for her. The sweetener here is honey since Hillary Clinton being called unlikable throughout the election cycle reminds one of the adage where one is advised that honey is more attractive than vinegar. This sangria also contains rosemary, a strong, hardy herb that can withstand quite a bit, but not everything. Rosemary also imparts a strong flavor. Finally, there’s a hint of rose extract in the Clinton sangria. This is because it adds a distinctly perfumed element to this drink. This is a nod to Clinton’s gender.

Donald Trump is represented  by a white wine sangria. Like the Clinton sangria, the Trump drink contains apples, lemons, and oranges. Instead of brandy, the Trump sangria is fortified with white rum and is sweetened by a straightforward, it-is-what-it-is white granulated sugar. This is, in part, a red, white and blue sangria, a color scheme that goes well with a slogan like “Make America Great Again.” The red comes from pomegranate arils. Since some believe that the fruit eaten in the Garden of Eden was not an apple, but a pomegranate, this seemed like an appropriate fruit to include here. This is a reference to the Access Hollywood tapes and the coverage that followed, and also Trump’s choice to invite woman who had at some point accused President Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct. The idea of the original sin never seemed too far away this election season. The Trump sangria also includes mint, an herb associated with freshness. This represents Trump’s campaign promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington DC. The blueberries are there for appearances.

Both of these drinks were delicious, and proved a welcome refreshment as we bid farewell to the 2016 election cycle.

Posted in Election 2016 Tagged Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, sangria Leave a comment

Marla Maples Waffles

mapleswaffle

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. 

Posted in Election 2016 Tagged Donald Trump, Marla Maples Leave a comment

Mike Pence Popsicles

FullSizeRender 2 

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.

Posted in Election 2016 Tagged cherry preserves, chocolate sauce, coconut milk, election 2016, Mike Pence, popsicle, vice president Leave a comment
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