"obama" news and stories

Politicians are used to getting grilled, but when Bobby Flay dropped by the White House for a private lesson, the tables were turned. The chef schooled President Obama on his corn technique and the importance of not flipping positions on meaty matters.

[via: Politico]

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

To skin, or not to skin: Do you eat the delicious skins on your baked potato?

With high school graduations right around the corner, YumSugar comes to the rescue with a whole party menu.

Is it possible to be too controlled? The Obamas are under fire for dining decisions that are "too political."

How do little guys eat so much? Tiny Takeru Kobayashi is the pizza king after downing 5 3/4 Pizza Hut P'zones for the top prize in battle pizza.

Be still our cheesy heart -- a reader recipe for Chicken Parmesan.

Want to pre-prepare a tossed salad without sacrificing its crispness? Layer it early with the juicier ingredients on the bottom and toss it right before eating.

Forget the roast beast, it's time to roast beets!

We've had Obama Pez dispensers, Obama sushi, Baracktoberfest Beer, now this: A portrait of our 44th president rendered entirely in breakfast cereal. Click through to CerealArt.com for a larger image. Though the artists, Hank Willis Thomas and Ryan Alexiev, don't specify which cereals they've used, I think I spy Cheerios, Cap'n Crunch, Honeycomb, Lucky Charms and Froot Loops.

What kind of statement is the portrait trying to make? Thomas and Alexiev have this to say: "The sugary sweet mosaic, made of thousands of cereal bits, depicts idea of what a healthily balanced breakfast (democracy) might look like when considering the role that marketing plays in myth building around corporate and political brands."

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It's Washington tradition for the new first lady to lead a group of reporters through the official State Dining Room to see the china and flower arrangements laid out before a state dinner.

Michelle Obama, however, gave a slightly different tour yesterday afternoon, before the Obamas' first official dinner, honoring the country's governors. The first lady escorted not only reporters, but also the top six students from L'Academie de Cuisine in Maryland. And they didn't just get to see the china, the got to see...the kitchen. And meet the chefs. And sample some desserts. How cool is that.

The guests watched chefs prepare citrus salad with watermelon radishes, Chesapeake crab agnolotti, and a dish of wagyu beef and Nantucket scallops. Obama, an outspoken proponent of local and healthy eating, voiced her approval of the locals carrots being used in the beef and scallop dish."If it tastes like a real carrot, and it's really sweet, they're going to think that it's a piece of candy," she said, referring to her daughters. "So my kids are more inclined to try different vegetables if they are fresh and local and delicious."

Read the full story about the kitchen tour at The New York Times.

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Yes they did. it's President Obama's smiling face, rendered in loving detail in rice and fish bits, down to the oblong head shape. I'd love to tell you exactly what this is made from, but my Japanese skills are a bit, er...nonexistent, despite several years of working in various sushi restaurants. So Japanese-speaking Slashfoodies, please help me out by clicking through to the MSN Japan site and translating. Domo arigato! There's even a tutorial in case you want to make and eat the president's face at home.

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