This week's edition of West Wing Week borrows its title from First Lady Obama's Let's Move! campaign. It's an amusing choice, since the video includes the Presidential Halloween celebration, which featured extra candy in treat bags at President Obama's request. The video also has a snippet from President Obama's closed-press Diwali celebration on the White House campus, and scenes from interviews with local news affiliates from across the country, who got platinum treatment during a day-long media event, which included Kitchen Garden tours with Sam Kass. The President's trip to the Cannes G20 is included, too. And of course, there's the American Jobs Act.
Holiday treat indulgences should be time-limited, according to Mrs. Obama... First Lady Michelle Obama has an easy parental solution to ensure that daughters Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10, don't overdose on the tons of candy they gather when they go trick-or-treating for Halloween. It's swift and easy: Mrs. Obama"confiscates" the girls' treat bags, she revealed during a recent roundtable interview with digital reporters. (Above: The First Couple hands out Halloween treats at the White House on Saturday night)
"What we do is we get that bag of candy, and I let them hang out with that bag for maybe a day or two, and then I confiscate it," Mrs. Obama said.
The First Daughters trick-or-treated in the DC area last year, and both dressed up as food: Malia was costumed as a Sour Patch Girl, while Sasha haunted the night as a turkey. But while they get to celebrate Halloween, the girls aren't allowed to participate in the time-honored tradition beloved by America's kids: Keeping their Halloween candy haul in their bedrooms.
"I confiscate it, because it's like, you just don't need to have this in your room; it's not good," Mrs. Obama said.
The First Lady is running a national campaign to combat childhood obesity, and she said the idea is that the girls should enjoy their sugar on Halloween without worrying about over indulging, but then the uneaten candy has to be removed.
"The temptation is too great," she said.
On Saturday, extra pieces of candy were added to White House goody bags for the Presidential Halloween celebration, after President Obama publicly worried that the mansion would "get egged" because Mrs. Obama insists on handing out dried fruit to celebrate the nation's biggest candy holiday. The treat bags included a scoop of dried fruit, abox of White House M&Ms with the Presidential seal, and a White House Sweet Dough Butter Cookie,just as they did in 2009 and 2010.But packages of Reese's candy were added at the last minute to the treat bags, which were given out to thousands of invited kids.
Mrs. Obama's approach to holiday treats is all about balance, she said.
"If you make good choices every day—I tell this to my girls all the time—when it's time for the holidays and the fun stuff and the birthday parties, you don't have to worry about it because you're doing what you're supposed to be doing every single day."
No junk food in the Residence... Mrs. Obama also revealed her approach to limiting her own junk food indulgences. Asked what she does to manage "midnight cravings," Mrs. Obama said that the kitchen pantry in the Residence is stocked with exactly what the President complained about: Dried fruit. The First Lady said she asks White House staff to keep "dried and fresh fruit, cereals, crackers, and nuts" available, and to put these in clear containers so they're easily visible and available.
"I'm a salty snack person," Mrs. Obama said. "So if a bag of chips were there, I'd eat the whole thing, so I just can't have it around. And I think the same thing is true for the kids. It's just tough temptation. So we try to put out healthy snacks in clear containers."
"I just tell them, 'Don't put junk in there,' because if it's there, it wouldn't even matter what it was," Mrs. Obama said, adding that she'd eat it.
Mrs. Obama's remarks about the First Family's eating habits came on Oct. 17, during her first-ever roundtable interview with writers from digital outlets, which was conducted in the White House. Twelve outlets were represented, including Yahoo's Shine, and iVillage, and MSNBC. (Above: The First Lady during the roundtable) *Top photo by AP; second by Chuck Kennedy/White House
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a closed-to-press Halloween Party inside the White House on Saturday night for kids from military families. Mrs. Obama sent out a tweet on the Joining Forces account, and posted a photo of herself with a group of her young guests. It was the First Lady's second "official" tweet. "Happy halloween! Spending it w/ military kids & families - so proud of them & honored to say thanks. -mo," Mrs. Obama wrote (sic).
The special party, the third time the President and Mrs. Obama have welcomed military families for Halloween, came after they'd doled out treat bags to thousands of kids as snow fell over the North Portico. The White House treat bags this year contained extra sugary candy at President Obama's request. Festive decorations included First Dog Bo dressed as Superman as well as cobwebs, pumpkins, and bats.
Anti-egging insurance: White House adds more candy to bags that contain Presidential M&Ms and cookies... His wife may be running a national healthy eating campaign, but President Obama wanted more candy in this year's White House Halloween treat bags. On national television, the President declared that "the White House is going to get egged" thanks to the First Lady's insistence on including dried fruit in goody bags. He suggested that it would be a good idea to "put in a couple Reese's Pieces or something." The President got his wish on Saturday: Reese's candy was included in the treat bags that he and Mrs. Obama handed out during a snowy early Halloween celebration. But the White House didn't mention the extra candy on Friday, as it announced the contents of the Presidential treat bags in a media advisory. (Above: The President holds a basket filled with the treat bags; the Reese's candy is visible) Standing in the White House driveway, President Obama commented on the presence of the Reese's candy as he handed out treats alongside Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses, the man in charge of the goody bags.
"I notice you got the Reese's in there," the President said.
"We listen to what you say," Yosses responded. The chef was costumed as a giant red chili pepper for the event, in homage to Mrs. Obama's South Lawn vegetable garden.
On Friday, in its media advisory, the White House said that this year's treat bags would be the same as in 2009 and 2010, and include a box of White House M&Ms with the Presidential seal, a White House Sweet Dough Butter Cookie, and a scoop of a dried fruit mix. The thousands of costumed kids who filled the North Lawn all got those treats--and the extra dose of sugar with the Reese's candy. (Above: A photo of this year's treat bags before the Reese's candy was added)
The President's exchange about the treats with Yosses is captured in this AP video:
"Halloween's coming up, and she's been giving--for the last few years--the kids--fruit and raisins in their bags," President Obama told host Jay Leno. "And I said 'the White House is going to get egged if this keeps up. You need to throw some candy in there...Put in a couple Reese's Pieces or something.'"
A White House video released on Friday of the treat bags being assembled in the pastry shop shows the ready-to-go treat bags with no Reese's candy. The segment begins at 1:06:
A rare Halloween snowstorm doesn't stop the President and First Lady's pumpkin-laden celebration with thousands of local trick-or-treaters... As a light snow fell on the White House, President Obama and First Lady Obama celebrated Halloween early this year, welcoming a couple thousand local kids for trick-or -treating under the orange-lit North Portico, beginning at 5:48 PM on Saturday. The First Couple were surrounded by cobwebs, bats, bales of hay, plenty of pumpkins--and a statue of First Dog Bo, dressed as Superman--as they greeted excited but drenched kids for the annual fun. The President was "costumed" as First Dad, in gray slacks and a black fleece, while Mrs. Obama's dress was a graphic interpretation of Halloween colors under a heavy black coat. First Grandmother Marian Robinson--wearing fluffy black bunny ears and painted-on whiskers--also joined the treat-doling line. All held baskets laden with goodie bags, and more baskets filled the steps of the North Portico.(Above: The First Couple and First Grandmother in action)
"Hey, how are you? Happy Halloween!" the President greeted the kids.
The first kids in line included Batman, Harry Potter and at least one Green Bay Packer. Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses, and Assistant Pastry Chef Susie Morrison were also handing out treats; they're the star staffers of the holiday, after all, and both got their costume inspirations from Mrs. Obama's Kitchen Garden: Yosses wore a giant red chili pepper costume, while Morrison was a bumble bee, in homage to the White House Beehive. (Above: Morrison the bee behind the President; Yosses is behind the First Lady)
“I know it’s cold here, you guys doing alright? It’s not ideal out here," President Obama said to the kids.
The treats are exactly the same as the treats for the Obama's two previous Halloweens: Each cellophane goodie bag, tied with a purple ribbon, included a box of White House M&Ms, a White House Sweet Dough Butter Cookie, anda scoop of the dreaded dried fruit that the President publicly worried about earlier in the week. The recipes for the cookies and the dried fruit mix are here. But there was an addition to the treat bags, too.
Reese's candy added to the treat bags... There was one unannounced addition to the treat bags: A package of Reese's peanut butter candy was included in each one, too--something the White House didn't announce on Friday when revealing this year's treats in a media advisory. The President "called for" the inclusion of the treats during an appearance on the Tonight Show earlier this week. The First Lady's Let's Move! campaign practice of including dried fruit in the treat bags could get the White House "egged," the President said. (Above: A long shot of the action; Yosses as chili pepper is at left)
"Halloween's coming up, and she's been giving--for the last few years--the kids--fruit and raisins in their bags," President Obama said. "And I said 'the White House is going to get egged if this keeps up. You need to throw some candy in there...Put in a couple Reese's Pieces or something.'"
Mission accomplished.
As he handed out treats, a boy dressed as a headless man impressed Mr. Obama. (Above)
“Look at this guy!” he said. “It’s a headless man – terrible!”
The kid revelers were elementary students from D.C., Maryland and Virginia schools, along with children from military families. After the trick-or-treating, the President and Mrs. Obama hosted a special party in the East Room for the military kids and their families, as they did in 2009 and 2010.
“A cookie!” yelled 3-year-old Peyton Wood after she got her treat bag. Asked by the pooler on duty what she thought about trick-or-treating at the White House, Wood responded with a big smile: “It’s President Obama!”
The Marine Band played and costumed characters greeted the kids as they moved across the snowy North Lawn; actors from theaterWashington and other local venues were called to duty. Chef James Parker of VeggyArt in in Chantilly, Va., demonstrated pumpkin carving from a station set up on the lawn. Parker demonstrated his fabulous gourds at last year's celebration, too. Why mess with immortal perfection?
After the Halloween celebration, the President headed for the Washington Hilton to deliver the keynote address at the National Italian American Foundation's 36th Anniversary Awards Gala. The black-tie event was for more than 2,000 guests.
The White House preparations... For the past few days, staff and volunteers have been busily strewing cobwebs through the historic trees and bushes on the White House grounds, and stacking up piles of pumpkins, including some that the President and Mrs. Obama purchased during a stop last week at a farmers market in Virginia. These were carved by the chefs into fun, scary shapes. There were piles all over. (Above: The President loads a pumpkin onto Ground Force One)
The White House on Friday released a video about decor and kitchen preparations. Pastry chef Morrison gives a peek into the pastry kitchen at 1:06:
More details... "The trick-or-treaters are elementary students from local schools in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas as well as children from the Boys and Girls Club of America and children from military families," the White House said.
More from the festive advisory: "As the trick-or-treaters make their way across the North Lawn to the North Portico they will be entertained by the Marine Band playing Halloween music and spooked by in-costume actors from Washington-area theatres, brought together by theatreWashington.(Above: A detail of a bat decoration above the North Portico) Kids from the following schools were invited: DC Public Schools: Truesdell Elementary, Walker-Jones Elementary, Stanton Elementary, Achievement Prep Academy. Virginia DC Public Schools: Abingdon Elementary, Arlington Science Focus Elementary, Barcroft Elementary, Barrett Elementary, Campbell Elementary, Key Elementary, Belmont Elementary, Mary Williams Elementary. Maryland Public Schools: Mary B. Neal Elementary School, Concord Elementary, Rogers Heights Elementary, Montgomery Knolls Elementary, Highland View Elementary.
The First Dog is super rather than scary as the White House recycles a darling statue from the 2010 Christmas celebration... A cute statue of First Dog Bo--or as he's called today, "Boo"--dressed for Halloween as Superman--stood among the hay bales, bats, cobwebs, and pumpkins at the White House as President Obama and First Lady Obama welcomed trick-or-treaters on Saturday evening, starting at 5:45 PM. (Above: SuperBo stands guard at the White House)
A light snow fell, following a heavy rain as a storm swept through the Northeast. The President and Mrs. Obama gave the kids goodie bags filled with a box of White House M&Ms, a White House Sweet Dough Butter Cookie, and a scoop of the dreaded dried fruit that the President publicly worried about earlier in the week.
“Let’s give out some candy,” President Obama said to the kids as he walked to the driveway. “I know it’s cold here, you guys doing alright? It’s not ideal out here.”
The kids were fine, and thrilled by the First Couple as well as by the 4-foot statue of the First Dog, which was recycled from the White House 2010 holiday decorations. The statue was first created by volunteers last December, using about 40,000 pipe cleaners. Recycling decorations is big at the White House: Today's decor also featured faux apples used at the most recent State Dinner, which were also re-purposed for a partyMrs. Obama recently threw on the South Lawn.(Above: The real First Do with his statue in the East Garden Room during last year's holidays)
Bo is big with kids: He recently had his portrait taken with his mistress in her world-famous Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn, as a special memento to be mailed to children who write to the First Lady.
Cookies in honor of the sweet First Dog are very popular with White House guests, too, though the cookies for this year's Halloween were in the shape of an orange White House. During the winter holiday receptions, guests who got ahold of Bo cookies, which came in a variety of versions, tended to pocket them rather than eat them. (Above: Bo cookies for the 2010 holiday receptions)
Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses' White House Sweet Dough Butter Cookies... President Obamajoked toJay Leno earlier this week that the White House will get egged on Halloween if more candy isn't included in the treat bags, but the goodies this year for Saturday's early Presidential trick-or-treating contain exactly the same items as in 2010 and 2009, the White House announced. Yes, there's candy: Each cellophane treat bag includes a box ofWhite House M&Ms, a scoop of dried fruit, and a White House Sweet Dough Butter Cookie made by Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses and his team. A couple thousand local kids are expected to troop across the pumpkin- and cobweb-laden North Lawn for a stop under the North Portico, where they'll be greeted by the President and First Lady. (Above: A tray of the cookies during prep)
Each cookie is a mini White House dipped in orange-colored icing. The treats are packed in clear cellophane bags covered with stars and tied with a purple ribbon. The White House released the recipe for the cookies, and a "recipe" for the dried fruit. Each batch of cookies contains--and here's where things get really scary--a pound of sugar and two pounds of butter. The horror!The recipe is very easy, but the dough must be refrigerated over night before it can be used.Check the sidebar for more White House recipes.(Above: The Presidential M&Ms that are in each treat bag)
White House Sweet Dough Butter Cookies
*Dough must be chilled overnight.
*Preheat the oven to 350F.
Ingredients 1 lb Sugar 2 lbs Butter 3 lbs All Purpose Flour 3 Eggs 1 tsp Vanilla 1 tsp Salt
Method 1. Mix the butter and sugar till soft and well beaten.
2. Then add eggs, vanilla, salt and half the flour. Beat on slow speed till mixed, then add the rest of the flour and mix until incorporated.
3. Push flat onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate overnight.
4. The next day, roll dough out to one quarter inch thick, and cut out cookie shapes with cookie cutter.
5. Bake at 350F for 14 minutes and then allow to cool. Decorate as desired.Number of cookie servings varies depending on size of cookies cut.
White House Dried Fruit Mix
Mix dried apples, apricots, pears, blueberries, pineapple, papaya, pear, cherries and banana chips together, and serve.
In this video about 2011 Halloween preparations, Assistant Pastry Chef Susie Yosses shows off the cookies and treat bags getting put together in the pastry shop:
President & First Lady will welcome trick-or-treaters as the White House becomes the Orange House... President Obama and First Lady Obama will celebrate Halloween early this year, welcoming a couple thousand local kids for trick-or-treating under the North Portico of the White House on Saturday. Here's a video about what staff and volunteers have been doing to get the treats ready and the grounds decorated: Ravens, bats, cobwebs, pumpkin urns and haystacks are all over the North Lawn. Last week, the Obamas purchased pumpkins at a farmers market in Virginia, and there's a clip from their visit included in the video. These have been carved and decorated. There's also a peek inside the Pastry Kitchen, where Assistant Pastry Chef Susie Morrison shows off the treats bags.
Despite President Obama joking toJay Leno earlier this week that the White House will get egged on Halloween if more candy isn't handed out, the treat bags for Saturday's celebration contain exactly the same items as in 2010, the White House announced today. Yes, there's candy: Each goodie bag includes a box ofWhite House M&Ms, a scoop of dried fruit, and a White House Sweet Dough Butter Cookie made by Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses and his team. Each cookie is a mini White House, covered with orange glaze. The treats are packed in clear cellophane bags covered with stars and tied with a ribbon. The recipe for the cookies and the dried fruit mix is here. Check the sidebar for more White House recipes. The President talks White House egging on the Tonight Show...
The President describes his feast from Roscoe's House of Chicken n' Waffles; talks Halloween treats; and suggests that few people are aware that his wife loves French fries and pizza... UPDATE, Oct. 29:Reese's candy added to White House Halloween treat bags Tuesday night, during his second visit as Commander in Chief to The Tonight Show, President Obama had loads to tell host Jay Leno about food. A pre-released video clip showed the President joking that the White House will "get egged" if First Lady Obama keeps putting dried fruit in Halloween goodie bags; the President said "a couple Reese's Pieces or something" should be added. But there was plenty more. (Above: A White House photo of the President & Leno)
When asked about his Monday visit to locally beloved Los Angeles eatery Roscoe's House of Chicken n' Waffles, the President gave a finger lickin' good account of chowing down on his take-out order in the Presidential limo. Mr. Obama had the #9, the Country Boy, which is 3 wings with a waffle on the side. He admitted that he actually had no intention of eating the chow, which he carried out of the restaurant in a plastic bag (at left).
"Originally it was just a way to be out there and say hi to everybody but once we go in the car it smelled pretty good."
So he caved in, Mr. Obama said.
"I'm eating the wings...I got the hot sauce on there--and the fancy presidential limousine is there smelling like...chicken," he said, to applause from the audience.
"And we actually were going to a fundraiser with Will Smith and Jada and I didn't realize it was so close. So suddenly we pull up and my sleeves are rolled up and I got a spot on my tie and my fingers are all--and i'm looking for a Wet One...and picking chicken out of my teeth."
"It was not elegant," President Obama said, adding "but outstanding chicken."
He got applause and whoops from the audience. The fundraiser was at the Hancock Park mansion of Hollywood producer John Lassiter, where an elegant dinner was served to guests who paid $35,800 each for the opportunity to meet the hot sauce-stained President.
Asked by Leno if the First Lady looks askance at such dietary indulgences, the President made it abundantly clear that he has little contact with the media outlets that criticize his wife's every public meal.
"Michelle--quiet as it's kept--she loves french fries. She loves pizza. She loves chicken," he said. "Her point is just in moderation."
The First Lady has "admitted" her love for French fries in interviews, and her public dining excursions routinely make global headlines.
Mrs. Obama allows daughters Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10, to snack, the President said, and added that she's done "a great job" with the Let's Move! campaign.
Except for Halloween. That's when the President suggested the White House will get egged unless there's more candy in the treat bags.
"Put in a couple Reese's Pieces or something," he joked.
For the 2010 White House Halloween celebration, the President and First Lady handed out treats in cellophane bags tied with white ribbons, and the bags contained goodies that were identical to those given to kids for Halloween 2009: A sweet dough butter cookie made by Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses, a box of White House M&Ms, and the dreaded dried fruit. Yosses told Obama Foodorama that the cookies were made with honey from the South Lawn White House Beehive, as well as organic flour and sugar.
The President also told Leno that Mrs. Obama is in much better shape than he is, and it's "embarrassing."
"She'll get up there a half an hour earlier than me. She will have already run 10 miles or something."
The President covered plenty of other issues during his hourlong appearance, of course. Go here for the full video. The visit was Mr. Obama's fourth overall to The Tonight Show, and came on the second day of a western-state campaign swing that finished today on the snowy city of Denver, Colorado.
