12/16/2021

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

I wish you could smell my house. I wish the people of Mayfield, KY could smell my house. I wish the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh could smell my house. The sweet scent is warming my heart, & I think it would bring everyone a bit of comfort.

It smells so pleasant this morning because I just pulled a batch of Speculaas out of the oven. They are a Dutch cookie you often see in the shape of a windmill with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves & anise giving them their distinctive aroma. They also have a bit of pepper to give them a kick. I molded them last night & let them sit so that the surface would dry out a bit to maintain the imprint. I stuck them in the oven when I got up.

I’d send some to the WH, but I assume they’d be thrown away. Ask Chef Susie Morrison to bake some for you so you can enjoy the smell & the taste. They’re delicious. Hers will be more beautiful than mine because she’s such a pro!

Your trip to KY is the top of the news today. Most media outlets are running the AP story about the KY residents in their MAGA hats appreciating your visit. Your sound bite, “no red tornadoes or blue tornadoes” is cited as an effort to bring unity. Thanks for being such a good Consoler in Chief!

The NYT did NOT run a front-page piece about the trip & only had one story about you today. I find that odd since the WP included 15 mentions of you. One of which was about your nomination of Michele Kwan to be ambassador of Belize. That seems weird to me, but I don’t have time to read the logic behind that choice. Caroline Kennedy’s post in Australia makes more sense.

I heard on NPR that you are having some trouble getting your ambassadors approved by the Senate. That’s got to be annoying!!

I hope you can get JM3 to come around on BBB now that people in his region are seeing you in a positive light.

BYBS,

WH Pastry Chef Susan E. “Susie” Morrison, first woman to hold the position