Anyone who dreams of a partner folding omelets in a cast iron pan like a scene out of "Emily in Paris," may not be far off from real life — at least if you're Michelle Obama.
In a recent interview with E! News' Daily Pop, the former first lady caught up on all things food and family following the release of her Netflix show, "Waffles and Mochi." The children's show about food is an extension of Obama's work during her eight years in the White House creating initiatives and campaigns to prevent childhood obesity and promote healthier, whole food in the education system and the country.
Naturally, one of the burning questions about the Obamas and their eating habits was ... can Barack cook?
According to Obama, he can and she didn't have to teach him. The Harvard-educated politician came into their marriage 28 years ago with a few go-to recipes he excelled at preparing.
"He came cooking. But he had like sort of his three recipes. He made a mean chili, he could do a good stir fry and great omelets," Obama said about her husband. "So he kind of had his wheelhouse and he stayed in that lane, ya know. But he could cook."
As for Malia and Sasha, who have been spending a lot of time at home during the pandemic, Obama said they too "were curious about cooking" from a young age.
"We had a period when we were really switching from food that you get in a box. We were really trying to make sure our kids were eating fresh food," she said. "So we cleared out our refrigerator, and the one thing that the kids wanted to keep was that boxed macaroni and cheese. They were like 'Mom don't make us throw this out.'"
Obama, like many moms might, made "a deal" with her kids (aka a proposition that ultimately proves the parent's point). She told them if they could figure out how to make the powdered cheese using real ingredients from the kitchen, they could keep the processed version of the cheesy, kid-favorite dish.
According to the advocate and author, her elder daughter Malia gave it her best shot — trying to figure out the process with a little butter knife and some cheese, but couldn't create the processed stuff. After that, they learned to enjoy the goodness of mac and real melted cheese ... and Obama knows the secret to make deliciously cheesy dishes.
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