Yesterday was — well, I’m pretty darn sure — the best day of my life. A coworker hooked me up with one of the much-coveted White House tour tickets. Being the first day the White House has reopened its tours since sequestration’s budget cuts took place back in January. So it was a pretty exciting day, for anyone who was able to finally get a tour, and for the people who work at the White House.
We were held up in the East Room for what felt like forever when a friend commented on one of my Instagrams about POTUS and FLOTUS surprising everyone on the tours, so as you can imagine, my heart started racing. What would I say? Was it true? Would they still be there?
The secret service closed the doors to the Green room right when we were about to go through, which put us in front of the line for the next group. And once the doors reopened and we were shuffled through, I was greeted by none other than Michelle Obama herself, in all of her glowing glory. That woman is pretty in photos, but hot damn, she is 43290423 times prettier in person.
Anyway, being from Los Angeles, I’ve met my fair share of celebrities, but Michelle takes the cake.
I. Was. Starstruck. Especially when she greeted us with a big smile and a “HIIII! Welcome to my house!” Cue Sunny jumping all over her and my coworker. I, naturally, beelined to Bo, who was sitting a few feet away, simply panting and rolling his eyes at Sunny, who was literally leaping and bounding from the visitors, to the First Lady, to the people behind the cameras. I pet Bo for as long as I could, which was apparently too long, because Secret Service basically escorted me out.
My heart was racing for at least 30 minutes after that. Marissa and I proceeded to jump up and down and scream on the White House driveway.
Seriously, best day of my life, and those dogs are the fluffiest dogs in the world. So. Effing. Cute.
This recipe comes from a friend and owner of yet another unbelievably adorable Portuguese water dog — Ollie. Maybe someday, Michelle will read this and schedule a play date for Ollie and Sunny. They’d make a darling couple.
Spinach squares, after the jump.
Recipe: Spinach Squares, derived from Caroline & Geraldine Scullin
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup milk (I use soy milk)
- 2 eggs
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled
- 1 large white onion, finely diced
- 1 lb. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
- 8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper until evenly mixed. Then, using a mixer or some strong Michelle Obama arms and a fork, mix in the milk, eggs, and butter.
- Fold in the cheese, onion and spinach. Then, line your baking pan with parchment paper, and transfer the batter into the pan. Flatten with the back of a spatula, and bake for 35 minutes.
- Slice when completely cool. This recipe also freezes well, so you can make a big batch ahead of time if you have a party coming up.