White House Trick or Treating

Tonight (a rainy, sogging, Saturday night) President and Mrs. Obama will welcome local children to trick-or-treat at the North Portico of the White House.  The Portico will be lit orange for the occasion.

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.

Here's a video of the making of Halloween at the White House 2011, and video of the actual Halloween festivities, complete with First Grand Mother, Mrs. Robinson, here.



Per the White House, the following tricks and/or treats will be the order of the evening.

TRICKS

The White House and the surrounding grounds will be decorated in celebration of Halloween. 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.

Veggy Art, a small-business owned by Chef James Parker and based in Chantilly, Va., will provide decorative pumpkins and on-site carving demonstrations for the event. The North Lawn will be decorated with ravens, cobwebs, pumpkin urns and branches.

TREATS

The following treats will be provided, which the Obamas have given to White House trick-or-treaters since 2009:

·         A Box of White House M & Ms

·         A White House Sweet Dough Butter Cookie Made by White House Pastry Chef Bill Yosses

·         A Serving of Dried Fruit

The White House has even provided the recipe for the White House Sweet Dough Butter Cookie, Dried Fruit Mix.. 

The White House Sweet Dough Butter Cookie Recipe

1 lb Sugar                                                        1 tsp Vanilla
2 lbs Butter                                                     1 tsp Salt
                        3 Eggs                                                             3 lbs All Purpose Flour
                                                                       
Mix the butter and sugar till soft and well beaten. 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.

Push flat onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate overnight. Roll out to one quarter inch thick and cut out cookie shapes with cookie cutter.

Bake at 350F for 14 minutes and then allow to cool. 

Make Your Own Dried Fruit Mix

Dried Apples                                                               Dried Pineapple
Dried Apricots                                                            Dried Papayas
Dried Pears                                                                 Dried Cherries
Dried Blueberries                                                        Banana Chips

Combine ingredients and serve. Yum!

Click below for our Halloween trick, or depending on you, treat.