National Archives Releases Recipes From JFK, LBJ and Queen Elizabeth II

June 10, 2011— -- Ever taste a British monarch's scones, a Kennedy's chowder or President Lyndon B. Johnson's Texas chili? Well, now you can. Today the National Archives opens "What's Cooking Uncle Sam?" -- its first exhibit on the history of American food and the government's effect on the nation's diet.

The exhibit includes more than 100 original documents and images, as well as government videos, from antiquated food guidelines to a scones recipe Queen Elizabeth II sent to President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

"The concern was malnutrition and getting enough calories," exhibit curator Alice Kamps said. "The very earliest guides didn't emphasize fruits and vegetables, because vitamins hadn't been identified or their importance in a nutritious diet wasn't known."

Kamps believes this exhibit will add to the conversation as the country wrestles with problems of obesity and unhealthy eating.

Check out some royal and presidential recipes from the past below, and click the titles to see the original documents. Please post comments or photos of your culinary creations to the World News Facebook Page.

John F. Kennedy's New England Fish Chowder:(Serves 6)

Haddock – 2 pounds

Salt Pork (diced) – 2 ounces

Onions (sliced) – 2

Potatoes (diced) – 4

Celery (chopped) – 1 cup

Bay leaf (crumbled) – 1

Milk – 1 quart

Butter – 2 tablespoons

Salt – 1 teaspoon

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Simmer haddock in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes, drain and reserve broth.

2. Remove bones from fish.

3. Saute diced pork until crisp, remove and set aside.

4. Saute onions in pork fat until golden brown.

5. Add fish, potatoes, celery, bay leaf, salt and pepper.

6. Pour in fish broth plus enough boiling water to make 3 cups of liquid.

7. Simmer for 30 minutes.

8. Add milk and butter nd simmer for 5 minutes.

9. Serve chowder srinkled over pork dice.

Queen Elizabeth II's Drop Scones:(Serves 16)

Flour – 4 teacups

Caster sugar – 4 tablespoons

Milk – 2 teacups

Eggs – 2

Bicarbonate soda – 2 teaspoons

Cream of tartar – 3 teaspoons

Melted butter – 2 tablespoons

1. Beat eggs, sugar and about half the milk together.

2. Add flour, and mix well together adding remainder of milk as required, also bicarbonate soda and cream of tartar.

3. Fold in the melted butter.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

5. Cook tablespoon-size lumps for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson's recipe for Pedernales River Chili:

Chili meat (coarsely-ground round steak or well-trimmed chuck) – 4 pounds

Onion (chopped) – 1

Garlic cloves – 2

Oregano (ground) – 1 teaspoon

Comino seed – 1 teaspoon

Chili powder – 6 teaspoons

Tomatoes (canned, whole) – 1.5 cups

Liquid hot sauce – 2 to 6 generous dashes

Hot water – 2 cups

Salt

1. Place meat, onion and garlic in large, heavy pan or dutch oven

2. Cook until light in color.

3. Add oregano, comino seed, chili powder, tomatoes, hot pepper sauce, salt and hot water.

4. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about 1 hour.

5. Skim off fat during cooking.

Dwight D. Eisenhower's Vegetable Soup:(As published in The Marion Sentinel, Linn County, Iowa.)

"The best time to make vegetable soup is a day or so after you have fired chicken and out of which you have saved the necks, ribs, backs, uncooked. (The chicken is not essential, but does add something.)

Procure from the meat market a good beef soup bone – the bigger the better. It is a rather good idea to have it split down the middle so that all the marrow is exposed. I frequently buy, in addition, a couple pounds of ordinary soup meat, either beef or mutton, or both.

Put all this meat, early in the morning, in a big kettle. The best kind is heavy aluminum, but a good iron pot will do almost as well. Put in also the bony parts of the chicken you have saved. Cover it with water, something on the order of 5 quarts. Add a teaspoon of salt, a bit of black pepper and, if you like, a touch of garlic (one small piece). If you don't like garlic, put in an onion. Boil all this slowly all day long. Keep on boiling till the meat has literally dropped off the bone. If your stock boils down during the day, add enough water from time to time to keep the meat covered. When the whole thing has practically disintegrated, pour out into another large kettle through the colander. Make sure that the marrow is out of the bones. I advise you let this strain through the colander for quite a while as much juice will drain out of the meant. (Shake the colander well to help get out all the juice.)

I usually save a few of the better pieces of meat to be diced and put into the soup after it is done. The rest of it can be given to your dogs or your neighbor's chickens. Put the kettle containing the stock you now have in a very cool place, outdoors in the winter time or in the ice box; let it stand all night and the next day until you are ready to make your soup."

Ham Shortcake Recipe from the U.S. Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economic:(100 Portions)

Table fat - 2.25 pounds

Flour - 1 pound 2 oz

Salt - 1 to 2 tablespoons

Milk (hot) – 2.25 gallons

Parsley (chopped coarse) – 1 pint

Ham (cooked, diced) – 10 pounds

Eggs (hard-cooked, sliced) – 18

1. Melt the fat, add flour and salt, and blend. Cook 3 minutes.

2. Add to milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.

3. Add parlsey, ham and eggs. Mix and heat thoroughly.

4. Serve on split corn bread, either fresh or toasted

The Associated Press contributed to this article.