He Shall From Time To Time

Tonight is the State of the Union Address, and for once I'm actually excited to watch it! Having been subjected to, shall we say...less than eloquent speeches for most of my adult life, I am looking forward to hearing from someone who has proven himself to be a gifted public speaker. (Whether you agree with what he has to say is an entirely different matter, the guy knows his oratory!)

So I thought I would share with you a few bits of trivia about this well known speech:

• Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution states: He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such matters as he shall judge necessary and expedient...
• This doesn't mean that it has to be a speech! After Washington (who gave the shortest state of the union speech, only 833 words!) and Adams delivered their speeches, Thomas Jefferson chose to deliver his to the Congress in writing. (We all know he was good with the pen, after all!) The subsequent presidents followed Jefferson's lead until Woodrow Wilson chose to deliver his in person. All presidents since Wilson have chosen to deliver theirs in person as well.
• Calvin Coolidge was the first president to have his speech broadcast over the radio. Harry S. Truman was the first to give his speech on television.
• Truman gave the longest speech, at over 25,000 words! Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the most speeches, 12. He is also the one to move the speech from afternoon to evening so that more Americans could hear it. (So blame him tonight when there's nothing on TV!

I encourage you all to take part in this small display of our Constitution at work. Plus, people might be talking about it around the watercooler tomorrow, and you don't want to look like an idiot!

Here is a cute recipe, from the Dinner and a Movie Cookbook, just for the occasion!

State of the Onion Soup

-1/4 cup butter

-2 lbs red, yellow and white onions, sliced thin

-5 cloves of garlic, minced

-1/2 cup dry red wine

-3 cups rich beef broth

-1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

-4 slices sourdough bread

-2 cups shredded Swiss Gruyere cheese

1. Melt butter in a large pot. Saute onions and garlic slowly until very tender and golden.

2. Add wine and 1 cup broth. Increase heat to med-high, and simmer 5 minutes until reduced.

3. Stir in remaining broth and mustard, simmer 20 min or until warm. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into oven safe bowls. Top each bowl with a slice of bread and a generous amount of cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly.