President Barack Obama marked the start of Passover Monday night with a Seder at the White House. It's a yearly tradition for the president that began on the campaign trail in 2008.

"This has been a very, very powerful event for the president," Deputy White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday, adding that Obama planned to use the Seder plate given to him by Sara Netanyahu last week during his trip to Israel.
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Wine rules! Appropriately enough, February 18 is both Presidents' Day and National Drink Wine Day.

It might be coincidence that Presidents' Day and National Wine Day coincide, but our nation’s leaders would probably find it fitting. That’s because since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, American presidents have enjoyed drinking wine. So much so that our Founding Fathers celebrated the event with glasses of Madeira.

Not every president enjoyed wine, some preferred spirits and some like Lincoln didn’t drink much at all.
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Nathan Berrong works at CNN's satellite desk and writes Eatocracy's beer column, "Berrong on Beer." He Tweets at @nathanberrong and logs beers at Untappd.

Monday marks the 57th Presidential Inauguration, where President Obama will once again assume the duties as commander in chief. Many people will judge President Obama’s next four years on how well he handles issues like gun control, the economy, education and our involvement in the Middle East. But for me, I’ll be judging his presidency on what the future holds for the next White House beer.

Last year, the White House released recipes for two of its home-brewed beers under the Freedom of Information Act. When the recipes were released, complete with a video showing the brewing process, I learned a very important thing about our President - the man cares about his beer! And, he shares three very important things that all Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent and Green Party craft beer drinkers care about - where the beer is from, how the beer is made and the quality of the beer.
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Editor's note: The Empowered Patient is a regular feature from CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen that helps put you in the driver's seat when it comes to health care.

In a battle over healthier school lunches that pitted the Obama administration against school children, chalk up a point for the kids.

Students have been complaining that some of their favorite foods were taken off the plate because of the Obama administration's efforts to make school lunches healthier.
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White House Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses revealed the gingerbread replica of the First Family's home during a preview of the 2012 White House holiday decorations on November 28.
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Something was amiss in the White House kitchen.

The staff was already keenly aware that the newest residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (a 40-something couple with a teenaged daughter) presented a significant cultural and demographic shift from the previous regime and they wanted things to go smoothly. A frantic call was made to the first lady's office, and her assistant, Capricia Penavic Marshall, picked up the phone. "The first lady is in the kitchen, and she wants...a pan!"

"Am I missing something?" asked Marshall. Further explanation revealed that first daughter Chelsea Clinton wasn't feeling especially well that day, and her mother wanted to make her some eggs. This, in the experience of the staff, had not happened before. They needed guidance.

"Welcome to a new day," said Marshall. "Get her the pan."
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After some pressure from the online home brewing community that included a petition on the White House website and a Freedom of Information Act request, the Obama administration gave in Saturday and released its homemade beer recipe.

In a post on the White House Blog, head chef Sam Kass posted the recipes for two beers brewed on the grounds of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House Honey Ale and Honey Porter. Both beers are made using honey harvested from the White House bee hive.

Read - White House releases much-anticipated beer recipe on CNN Political Ticker and see Sam Kass' full post on the White House blog

Previously - Inside the White House garden: a conversation with White House chef Sam Kass

The White House often extends dinner invitations to its friends across the globe – from Downing Street to Hollywood Boulevard – the executive branch rolls out its own version of the red carpet hosting State Dinners for queens and kings, prime ministers and other heads of state.

But this time, the invitations were not intended for the likes of Queen Elizabeth or George Clooney and the attendees who arrived at the White House on Monday were not commanders of countries or glitterati. In fact many of them stood less than five feet tall, girls in breezy summer dresses, hair adorned with bows or flowers and boys clothed in crisp white shirts, ties knotted tightly at their necks. As they walked across the tiled floor, pausing to give interviews to the press, many of them were surprisingly confident despite their short stature and lack of political sway.
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“Look at these...beautiful, purple. We just harvested these too.” Sam Kass brushes away the leaves to reveal Japanese eggplants.

It’s a beautiful summer day in Washington, DC. Instead of toiling in a government office building, Kass is digging in a backyard garden. And it's not just any garden; he’s in the White House kitchen garden. Kass is a White House assistant chef, working his dream job.
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