Cookiegate

First there was FarfalleGate, and now there is CookieGate. Yes, apparently Cindy McCain's recipe for Oatmeal-Butterscotch Cookies that she submitted for the Family Circle Presidential Cookie Bake-off is actually Hershey Co.'s recipe. As many followers of this saga have pointed out, this is much like when Monica found out that Phoebe's Grandma's famous chocolate chip cookies were from Nestle or when Screech's Spaghetti Sauce was actually Betsy Crocker [sic].

Ok, so Cindy McCain should have been more careful, especially considering she has a reputation of stealing recipes. Yes, she should have cited the source if she knew where it came from.

But can this please be a sign to Family Circle about how ridiculous this bake-off is? Do we really think that any presidential candidate's spouse really bakes cookies from scratch, let alone has an original family recipe? I love to bake and am even known to many as a baker, but I use packages (Ghirardelli brownie mix is still better than anything I have tried from scratch) or recipes from cookbooks, other people, or websites. Yeah, we have a family recipe for eggrolls but who knows who that is copied from.

More importantly though, even if a Presidential candidate's spouse made the most amazing cookies, would that make that person a better First Lady/Lad or that person's spouse a better President?

I know this supposed to be a lighthearted competition, but it reinforces gender stereotypes (though this year it was interesting to see Bill Clinton enter in his family cook's recipe), puts candidates' spouses in a difficult position, and serves no purpose.

I vote Break and Bake in 2012. That's what American families use anyway.

[Images courtesy of Family Circle and Nestle- no, it could not have been more perfect]