When most children hear “school project,” they think cardboard dioramas and baking soda volcanoes. But others? They aspire to greatness.
Such was the case with one Miss Lauren Wu, 10, of San Carlos, Calif., who asked every U.S. governor for his or her favorite recipe. Twenty-six said yes. (Twenty-seven if you count Hawaii, who came in past the deadline.) The below cookbook is the result.
“American Cooking” speaks to the nation’s deeply engrained culinary traditions—Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley submitted a recipe for crab cakes; Florida Gov. Rick Scott sent two variations on Key Lime pie.
But it also reveals much about the personal and professional priorities of those governors who did not participate. If Chris Christie found time to send his blueberry French strata recipe on April 1, while he was deep in the muck dealing with Bridgegate scandal, what excuse do his non-participating peers have?
Miss Wu, however, is not one to hold a grudge. “The governors are all very busy,” she says, “and I don’t know, I’m sure they get a bunch of emails every day.”
She embarked on this project to learn more about cooking, and has already tried a number of the recipes at home. So far, her favorite has been Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead’s chocolate chip cookies. “We usually have chocolate chip cookies at our house,” she says, “but these were different—they were really fluffy and good.”
In the above video, she watched her friend and TIME staffer Joel Stein try his hand at Christie’s strata. As for O’Malley’s native dish, Wu says, “The crab cakes weren’t my favorite, because I’m not a huge fan of crab, but they were good still.” Plenty of experimentation remains ahead: “There are a lot of good options. Maybe I’m gonna try Maine’s blueberry pie, or maybe Florida’s Key Lime pie. I’m probably gonna try a pie of some sort.”
Wu intends to participate in the program that invited her to do this optional project again next year, when she will be in sixth grade. By then, there’s no doubt she’ll have the clout to get recipe submissions from the likes of Angela Merkel and Kim Jong-un.
QUIZ: Should You Eat This or That?
![84505234 Which is better for you: A 1/2 cup of ice cream or 3 scoops of sorbet?](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/sorbet-icecream2.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Answer: A 1/2 cup of ice cream](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/icecream.gif?w=2400&quality=75)
![84505234 Which is better for you: Real butter or spray on fake butter?](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/butter-pam2.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Answer: Butter](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/butter.gif?w=2400&quality=75)
![172882192 Which is better for you: A sirloin burger or a turkey burger?](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/sirloin-burger-turkey-burger1.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/sirloin-burger.gif?w=2400&quality=75)
![84505234 Which is better for you: Almonds or pretzels?](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/almonds-pretzels.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Answer: Almonds](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/almonds-pretzels.gif?w=2400&quality=75)
![84505234 Which is better for you: Eggs or Special K?](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/egg-specialk2.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Answer: Eggs](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/egg1.gif?w=2400&quality=75)
![84505234 84505234](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/salad-dressing.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Answer: Regular salad dressing](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/regular-salad-dressing.gif?w=2400&quality=75)
![84505234 Which is better for you: A low fat cookie or dark chocolate?](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/cookie-chocolate1.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Answer: Dark chocolate “People tend to believe fat free is calorie free,” says Keri Gans, a registered dietitian in New York City. “Go for the real thing.” Fat free cookies may be lower in fat, but higher in other ingredients like sugar. Try a nice piece of dark chocolate for those antioxidants.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/chocolate1.gif?w=2400&quality=75)
![84505234 Which is better for you: Low fat Greek yogurt or 100 calorie Yoplait yogurt?](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/yogurt2.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Answer: Low fat Greek Yogurt](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/greek-yogurt2.gif?w=2400&quality=75)
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