Presidents often are larger than life, but outside the Executive Mansion, they're regular people like you and me, only with more restrictions.

Which might lead you to wonder what they eat when they're just hanging out with friends or family. We all know Donald Trump, for instance, loved his Diet Cokes and well-done steaks drowned in ketchup. No. 46, Joe Biden, is known for his sweet tooth.

But what about our nation's first president, who is celebrated along with the others, on Presidents Day?

As Alex Prud'homme relates in his new book "Dinner with The President: Food, Politics and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House," the best glimpse into George Washington's mind and palate can be found at Mount Vernon, his historic home 13 miles south of Washington, D.C.

One of the most enduring — and false — legends about Washington was that he cut down a cherry tree, only to confess to his father because he could not tell a lie.

To celebrate America's OG leader, we offer two cherry recipes — a super-easy one for Martha Washington's preserved cherries, which you can enjoy over ice cream or in an old fashioned, and another from early cookbook author Hannah Glasse for a pie that would have been served at Mount Vernon, where cherry trees thrived

Mount Vernon Cherry Pie

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This recipe — which cooks might have used at Mount Vernon — is based on one in Hannah Glasse's 1747 cookbook, "The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy." It was adapted by culinary historian Nancy Carter Crump. I substituted easier-to-find sweet cherries.

For crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pea-size pieces

1/4 cup lard or vegetable shortening, chilled

5-6 tablespoons ice water

For filling

1 cup red currant jam

5 cups fresh sour cherries, preferably Morello, pitted

About 1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling over crust (optional)

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons arrowroot

1 tablespoon butter, chilled and diced

Prepare crust: Sift the flour and salt together. With a pastry blender or by hand, work the butter and lard into the flour until the mixture is well combined and resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Blend in about 5 tablespoons of water, mixing until the dough comes together. Add up to 1 more tablespoon if needed.

Divide the dough in half and shape into disks. Wrap individually in waxed paper, and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 24 hours. Wrapped disks can be sealed in a plastic bag and frozen for later use.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

On a lightly floured surface, one pie-crust disk into a circle about 1/4 -inch thick and place in a lightly greased pie pan, gently pressing it into the pan. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Heat red currant jam, stirring until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir into cherries, mixing together well. Combine sugar and salt, and stir into the cherry and jam mixture to dissolve. Taste the mixture and add more sugar if it seems too tart.

Add arrowroot to cherries and mix until well combined.

Pour cherries into the prepared pie shell. Dot the butter over the filling. Roll out and then place the top crust over the filling, folding the bottom edges up over the top piece of dough and then pinching together to seal. If desired, sprinkle additional sugar over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees, and bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven, and set on a rack to cool thoroughly before slicing. The juices will thicken as the pie cools.

Makes 1 double-crust pie.

— mountvernon.org

Martha Washington's Preserved Cherries

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Adapted to modern tastes by using less sugar, this easy recipe came from Martha Washington's recipe books, which were handed down to her granddaughter, Eleanor Parke Custis, in 1799. It can be used as a topping for ice cream or in desserts such as cherry cobbler, and also would be stellar in an old fashioned. It requires only two ingredients, plus water.

2 pounds fresh cherries

4 cups water

1/4 to 1/2 cup white sugar, or to taste

Wash cherries in a colander. Stem and pit them (not necessary, but worthwhile). Boil water in a medium saucepan and add sugar.

When sugar has dissolved, add cherries to pot and boil again. Lower heat to a simmer. Using a long-handled spoon, stir cherries occasionally, skimming foam from the surface and discarding as necessary. When liquid has been reduced by half and is syrupy, remove the pan from heat and let the cherries cool.

Spoon into jars and refrigerate.

— "Dinner with The President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House" by Alex Prud'homme (Knopf, $35)