Recipes evoke memories. They can connect us to past events, places and people. With the passing of President Jimmy Carter on December 29, 2024, and his wife Rosalynn on November 19, 2023, I found solace in reading recipes and stories in the pages of cookbooks devoted to the Carter family and the community of Plains, Georgia. The Library has three of these cookbooks, dedicated to the good cooking and good eating of the people of Plains.
- Plains Pot Pourri – compiled by the Plains Jr. Woman’s Club, Plains, GA; sketches and cover by Kaye Morris (Jacksonville, FL, Convention Press, 1976).
- Plain and Fancy Georgia Cooking – compiled and edited by Dianne Evans, front cover and Plains drawings by Lee Rubio (Thomasville, GA, Radio Ranch, 1977).
- The Carter Family Favorites Cookbook – by Ceil Dyer (New York, Delacorte Press/E. Friede, 1977).
Flipping through the pages of these cookbooks, it feels like I have been welcomed into the Plains families’ homes and asked to come sit for a spell at their kitchen tables. The Plains Jr. Woman’s Club tells me, in their cookbook Plains Pot Pourri (1976), “We hope this adds a little bit of a lot of things to your life.” And I can attest, it sure did. Each recipe is handwritten with attribution to a resident of Plains. There are pages of recipes that include all sorts of delicious southern fare such as peach pickles, pepper relish, crispy sweet potato bake, okra patties, squash casserole, praline delight pie, and so much more. There are even several recipes for congealed salads (after all, it was the 1970s).
Along with the community recipes, there is an entire chapter dedicated to then-Governor Carter’s family favorite recipes. He served as governor of Georgia from 1971-1975. Intermingled with the recipes are household tips, adages, and witticisms from the Plains contributors. This cookbook is truly something special and more than just a collection of recipes. It is a history of the people that lived in this small town in rural southwestern Georgia.
Plain and Fancy Georgia Cooking (1977) is dedicated “to all the good cooks of Georgia,” with recipes that “have been handed down from one generation to the next.” From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the barrier islands and from the Piedmont to the Appalachian Plateau, this cookbook is about “cooking Georgia style.” As one would expect, the cookbook pays homage to Plains, GA, as it includes a chapter titled “Plains Peanut Special,” broken into sections for Carter family favorites, Plains recipes, and peanut dishes. The Plains recipe section incorporate recipes published in Plains Pot Pourri (1976).
Ceil Dyer, the author of The Carter Family Favorites (1977) cookbook, interviewed the members of the Carter family about their favorite foods and which other dishes they liked. In an interview with Rosalynn, Dyer revealed that President Carter liked fresh vegetables. “His first choice” wrote Dyer, was “eggplant prepared just about any way, from southern fried, to casseroles, to an elegant souffle” (pg. 4). Recipes for eggplant, prepared in these three ways were listed in the book, which noted that eggplant souffle was President Carter’s favorite. And it is worth mentioning that President Carter, according to Rosalynn, was also fond of butternut squash, butter beans, vine-ripe tomatoes, and fresh corn.
Dyer’s book is filled with recipes contributed by the Carter family; Miss Annie Mae Jones, Lillian Carter’s cook and housekeeper; Miss Allie (Mrs. Allethea Smith, Rosalynn’s mother); Allethea Wall, Rosalynn’s sister; and the Murray-Parkers, Rosalynn’s side of the family. The featured recipes cover all sorts of events and occasions, such as holidays, fish fries, barbecues, special menus for diplomatic entertaining and, of course, peanuts.
Speaking of peanuts, which are commonly referred to as “goobers” or “goober peas” in the South, all three cookbooks devote pages to recipes involving this delightful legume. And yes, a peanut is not a nut, it is part of the pea family. Enslaved Africans brought the peanut to the United States and the name goober comes from the Kongo language word for peanut, nguba.
Peanut recipes are abundant in the Plains cookbooks and range from the traditional – peanut butter cookies and salted peanuts – to the innovative – peanut butter barbecue sauce and peanut buttered ham. I also learned a tip from Miss Lillian, matriarch of the Carter Clan and President Carter’s mother– when making salted peanuts, you always salt them while they are hot.
There is another book in the Library’s collection, which is filed under Carter Administration (1977-1981) history, Miss Lillian and Friends: The Plains, Georgia, Family Philosophy and Recipe Book, as told to Beth Tartan and Rudy Hayes (New York, A & W Publishers, c1977). This history includes recipes and a chapter on the “The Not-So Plains Million Dollar Supper” which was a presidential campaign fundraising dinner held by the town of Plains on October 2, 1976, at Miss Lillian’s Pond House. The chapter includes the “Menu for the Plains Country Supper” and the story of how 100 residents of Plains cooked and baked for the event. Over 50 dishes were served at this supper, and as Miss Lillian tells the story, “Because some of the cooks feared the old Southern stigma of running out of food for their guests, they prepared as much as 50 servings instead of the mere five requested” (p. 213). The book includes a selection of recipes from the dinner, such as fried slices of Georgia country ham, butter beans, sweet pickled peaches, cornbread, ice tea, peanut pie and much more.
The one recipe that threads its way through all these books is “The Plains Cheese Ring.” Dyer notes that this was President Carter’s “all-time favorite,” especially with strawberry preserves (it is also noted to be Rosalynn’s favorite too). The cheese ring always made an appearance on holiday menus and special occasions. Should you be looking for something special to make for a potluck, party, family dinner or other occasion, I encourage you to make a Plains cheese ring. I feel confident your family and friends will enjoy learning about the significance of this dish and your stomachs will be happy you did.
Note: Should you be interested in exploring the cookbooks mentioned in this post you can consult with your local public library or send us an Ask-a-Librarian request listing which recipes you want to learn more about.
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