Georgia Magazine - December 2023 - 4

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From THE EDITOR
Comments from our readers * Compiled by Jennifer J. Hewett
Has this year flown by for you? It
Bear sightings
Sheri Thrash, left, of Hartwell
and her sister, Lori Giles of
Springfield, are die-hard University
of Georgia (UGA) fans. So
while attending Alma's Georgia
Blueberry Festival in June, they
decided to make a quick stop in
Blackshear-home of two-time
UGA National Championship
quarterback Stetson Bennett.
" We didn't know anything
about the Stetson Bennett black bear, but we
were so excited when we saw it. We just had to
get a picture with it! " Thrash says.
Thrash recently moved from Savannah
to Hartwell, where her home is served by
Hartwell-based Hart Electric Membership
Corp. (EMC). As a Hart EMC member,
she receives Georgia Magazine in the mail each
month and recognized the familiar bear in the
October 2023 Picture this? contest.
" I love the magazine, " she says. " All of it! My favorite sections are Around
Georgia, Georgia Gardens and the Calendar of Events. "
To see the winners of October's Picture this? contest and this month's
featured contest photo, turn to page 6.
-Lindsay Penticuff
GEORGIA Cooks
By Leslie Moses
Sounds yummy!
W
Nothing says Georgia like ...
elcome to Georgia, where the eating is good. This month, Georgians
share what food most reminds them of their home state.
Salt the water for boiled peanuts, pull up the crab trap from the
dock, grab some fresh collards and cantaloupe from the garden, and let's eat!
Nothing says Georgia like ...
... garden-fresh cantaloupe.
She wasn't a cantaloupe person growing up, says Meredith Mazzillo
of Senoia. But that changed after her grandfather and namesake, the late
James Meredith of Summerville, taught her how to pick the perfect melon.
He'd sometimes wear overalls, and they'd ride in his old, sandycolored
Chevy pickup to his garden. There, she learned to hunt for a melon
that was soft to the touch-but not too soft-and smelled sweet.
In the evening, they sat in his sunroom with TV trays and ate fresh-cut
melon from a big, white plastic bowl while watching the news.
" Now even the smell of a just-right cantaloupe takes me back, "
Mazzillo says.
... boiled peanuts.
David Evans of Duluth grew up eating boiled
peanuts on Tybee Island, but it's his story from Plains
that he most associates with the soggy treat.
In 1977, when President Jimmy Carter was new
M
/
in the White House, Carter's brother, Billy, became
famous for being less straight-laced than the
president and having his own " Billy Beer " brew.
" Billy had become quite a celebrity, " Evans says.
Evans and some friends drove from Abraham
Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton to Billy Carter's
gas station to meet him. As they talked, several out-of-state
women also stopped by the station to meet Carter and try boiled peanuts.
He invited them to help themselves, and they began to eat them-
shell and all.
" You got to open them up first! " Evans recalls Carter chiding them.
Evans, whose father also made boiled peanuts, knew the drill.
" You get them at the beach; you get them at the mountains. Anywhere
34 Georgia Magazine November 2023
34-36_Cooks_B_1123.indd 34
10/11/23 11:04 AM
you go, you can get boiled peanuts in Georgia, "
he says.
... Lowcountry boil.
Jennifer Dyches of Savannah recalls
Lowcountry boils with her late husband, Woody,
when family members arrived by boat and stayed
past sunset at their Burnside Island home.
" At first I was so shocked because Woody put
Below is the boiled peanut recipe from
David Evans' father.
DR. PAT EVANS' BOILED PEANUTS
5 pounds raw, green peanuts
3/4 cup salt
Water
Put peanuts in a large
pot. Add salt. Add enough
water to cover peanuts.
Cover pot. Bring to a boil;
reduce heat and simmer
for 3 to 4 hours, then let
peanuts soak overnight
in the brine. Drain off
salt water. Note: Boiled
peanuts can be stored in
the refrigerator or freezer.
Serves 40.
Tarina West's " sweet and fluffy " description of Foggy
Bottom BBQ's peach cobbler made
my mouth water! [See " Nothing
says Georgia like ... " November
2023, page 34; bit.ly/nsgalike.]
I so enjoyed her contribution.
says Georgia like ... " November
2023, page 34;
I so enjoyed her contribution.
David Evans visits
the " smiling peanut "
statue in Plains in 1977.
I, for one, would love for you to
print the recipe for the restaurant's
peach cobbler. Peach cobbler might
just be the Peach State's favorite
dessert! Thank you.
-Millie Smith, Jefferson Energy
Cooperative member, Thomson
University of South Carolina Press' own Cheese
Biscuit Queen, Mary Martha Greene, is featured in
the Georgia Magazine issue with a focus on biscuits.
[See " Biscuit heaven, fresh from the oven, " October
2023, page 30; bit.ly/bisc1023.] The recipe is just
excellent! #foodways #allthingsSC
-Michael J. McGandy, via X (formerly Twitter)
Share your thoughts. Email us at magazine@georgiaemc.com. Please include your name, address
and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.
4 Georgia Magazine December 2023
seems that we blinked and the holidays
are here again, with seasonal festivities
around the state already in full swing.
If you're looking for fun activities
for the family, be sure to kick off your
planning with our Calendar of Events,
starting on page 10. And for a roundup
of cool museums to visit, don't miss our
Around Georgia section beginning on
page 28.
If music's your thing, check out
" A joyful noise " to learn about
Georgia's Singing Christmas Trees.
Hosted by churches in Martinez,
Newnan and Gainesville, these longcherished
community events center
around a multistory, tree-shaped
structure filled with choir members
who sing holiday tunes and lead
audience singalongs. They're often
accompanied by bands or orchestras,
children's ensembles and other
performers as well as a live Nativity to
tell the Christmas story. Read more
starting on page 24.
Opportunities to serve or
honor those in our communities
abound this time of year, too, including
the Wreaths Across America program,
which is highlighted in this issue. Every
December, more than 2 million
volunteers place wreaths on veterans'
graves at 4,000-plus locations
nationwide, including cemeteries in
Georgia. Turn to page 16 for details.
This month, we meet volunteer
Lucy Davis, who is helping feed and
comfort hungry individuals and
families in Stephens County. See page
38 for her story and for ideas on getting
involved in your own community.
I know this time of year can be
challenging for many reasons. My wish
for you is that you're able to pause,
catch your breath and find inspiration
and connection this holiday season.
Warm wishes,
Jennifer J. Hewett
Editor
GEORGIA Cooks
Both Helmly and his dad grew collards, and his
father had a special seed that he'd plant in early spring
for a fall harvest.
" Had them as a kid, my mother made them
really well and I still love them to this day, " Helmly
says.
... deviled crab.
When Georgia Southern University (GSU) history
professor Christopher Hendricks talks about Georgia
food, he can't help but mention origins.
Boiled peanuts? " Probably African, " he says.
Okra? " African. "
Fried green tomatoes? " They're Jewish and
central European, " says Hendricks, who recently
lectured in Europe about Southern food and
has written several books about
Southern cooking.
" Georgia is a mélange of
foodways from all different kinds
of society, " he says.
But if pressed to pick a
quintessentially Georgian recipe,
he chooses deviled crab, the
combination of crab, fat, crumbs
Christopher Hendricks
and spices cooked in crab shells.
A woman from the Pin Point
community in Chatham County shared the recipe with
GSU students when they studied the coastal area where
the A.S. Varn and Son seafood factory flourished.
" When I think of Georgia food, that's the thing
that comes to mind for me, " Hendricks says.
... her mother's cheese straws.
When the late Barbara Hutto learned the secret
to making extraordinary cheese straws, she soon
became known for them.
Hutto had asked an older woman at a party why
her cheese straws tasted so good. The woman replied,
" Barbara, everybody knows you're supposed to sift
R
it twice. "
Take a basic cheese straw recipe-with or without
pecans-and sift the flour twice to make the straws
great, according to Hutto's daughter, Maggie Shiver
of Eatonton.
When you do this, they turn out lighter than other
cheese straws, and they break perfectly.
Hutto shared the sifting " secret " with everyone,
though she said some people were too lazy to take
the extra step.
She made the straws for sorority rushes,
wedding receptions, meetings and " you name it, "
Shiver says. " Everybody wanted [them for every
event]. "
36 Georgia Magazine November 2023
34-36_Cooks_B_1123.indd 36
10/11/23 11:04 AM
Biscuit heaven, fresh from the oven
biscuit is not seen very often anymore.
Chef Paul Zang, an Atlanta native,
teaches biscuit-making at The Cook's
Warehouse at Ansley Mall in Atlanta and
shares with students about the many
varieties of biscuits available.
" Not all biscuits are cathead-style, "
he says, mentioning sweet potato
biscuits with cinnamon butter; drop
biscuits, which Fannie Farmer, the noted
American culinary expert, called
" emergency biscuits " ; and laminated
biscuits, with their flaky layers. Laminated
biscuits rely on very good cold butter,
and their preparation is similar to that of
puff pastry.
" Biscuits can be simple or complicated, "
Zang says.
A good biscuit can be dressed up
with additions of cheese or herbs and
can benefit from adding jam, a slice of
country ham or sausage cream gravy.
Quarter-sized biscuits filled with pimento
cheese or a slice of ham or fried chicken
breast make a splendid cocktail nibble.
Looking for special biscuits for a
breakfast treat? The Sweet Potato Cafe
in Stone Mountain specializes in sweet
potato biscuits on its Saturday breakfast
menu. In Savannah, head to Back in the
Day Bakery or Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room
for classic biscuits. In Macon, try them at
H&H Restaurant.
Some biscuit enthusiasts insist the
best biscuit is made with lard, which puts
it off the menu for vegans. But there are
numerous sources for vegan biscuits.
Flour + Time, which often sold its biscuits
at the Sunday farmers market in Avondale
Estates, is planning a new location
in the West Midtown neighborhood of
Atlanta. Café Sunflower in the Buckhead
area of Atlanta makes them for Saturday
brunch.
Whichever style of biscuit you prefer,
nothing dresses up a weekend breakfast
like a solid, classic Southern biscuit.
" [If] you want to see a pleasing
smile, you don't have to pop a can [of
biscuits], " Zang says. " Make them, freeze
them, throw them into a Ziploc [bag],
and there's no reason you [won't] have a
delicious, steamy bundle of heaven in the
oven whenever you want them. "
Jane F. Garvey is a food, wine and
travel writer from Decatur.
Aunt Mimi's famous cheese biscuits are lovingly
recalled in " The Cheese Biscuit Queen Tells All " by Mary
Martha Greene (USC Press, 2021). Greene recalls in the
introduction to the recipe how her Aunt Mimi's cheese
biscuits keep her legacy and spirit alive.
AUNT MIMI'S FAMOUS
CHEESE BISCUITS
4 sticks Land O' Lakes margarine, at room
temperature* (see notes below)
4 cups freshly grated Kraft extra-sharp
cheddar, divided*
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, optional
4-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour*
4 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set aside 3 ungreased
BARBARA HUTTO'S CHEESE STRAWS
3-1/2 sticks Land O'Lakes butter, softened
8 ounces extra-sharp block cheddar cheese,
grated
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups White Lily all-purpose flour, sifted twice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line
baking sheets with parchment paper or
lightly grease with butter.
In a very large bowl, combine softened
Barbara Hutto
butter, cheeses, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper. Using
a mixer on medium speed, mix until well-blended. Add sifted
flour in batches until combined.
Add mixture to a cookie press fitted with the star disk. Pipe
dough mixture into 2-inch strips onto the prepared baking
sheets. Take a knife and cut the piped strips into 2-inch " straws. "
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until very light golden-brown.
Note: Cooking time may vary, so watch for the golden-brown
color. Allow to cool fully before removing from pan and stacking
in a tin. Serves 35.
1 2
Tarina West
... peach cobbler.
When Tarina West of Atlanta was 16 and working as a hostess at
Foggy Bottom BBQ, she tried peach cobbler for the first time.
Because both of her parents are from Africa, she wasn't raised on
peach cobbler, but she's found her favorite version.
" I've tried eating it everywhere else, and it was like, no, [Foggy
Bottom BBQ] has it better, " she says.
Now studying performing arts at the Savannah College of Art and
Design in Savannah, West likes the " sweet and fluffy " recipe better than
treats she grew up eating, like cinnamon sticks.
" It feels like a real dessert to me, " West says.
Leslie Moses is a freelance writer living in Savannah.
Mary Martha Greene
baking sheets.
Let the margarine and cheese come to room temperature, about 1 hour. (You can
also warm them both in the microwave for 20 seconds on high, as you want them to
soften, not melt.)
Using a stand mixer on medium-high speed, cream the margarine. Place half the
cheese in a food processor and process until it forms a ball, or cream it by hand. Add
the ball of cheese to the margarine and blend until the mixture is fully combined
and creamy. Repeat with the other half of the cheese. Cream together the margarine
mixture and remaining cheese until the mixture is smooth, has a light orange color
and resembles fluffy buttercream frosting. Add the ground cayenne pepper and
paprika, if using.
As the mixer continues to run on medium speed, gradually add the flour,*
1/2 cup at a time, to the cheese mixture. After you have added 4-1/2 cups of the sifted
flour, return any additional flour to the bag.
Place the Rice Krispies in a strainer with medium-to-large holes, if you have
one, and shake out and discard any small pieces of cereal and sugar, reserving the
Rice Krispies. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the Rice Krispies to the
mixture, 1 cup at a time.
Drop the batter by rounded teaspoons or balls from a No. 70 scoop (a .5-ounce
scoop) onto the baking sheets. Press down lightly on the balls, making them about
1/4-inch thick. Bake until lightly golden brown on the bottom, about 20 minutes.
(Mimi would bake them for 10 minutes, then switch the baking sheets between the
top and bottom racks to bake for the remaining 10 minutes, so they would brown
evenly on the top and bottom.) Remove from the oven. If you have a partial sheet of
biscuits, they will not require as much baking time, so adjust as necessary, probably
about 15 or 16 minutes.
As soon as they come out of the oven, transfer the biscuits to paper towels
spread on a clean countertop to absorb the grease. Set aside to cool for 10 to
15 minutes. As soon as they have cooled, serve or transfer the biscuits to airtight
containers so they don't reabsorb any grease. Biscuits will keep in an airtight tin on
the countertop for up to a week or can be frozen in an airtight container for up to
2 months. (Mimi used to reheat them on a baking sheet in a warm oven for a few
minutes to " freshen " them up, then act like she'd just baked them when anyone
dropped by to visit.) Makes 10-12 dozen.
*From the notes: Greene says she uses 2 sticks of margarine and 2 sticks of butter,
because using all butter in the recipe makes the biscuits too greasy and not as fluffy.
Do not use pregrated cheese, as it contains a coating that will ruin the biscuits'
consistency. Using a large, slotted spoon, fluff the flour in the bag before measuring
it out. Sift it and then measure the flour again.
MORE
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Caption
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Georgia Magazine - December 2023

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