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A COUPLE YEARS BACK I WAS DRIVING through Plains, Georgia, en route to see family in Florida. It’s not the most direct path from Nashville, but allows me to stop in Birmingham and then in Tuskegee, and after miles of farmland, crossing a couple of rivers as well as the state line into Georgia, I soon arrived in Plains. The small farming town changed forever in the fall of 1976 with Jimmy Carter’s successful run for president. I had taken this detour into Plains, the birthplace of Carter and his late wife Rosalynn, in search of a cookbook about ‘’Mama Allie,’’ Rosalynn’s mother, Frances Allethea Murray Smith.
Mama Allie died in 2000 at 94, and Rosalynn Carter died this past weekend after entering hospice care. She was 96. When I heard the news, my mind raced to the people I had met in Plains that day. If you don’t live in America or were born more recently than the 1970s, you might not be aware of the Carters’ lasting influence. Rosalynn was at her husband’s side when he was Georgia governor, U.S. president, and, no doubt, his legacy may outshine hers. But on her death, I wanted to share something about the humble people she came from so you might understand why she cared about mental health, caregivers who look after family, and why she wanted to go to cabinet meetings and needed a press office and why to her the role of the first lady was more than just pouring tea. It was an opportunity. Rosalynn’s mother was a dressmaker, and her father was an auto mechanic who died from cancer when she was 13. She helped care for him and raise her three younger siblings. In her autobiography, First Lady from Plains, published in 1984, she said her father’s death was the end of her childhood.
Rosalynn—pronounced ‘’Rose-a-lynn,’’ and yes, I was corrected three times by her niece LeAnne Smith—Carter was from a family of good cooks. After her father died, her mother worked for the post office for 29 years and instilled in her children the merits of hard work. LeAnne spoke to me about Rosalynn’s healthy diet—how uncomfortable she was when Paula Deen came to Plains to film a TV show with all kinds of unhealthy foods—and her unwavering support of mental health awareness. My mind raced back to the first time I met Rosalynn Carter while the Carters were in the White House and I was a young Atlanta reporter covering a food conference in Washington. Nervous about stepping into the White House, I recall her as gracious. She welcomed reporters from all parts of the world as if she was back in her modest brick ranch home in Plains. She had staged this conference because she thought food writers ought to write more about good nutrition and the benefits of cooking at home. She was known to be frugal and kept an eye on expenditures in both the Georgia governor’s mansion and White House, never wanting to take advantage of hard-working taxpayers. And she was known for her work with her husband building homes for those without them—Habitat for Humanity—as well as for a special cheese ring recipe, called Rosalynn Carter’s Cheese Ring or the Plains Cheese Ring. It was a popular recipe back in the day at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. To make it, you combine shredded cheddar cheese, a little grated onion, chopped toasted pecans and enough mayonnaise to moisten the mixture and press it into a ring mold that’s been lined with plastic wrap. After chilling and unmolding the ring onto a platter, you fill the center with strawberry preserves and serve with crackers. It’s not fancy, but like Rosalynn Carter, it’s sweet and savory, kind and courageous. I think I’ll make it for Thanksgiving, and may she forever rest in peace.
Eight Easy Cakes for ChristmasWe had a rule on the family drive to Chattanooga for Thanksgiving, and that was to never play Christmas music before the turkey came of of the oven. Jingle Bells was fine for the car ride home from grandmother’s house, but not before. So as much as I detest all the holiday merch that creeps into stores by Halloween, my resolve has weakened. My kids aren’t coming home for Christmas this year, so I’ve had to merge two holidays into one—Chranksgiving? I don’t think the turkey will mind if we celebrate some favorite Christmas cake mix hacks too, right? It actually began a week ago over on Instagram when I shared cake number one, a Pumpkin Icebox Cake, and how to make it. On the first day of Christmas, my true love baked for me, a Pumpkin Icebox Cake…
On the second day of Christmas, my true love baked for me, a Sherry Poppy Seed Cake and a Pumpkin Icebox Cake… On the third day of Christmas, my true love baked for me, Susan’s Lemon Cake, which is Jamie Lee’s favorite, a Sherry Poppy Seed Cake, and a Pumpkin Icebox Cake… To spare you from my singing ‘’on the fourth day of Christmas,’’ I’ll just say it’s Chocolate Peppermint Bars, a recipe I will share Friday with paid subscribers. And on the firth day, it is not a cake, but Thumbprint Cookies, proving that not just cakes can be born from a cake mix. On the sixth day, it’s Red Velvet Cake, the seventh, chocolate with a peppermint glaze, and the eighth, Eggnog Cake. And yes, if you detect a chocolate and peppermint theme here, that is correct! Those just happen to be my two favorite flavors of the holidays. For the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing these cake recipes here at Between the Layers or on Instagram. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! And by the way, the Sherry Poppy Seed Cake is perfect for a last-minute Thanksgiving dessert! - xo, Anne
THE RECIPES: Susan’s Lemon CakeThis cake has been a favorite of so many Cake Mix Doctor readers. I’ll never forget the morning when a friend called frantically, instructing me to turn on the television at once. Jamie Lee Curtis was on Rachael Ray’s show holding up a copy of my book saying it was her favorite cookbook. I caught up with Jamie Lee later to thank her, and she said her absolute favorite cake was Susan’s Lemon Cake, a cake even a novice baker like herself could bake. The recipe originally came from my sister Susan, who truth-be-told, got the recipe from her neighbor Sally Roy. Sort of the way all good recipes make their way to you, right? Makes 12 servings
Sherry Poppy Seed CakeIt wasn’t until I was writing The Cake Mix Doctor book that I was introduced to the cakes of the late Teresa Pregnall of Charleston. She was known as the Charleston Cake Lady, a generous cook famous for her mail order cakes. Teresa shared her sherry and poppy seed cake recipe with me, and it’s one I have always treasured. Makes 12 servings
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