Right choices just might be baked in
- Erin Stephenson
- Nov 5, 2024
- 8 min read
Georgia Peanut Pie recalls politicians of the past,
but community of voters looks to the future
The first time I ever voted, I was a freshman in college with an absentee ballot and limited knowledge about the issues I was voting on, excited but not that well-informed.
My roommate — also a freshman, also a first-time voter — and I sat at our dorm room desks and filled in the little bubbles with a nice dark pen. Then we put a stamp on the envelope, a task easier accomplished back in the days when people wrote letters and had a ready stash of postage, and dropped it in the mailbox in the lobby. No polling places, no drop boxes, no problem, just done and done days — maybe even weeks — before Election Day.
Jimmy Carter was president then, plodding into the election after a disappointing first (and as it turned out, only) term. Nearly unknown when he declared his candidacy four years earlier, Americans turned to him to dilute the distrust and despair the Watergate scandal had left in its wake. He seemed sincere and down-to-earth and he brought to the spotlight a family of characters who seemed like they could have been part of any or all of our families. He was a peanut farmer, for goodness sake, and what could be more fun and more welcome when compared to the career politician who had just pardoned Nixon. When he won a close contest against Gerald Ford, everyone (well, half of everyone, probably) sighed a big deep cleansing sigh, wishing or hoping or pretending to believe that better days were ahead.
But under Carter, the economy was bad. Inflation was high; interest rates were high; drivers had to wait in line to buy gas. Fifty-two Americans were taken hostage in the U.S. embassy in Tehran and languished there for 444 days. Americans aren’t really into languishing, something Carter tried to remedy when he OK’d a rescue attempt. That attempt failed when a U.S. helicopter crashed into a transport aircraft and eight service men were killed. Americans aren’t good at forgiving that kind of failure. Plus, Carter thought boycotting the Moscow Olympics, telling Playboy magazine he had “lust in (his) heart,” and addressing an anxious nation in a cardigan sweater were good ideas.
It seemed kind of like he couldn’t do anything right.
So when Ronald Reagan showed up — with his Hollywood hair and rosy cheeks — it seemed like he would save America on the back of Trigger or Silver (“Hi-yo!”) or Champion the Wonder Horse.
I voted for Reagan, there at the cheap student desk in my 9th-floor dorm room at CSU.
As did 43.9 million other American voters. Reagan won 50.75 percent of the popular vote compared to Carter’s 41 percent. He got 489 electoral votes; Carter got 49. And in an overwhelmingly red map, Reagan took 44 states compared to Carter’s 6, 7 if you count the District of Columbia. (Interestingly, four years later, when Reagan ran for re-election against Carter’s vice president, Walter Mondale, the margin of victory was even bigger: 49 states and 525 electoral votes compared to Mondale’s 1 plus D.C. and 13.)
I was proud of that vote. I wasn’t sorry to see Carter go.
In his farewell address to the nation on Jan. 14, 1981, Carter said this about the transition to a new president: “… we know that democracy is always an unfinished creation. Each generation must renew its foundations. Each generation must rediscover the meaning of this hallowed vision in the light of its own modern challenges. For this generation, ours, life is nuclear survival; liberty is human rights; the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishment of its inhabitants. ... I intend to give our new President my support, and I intend to work as a citizen, as I've worked here in this office as President, for the values this Nation was founded to secure.”
Today, the final day of this presidential race, I’ve been thinking about those “kinder, gentler” days (yeah, I know, that was from a different election but still Reagan-adjacent) when running for president was more gentleman’s contest and less mud wrestling…
… when we knew with certainty that we would not be embarrassed or ashamed by whoever won the presidency, even if we didn’t adhere to the opposition party’s paradigm.
… when it never would have occurred to us to fear violence in the wake of a disappointing result and concession wasn’t preceded by a riot.
… when misinformation and disinformation might have been a problem but they weren’t a plague.
… when, even as it irritated us sometimes, we believed in the importance of a free press.
… when words like felon, rapist, narcissist, fascist, insurrectionist were antithetical to our national politics.
But don’t be fooled here. I am not the type of person who lets nostalgia for bygone days, bygone elections, negatively influence my perception of now. I know things weren’t necessarily better, weren’t necessarily bright back in those days when I was young and life was potential and things were still surprising, just as I know the challenges we meet today seem staggering and sometimes out of our grasp.
I definitely have strong opinions about who should win this election and I’ve done what I could to ensure that will come to pass. But even if it doesn’t, I reject the notion that this is a time to despair, that democracy is on the line, that an immutable dystopian future awaits us. Because the one thing I know with certainty is nothing is set in stone and we always have a new opportunity to change course, start again, chart a new path. And usually things aren’t as bad as we think they’ll be.
This morning when I went to vote, the polling center was full. There were no lines (I’ve only stood in line to vote once in my life), but new people kept streaming in at a steady clip. And, with a quick glance at those bent over their ballots in the shaky privacy carrels, it looked like a healthy variety of American voters were speaking out: men but more women, a mother with her little daughter waiting impatiently at her skirt, people of various skin colors and ethnicities (the young woman standing beside me was Hispanic), as well as experienced voters (me and others who likely had the opportunity to vote for Carter and Reagan) and young, maybe first-time voters. The sun was shining this morning and everyone I passed in or out of the polling place was walking with purpose, maybe even pleasure or pride, and with a smile of camaraderie and community.
They seemed to believe, like I do, that our democracy is strong because of our differences.
I was only there for about 20 minutes, so I know this was just a quick snapshot, a moment, fleeting and fluctuating. I wouldn’t presume to predict how this will all shake out (although I am pretty sure what will happen in Fort Collins, in Larimer County and in Colorado), but I have faith that American voters will ultimately make the choice that is right for right now.
As Ronald Reagan said in his farewell address to the nation, way back in 1989: “The lesson of all this (his presidency) was, of course, that because we’re a great nation, our challenges seem complex. It will always be this way. But as long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours.”
Some things are just baked in.
The Pie: Georgia Peanut Pie
with Peanut Butter Crust & Brown Sugar-Bourbon Whipped Cream
After he left the White House, Jimmy Carter began what many people call the most successful post-presidency in history.
He founded the Carter Center and dedicated it to advancing human rights, democracy and fair elections across the world, promoting conflict resolution, and establishing village-based health care in Africa. To that end, he was part of diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, North Korea, Taiwan, Darfur, Sudan and other trouble spots. He and his wife, Roslyn, partnered with Habitat for Humanity, building, renovating and advocating for affordable housing. He’s been a teacher, a preacher, a painter and the author of 34 books.
And through it all, despite some controversial positions and some disappointing failures, Carter, now 100 years old, is universally regarded as a great humanitarian of exceptional character and a good man of deep faith and morality. Certainly someone worthy of admiration and celebration.
So serve up some pie.
Carter grew up on a small farm in rural Georgia, and although they grew myriad crops — cotton, sugarcane and corn — peanuts is what Carter is known for. So when I saw this recipe for Georgia Peanut Pie, I couldn’t help but think about the now-beloved former president. It’s definitely a pie with southern vibes, similar to pecan pie but not as sweet and with a lighter, slightly salty filling. The roasted peanuts create a robust crunch that is interesting in a pastry crust. In addition, the Brown Sugar-Bourbon Whipped Cream is a subtle yet satisfying topping that elevates this pie to a truly sophisticated dessert.
The Recipe: Georgia Peanut Pie
with Peanut Butter Crust & Brown Sugar Bourbon Whipped Cream
Peanut Butter Crust
1 ¼ cup flour
¼ cup cocktail peanuts or dry-roasted salted peanuts, crushed
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon cold shortening, cubed
4-6 tablespoons cold water
Crush peanuts
Combine flour, crushed peanuts, brown sugar and salt. Add butter, peanut butter and shortening. Cut together with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles small peas. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, combining with rubber spatula until dough begins to clump together. Sparingly add more water, one tablespoon at a time, if needed. Combine dough into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap; flatten into a disk, refrigerate for two hours of up to 2 days.
When ready to assemble pie, remove dough from refrigerator. Roll out dough into an approximately 13-inch circle. Place in a 9-inch pie plate. Trim, leaving a ½-inch overhang. Fold under and crimp.
Return to refrigerator until you are ready to fill.
Peanut Butter Filling
1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1 tablespoon flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1/3 cup evaporated milk or half-and-half
1/3 cup dark corn syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 ½ cup cocktail peanuts or dry-roasted salted peanuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Stir together brown sugar, flour and salt in large bowl. Stir in melted butter.
Whisk eggs well in a medium bowl. Whisk in evaporated milk, corn syrup and vanilla. Add peanut butter; whisk until blended. Add peanut butter mixture to brown sugar mixture. Stir until combined.
Spoon filling into prepared pie crust. Sprinkle peanuts over the top.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until puffed and golden brown and center is set, about 45 to 55 minutes. If necessary, cover crust with aluminum foil or pie shield to avoid over browning. Cool Completely on wire rack, about two hours, before serving.
Brown Sugar-Bourbon Whipped Cream
1 cup cold whipping cream or heavy cream
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Using chilled beaters and bowl, beat whipped cream with electric mixer on high until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add bourbon and vanilla and beat until well combined. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
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