Now We’re Cookin’

By Barbie Porter

Editor 

Georgia was established as the 13th colony in 1733 and entered the union as the fourth state on Jan. 2, 1788.

The earliest population data that could be found dated back to 1800. At that time, the state had 162,686 residence. In the 2020 census the state had 10.7 million people.

On Dec. 5, 1877, voters named Atlanta as its capital ( by a vote of 99,147 to 55,201). 

  There are many tourist attractions in the state, but I find the Georgia Guidestones the most intriguing. Installed in 1979 by an unknown person, they have 10 guidelines etched into stone in eight modern languages and four that are no longer used.

The instructions include population control, creating one language for all,  a world court and more.

Another fun fact about Georgia is that it is the birthplace of Coca-Cola and was invented in 1886 by  pharmacist John Pemberton. The state is also well known for its peaches and nuts, which brings us to this week’s recipes.

 Sweet Georgia Peanuts

The grocery list for Sweet Georgia Peanuts calls for butter, roasted peanuts, sugar and salt.  

Melt six tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add a cup of sugar and then three cups of roasted peanuts (salted or not is dealer’s choice). Stir and combine and stir some more over medium heat until the peanuts have a cruble and crystallized look (between 2-5 minutes). 

Add 11/2 tablespoons of water and continue stiring until the mixture begins to caramelize. Keep stiring and cooking over medium low heat for about seven minutes. After removing from heat, sprinkle wiht a pinch of salt and place on a baking sheet to cool. 

Candied pecans

The grocery list for this delicious Georgian snack includes white sugar, ground cinnamon, salt, eggs, and pecan halves.

The first step is to preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Then grab a bowl and dump in a cup of white sugar, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a teaspoon of salt and mix thoroughly.

Grab another bowl and and egg. Seperate the yolk and egg white and allow the egg white to go into the bowl. Add a tablespoon of water and mix until frothy. Add a pound of pecan halves to mixture and then add the sugar mix until pecans are evenly coated.

Spread the pecans onto a baking sheet and place in the pre-heated oven. Stir every 20 minutes until the pecan are browned (about an hour).

 Peach O-nade

The grocery list for Georgia’s Peach O-nade includes peaches, sugar, lemon juice and whole lemons.

Grab a chopping knife and three peaches and cut the fruit into small chopped cubes. I like to leave the skin on, but some prefer to remove it. 

Using a saucepan, add three cups of water and then 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Slide in the chopped beaches and turn the heat up. When a rolling boil can be seen reduced the heat to simmer, cover and let it sit for five minutes. 

When the timer rings, remove the sauce pan from the heat and let the mixture cool. I usually pour it into a glass bowl and place it in the fridge so the cooling time is shortened. 

While waiting, it is the perfect time to grab a large pitcher and put in a cup of lemon juice. 

Then, grab a lemon and cut refined thin slices, as this will be used as a garnish for the special drink.

When the peach mixture has cooled and no steam rises from it, add it to the lemon juice in the pitcher and stir.