HOW TO COOK A PIG AND OTHER BACK-TO-THE-FARM RECIPES: An Autobiographical Cookbook

For downhome country cooking, Betty Talmadge's generous invitation sets you to thinking of white pillars and magnolia trees. She goes the whole hog here -- recipes for just about everything ""but the eyeballs and the squeal""--and lards it all with anecdotes: young bride days on the Lovejoy, Georgia, farm; entertaining vignettes as wife of Governor, then Senator Talmadge; years in the ham business and more recent commercial ventures. Family favorites recall the past and menus from special occasions (including peanut gallery celebrants after Carter's nomination) feature Southern fare with traditional trimmings, from ""the perfect mint julep,"" through all those ham and chicken variants, to cobblers, pecan pie, and peach ice cream. Duncan Hines savored Aunt Lillie's waffles, Perle Mesta warmed to the cheese grits, and Rosalynn Carter, in the Foreword, justly admires her style. Lively, personal, and lightly spiced.