Alabama Supreme Court Justice Tommy Bryan ruled without hesitation — no question, it is the peanut butter fudge, he said.
But Sen. Rodger Smitherman, of Birmingham, wavered on the decision. Sure the peanut butter fudge is delicious, he said, but there’s also pound cake, cookies, brownies and pretzel huggies.
And don’t forget the Divinity candy and the Buckeyes, another noted.
Polly Ireland’s homemade baked goodies are certainly a dessert-lovers dream, especially when showcased in buffet style.
For Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP) board members and state legislative and judicial leaders, the dessert buffet has been an annual tradition in Montgomery for 30 years.
“The legislators started calling it Polly’s Party in the early days,” Dan Ireland, Polly’s husband, said. “That’s where it got its name.”
Dan Ireland, director emeritus of ALCAP, served as its executive director for 30 years before retiring in 2008. A few years into his role with ALCAP, Ireland wanted to hold some type of reception for representatives and senators like many of the other lobbying firms were doing.
ALCAP’s lobbying efforts focus on moral and faith issues, so the reception needed to stay in character with its purpose.
And it just so happens “Polly is a really good cook,” Dan Ireland said.
Polly said, “It comes naturally because of my mother, grandmother and aunt. They were all excellent cooks.
“Sometimes I would look around the table at my grandmother’s and wonder how she could cook so much every Sunday,” she said. “There were a lot of us around that table.”
It also comes naturally because Polly started cooking when she was 12.
“I would come in from school and cook supper for the family,” she said.
And much like any meal you might find on her Sunday table, the desserts selected for Polly’s Party each year are her well-known and beloved recipes that partakers hope she never changes.
The last of the leftovers are almost gone from this year’s reception — held April 7 at the RSA Plaza across from the State House in Montgomery — but Polly will start thinking about next year’s plan soon.
Four to five weeks prior to the event, Polly works daily to bake three to four sets of each recipe, package them carefully and store them in three refrigerators and three freezers — until it is time to display the results in all their tasty glory.
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