Collecting things is not an uncommon habit and often shows signs early in life. I remember, as a small child, collecting certain small shells each time my family went to the beach. I kept them in a special box in my bedroom. I loved to spill them out and examine each one again and again. I think I must have had that box until I went away to college, and after that, it seemed to disappear, probably when my parents moved after I was married.

But collecting can be a good thing. It can be a “memory-maker.” For instance, when I started collecting cookbooks, it gave me something to look for when we traveled. We loved antiquing, and we could spend hours haunting antique stores. I tried to find cookbooks that were old and related to the “flavor” of the area we were in, or the period they were published.

From the feedback I often get from readers, I know there are many other collectors just like me out there. It’s in our DNA!

When my mother passed, I inherited her collection of recipes that included recipes from my grandmother, my aunt, and my great-aunt. I have so enjoyed reading their recipes and remembering times when our family was together enjoying the results of those dishes.

I recently went through a cute little recipe box of my mother’s and found the recipes I’m sharing with you now. The thrill for me was the dates she had included on the recipes. One was dated 1934 and was from her Home Ec class when she was a senior in high school, in Norman, Oklahoma. The second one was dated 1936, the year I was born. 

Mother was famous for her hot rolls and she always made a pan of cinnamon rolls for breakfast when she made hot rolls for dinner. She liked to serve orange rolls, lightly glazed, when she served ham as an entree.

Both recipes are just as I found them. Enjoy!

Hot Rolls 1934

Ingredients:

1/2 cake yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup lukewarm water

1 egg, beaten

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tablespoon shortening

Directions:

Crumble yeast into large mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt and water. Add well-beaten egg. Sift flour once before measuring. Add half of the flour. Add melted shortening. After half of flour has been added, add the remainder of flour. Let it rise until double in bulk. Work down. Cover tightly and place in Frigidaire. Shape into rolls about 1 hour before baking. Bake at 450 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes.

Orange Rolls 1936

Ingredients:

1 cup milk, cooled to lukewarm

4 cups sifted bread flour

2 cakes yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, well beaten

1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

When milk is lukewarm add crumbled yeast and let stand 15 minutes until dissolved. Add 1 cup flour and beat thoroughly. Add salt, butter, beaten eggs, and mix thoroughly. Gradually beat in rest of flour. Cover and let dough stand in warm place until dough has doubled and will hold imprint of finger. Punch down then pat to 1/4 inch thick. Use cloth covered board, lightly floured, and roll dough longer than wide. Spread filling over surface, roll and cut in 1 inch slices, and place in oiled tins, cut side down. Let rise until double. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Note: Since there was no recipe for the filling, I’m offering this: Mix 1/2 cup softened butter with 1/2 cup sugar and the zest of 2 oranges. Spread this mixture evenly over the rectangle of dough. Roll-up the rectangle lengthwise into a long tube (similar to how you roll cinnamon rolls). Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the dough into 1 inch slices. Place the dough rounds into greased muffin tins, or lay then in a greased baking dish, like cinnamon rolls. Bake, remove from oven and drizzle with glaze.

Orange Rolls Glaze

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon orange zest from fresh orange

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions:

Whisk powdered sugar, orange zest, and orange juice until smooth. Drizzle over warm orange rolls. Cheers!

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