My brother and I each have a hand written recipe book from our grandmother, Ho Ho (Hulda). She used tons of butter, chocolate, and bacon fat! She loved to cook and eat and she showed it!

She baked bread and cinnamon rolls to die for. I don't remember the dough recipe, but the filling was -

a pound or two of butter - large blobs every half inch of dough
brown sugar - thick layer across dough
Roll up, cut and place in pan lined with brown sugar and blobs of butter.

I baked bread in my 20's and 30's. My father took it up in his 70's. It's a family thing.

Anno, that's true with my old cookbooks too, lots of butter and lots of sugar! My tendency now is to browse through the books, get an idea, then turn to the Internet to find a more up-to-date, healthier version.

I have a hand written gathered from the years which book which in turn my daughter has copied ..I always added who and where I was given a recipe..
Also a WRI cookery book.The WRI is a rural womens group of long standing in Scotland.Calendar Girls film is the English version.
These recipes are comprehensive..and very Scottish.Sometimes several versions of one recipe are given.This may be due to the original book was by people donating recipes and may be to include each WRI group.
I have many books and like others fund raising here promote books..so I always add another when the chance comes up.
I believe some of the former day recipes using butter /sugar etc
were in vogue at a time when less aids were in the home..vacumn cleaners washing machines and easier run furnishings like duvets have meant less calories are burned doing housework.
My WRI recipes would be used by farming women where the men would need fuel to work hard so modifying these recipes for health reasons is a good idea..

My Treasure

My hardback handwritten recipe book
Used most days in the distant past
Referred to when memory hides
Is a treasure I hold dear

A Morris print in blue and pink
On the shelf beside the sink
Inside a wealth of day gone by
It shows indeed how time does fly

A splash of liquid who know what
A thumbprint from an Icing splurge
One Christmas past in faded red
That cake was pretty so they said

No price can buy that self same book
Whose name beside a recipe tell
Of friendships.. former times.. regard
Who nurture still my soul and heart

Okay, I just tried to sit down and go through my cookbooks to see what I could toss. An effort in nostalgic futility! I mean, even if I could manage to clean out one shelf, what else would go there in its place? Hubby's junk? Forget it. Some of these cookbooks are ancient. Maybe if my niece ever comes to visit, I'll let her take a browse and see if anything interests her. But for now, I've put them all back where they belong and they're staying put!

MA, your poem affirms my decision! I swear I can see the thumbprints of Mom and precious aunts, and can hear the squeals of delight as those pages leapt to life around tables long-since gone.

Yes, true if the lst recipe version is too rich/sweet, then I'll hunt down something else similar.

Or I just adjust the recipe, particularily on the sugar side. Usually if I reduce even 1/8-1/4 c. of sugar for cake crumb area etc., it doesn't affect the sweetness much...which meant the recipe was originally too sweet! It's abit horrifying (to me) to read recipes for frostings, icings. Hence, we don't use those recipes at all.

But then I rarely bake anything these days. He tends to make the special occasion desserts and he makes up 60% of it based on an original recipe. Usually it's now a chocolate mousse (he makes a nice soy-based version) with his homemade fruit compote --usually made from fresh/frozen raspberries, blueberries or blackberries, with wine, maple syrup..he's even use raspberry balsamic vinegar. It works!

Anno..that recipe sounds DELICIOUS!!!

I mean..maybe just a FLING now and again..I think that I just might give it a try..

MMMMMMMMMMMMM...

oh, girlfriend, it is delish!!!!!

When my grandmother cooked or baked, people ran to consume. She also was about 5 feet tall and probably weighed around 250 pounds. Her cooking and baking were second only to her love of eating. She was a joy!

She sounds like my Grandmother Anno...such wonderful memories!!

Same here. Me and MamMaw made everything from scratch. Okay, not true. MamMaw did...I just ate it. I want to cook all the time now. Mother accused me of waiting for people to die so I could take over a pie....that is SO not true. Really. It isn't. I swear.

But...if you feel ill, call me.

Whattttttttttt?

Anno, I would give anything if you lived near me so you could give me baking bread 101....I want to be the world's best bread maker. I have a bread machine, but phooey...who wants to use that? I want to get my hands dirty, you know?