A Family Tradition

When we were growing up, I remember my mom always making nut rolls at Christmas.  She'd make three.  Half would go home with my grandpa and grandma - they were my grandpa's FAVORITE treat.  The other half my mom would keep and we'd have on Christmas Eve after Church service.

My grandpa has been gone for 13 years this past August and it's been that long since we've had his favorite nut rolls.  So, this year I decided to bring back the family tradition, but to include my in-laws into the tradition.

So, this was one of the beauties I baked up yesterday.  I had to smile.  My mom gave me the recipe that Aunt Irene had written out for her - it was the original recipe, splashed with ingredients after making the recipe for so many years.  I love getting recipes like this!  A recipe that has a story.  In reading through it, I actually had to do some research - anyone know what 2 cakes yeast are?!  Now, we cook quite a bit, we make bread on a pretty regular basis I make dozens of cookies throughout the year and we'd NEVER heard of 2 cakes yeast.  Well, thanks to my hubby and his quick bing.com skills, we learned that 2 cakes yeast are equilivent to 3 - 1/4 oz. yeast packets or 6 3/4 teaspoons of dry yeast. 

You learn something new every day, don't you?

Doesn't this look yummy?
If you've never had a nut roll before, it's a yeasty bread dough rolled like a jelly roll and the filling is a combination of ground walnuts, brown sugar, white sugar, honey, butter and milk (and no joke, that's about what the directions provided as far as ingredients for the filling - there were NO measurements).

My apologies for the not so attractive looking baking sheet.  Ever have one of those go to pans or baking sheets that you KNOW how everything will turn out that you cook on it, in it?  Well, that's my baking sheet.  My mom in law was kind enough to get me a few new sheets, but this one just seems to be the one everything gets baked on.
Well, this afternoon we'll be delivering the other two nut rolls to both my mom and dad and Glen's mom and dad when we get together for Christmas Eve Dinner.  I had to have a little sample (you know, quality control!), and they're not quite as good as what my mom made, but pretty darn close.  With a few years of practice, they just might be.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to my other blog readers that may not necessarily celebrate the Christmas Holiday!

Wishing you a time of enjoyment with your families and friends!

Min