Saturday, December 19, 1925

Saturday, December 19, 1925

Cleaned house as usual without the usual interference of Jack Apple, who it seems heard about the mysterious box in the pantry that Dick was not to open, so he persuaded Dick to open it. Snooped some himself and then told Dale on Dick with the object of getting Dick into trouble so he couldn’t have any candy on Christmas. Both boys feel it is a low trick.

(I'm not sure who Jack Apple was, sounds like someone who hung around with Dick, but who wasn't a good influence at all. Update later on 12/19: Per comment from Sissy, "Jack Apple" may have been another way to say "the devil made me do it". Per this website, Jack Apple refers to a "dottering fool". Perhaps there was a friend that wasn't a good influence, and Grandma just called him "Jack Apple"? It sounds like Grandma was writing about someone real, and indeed, according to a note from Aunt Marjorie, the Apples lived on Temple St. just behind them, so that solves that, Jack was a real boy.

One of the types of candy that Dick might not have gotten since he snooped before Christmas was cinnamon roll. According to Aunt Marjorie, the cinnamon roll recipe started with Grandma's father, Rolla Campbell. A batch or two still gets made at Christmas time by someone in the family. Here is the recipe.

Grandpa Campbell's Cinnamon Roll

2 cups sugar (granulated)
2 Tablespoons flour (slightly rounded)
1 cup milk
1 lump butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pie pan with 1/4" +/- cinnamon spread in the bottom)

Have everything ready before you start. Have a clean marble slab or countertop greased with butter, and have a small lump of butter ready to grease your hands when ready to knead candy. Have 2" - 3" cold water in the sink, and have a lump of butter (Mother used to say "size of a walnut") and vanilla standing by the sink. I use a 3 or 4 quart dull pan (shiny stainless steel would scorch the milk).

Mix sugar and flour, mashing flour lumps into sugar with spoon so all is smooth, then add milk. Start cooking while stirring till sugar pretty well dissolved, but never stir once simmering commences. When gently boiling, cover for a few minutes. On my stove, I cook halfway between medium and medium-low to soft ball stage (234 degrees on my thermometer).

Immediately move pan to cold water in sink and add butter. Let it cool a few minutes and add vanilla, then beat (slowly will do it) till it becomes dull & no longer shiny. Turn it onto a greased counter, rub butter on your hands, and knead until you can form rolls (about the size of a roll of quarters) and roll each formed roll in the cinnamon. When firm, store in a tin until needed, then cut into little slices.