Mincemeat tarts

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.19.2009

Naturally, since I’m giving away healthy living books today, I have to blog about food. LOL

I have never had mincemeat, although I read about them in my Regency historical romances and I had an English coworker once who described them to me. I know they’re traditionally eaten at Christmas, and I wanted to try one at some point but never had the opportunity.

Then Captain Caffeine saw this box of commercially made mincemeat tarts at Marshall’s right after Christmas.

The fact they’re made with Glenfiddich single malt scotch whiskey is the main reason he bought it, but it happened to coincide with my desire to try mincemeat.

So we heated them up according to the package directions and tried them.

They weren’t bad, but BOY OH BOY was the whiskey strong in those puppies. I liked the currants in them, but Captain Caffeine didn’t care for them because he dislikes raisins, and the currants were too much like the texture of small raisins for him.

All in all, an interesting flavor but not mind-boggling. I’d probably feel differently if they were homemade and fresher, but it was good just to try.

Anyone who likes mincemeat out there?

Comments

Anonymous said…

You're brave. I haven't even tried them yet. I'm such a wimp when it comes to trying new food.

My stepmother is English, so it's even around my dad's house when I visit. But like I said, I'm a wimp.

Mon Jan 19, 05:55:00 AM 2009

MARY IN SCOTLAND said…

I'm in Scotland, and at Christmas EVERYONE eats them, warm or cold. I like the pastry better than whats in them!
But they aren't bad at all!
You should try Haggis! now that's something different!

Mon Jan 19, 02:47:00 PM 2009

Barb said…

When I was a child my mom would make mincemeat pies (without alcohol). I don't think I ever tasted them, though, because they didn't seem appetizing to me. My dad is Canadian and I'm thinking it all had something to do with his family.

Mon Jan 19, 03:30:00 PM 2009

Anita Mae Draper said…

Hey Camy, I love mincemeat tarts but not the traditional ones with suet.

When the green tomatoes are in season, I make vegetarian mincemeat and preserve it in pint jars. Then, during the holiday season, I buy a pkg of ready made tart shells, open a jar of mincemeat and after a bit of baking, voila - mincemeat tarts.

If anyone is interested, I posted the recipe awhile back on the veggie recipe message boards at http://community.eharlequin.com/forums/cafe-social/recipe-file/main-course-vegetarian but I'll copy and paste it here:

Green Tomato Mincemeat

Chop 8 lbs green tomatoes
Cover with water
Add 1 tbsp salt
Cook until tender. Drain.

Add:
1 cup vinegar
1 tbsp mace
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cloves
½ cup butter
1 lb raisins (or 2 lbs if no currants)
1 lb currants
2 lbs grated apples
4 lbs brown sugar

Cook everything together for 2 hrs on stove or in roaster in oven at 350 deg for 2 hrs.
Seal in sterile jars.
Makes about 10 pints

Mon Jan 19, 09:30:00 PM 2009

Camy Tang said…

Awesome! Thanks so much, Anita Mae!
Camy

Tue Jan 20, 02:07:00 AM 2009

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

A List of my Free Blog Reads

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, novella) Click here to buy the FREE ebook on all retailers Alex Villa became a Christian in prison, and because of his efforts to help stop a gang producing meth in Sonoma, he has been set up for the death of a cop. Can computer expert Jane Lawton find the evidence that will prove his innocence before the gang eliminates them both? Fantasy short stories: Pixies in a Garden in Kyoto There were pixies in the garden. Since she was in Kyoto, she was certain they were not called pixies, but she didn't know what they would be called in Japanese, and they certainly looked like what she imagined pixies would look like. The King’s Daughter The trees in the King's garden were full of colored pixie lights. The...

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...

Search This Blog

Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 7 annotated edition