Always celebrated on October 26th, National Mincemeat Day celebrates sweet and savory meat treats. Anyone who has eaten it will be able to fully enjoy its aroma. For those of us who have never heard of minced meat, much less eaten it, today is a good opportunity to learn more about minced meat, don’t you think?
According to Holiday Insights, minced meat dates back to the Middle Ages, when it was used as a means of preserving food. Meat mixed with sweet fruit. Somewhere in the late 20th century, it fell out of favor. Whole generations have never known or even tasted what minced meat is. Today, it is most often served as a mincemeat pie. Older recipes include meat and suet among the ingredients. More modern recipes contain little or no meat and mostly make pies that are savory and fruity.For many families mincemeat is still a traditional Thanksgiving pie.
So what is mincemeat? It is a mixture of minced or minced meat, suet and fruit. Venison was the first choice, but it was in short supply, so ground beef or chopped sirloin was introduced into the pie industry. Fruits include raisins, apples, pears, dried cherries, and cranberries. Sometimes liquor is added, the most common being brandy or rum.
One of my fondest memories is of my parents and grandparents always serving mincemeat pies made with venison, fruit, and brandy at Thanksgiving. It was a sugared top double crust pie with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. I ate mincemeat pie for the first time in a while. And I miss it. Or maybe you miss Thanksgiving decades ago, when mincemeat pie was a delicacy. Because I could only eat it once a year.
I understand that there are ready-made mincemeat fruit pie fillings. All you need to do is add the cooked meat, put it in a crust and bake. Hopefully, even if you don’t get to try mincemeat pies today, you’ll have a chance on Thanksgiving.
Halloween is just around the corner (like this Monday), but have you got plenty of treats for the trick-or-treaters? I’m not a Halloween fan. Scaring people is not my thing. But I love that all the candy choices are available. hard), gummy bear mini bags, and mini crunch bars (Don’s favorite).
My all-time favorite Halloween treats are caramel apples and popcorn balls. It is a pity that they are no longer given out. Expensive, individually-wrapped bite-sized candies are now the name of the game. But they can’t hold a candle to homemade caramel apples or popcorn balls. I think you can make popcorn balls and caramel apples for yourself and your family. Besides, apples and corn are a group of healthy foods. right? Have a fun Halloween and make memories, surprise your family and make some good old fashioned treats.
Flower of the Day: Cactus Flower
Recipe of the day: mincemeat pie
Dates to remember:
October 31st — Halloween
November 6th — Daylight Saving Time
November 11 — Veterans Day
November 24th — Thanksgiving
Until next week — stay strong, be brave, and make memories.
