Cooking, Travel League.

Having made the stuffed peppers the other day, I had run out of tomato sauce so took some time on Tuesday afternoon to make up a batch. It’s basically something I do ‘out of my head’ I sauté a bunch of chopped onions, and a few chopped cloves of garlic. Throw in a couple of cans of tomatoes and some chopped peppers, a glass of wine and I also add some herbs and plenty of seasoning. This I can use for spaghetti or anything else that calls for tomato sauce. I basically don’t like the taste of the canned stuff.

We are crossing our fingers for Thursday now, we are due to go on our Travel league bowling to Elmira which is a few miles and out in the country somewhat and guess what, snow is predicted. I hope they are as wrong about that as they were about the freezing rain last Saturday. So do me a favour and cross your fingers for us too. This is a picture of me at the bowling alley last winter. Don’t know why I haven’t posted it before.

Dixie of dcrelief said she hoped I was going to post a recipe for Mincemeat Tarts – the best I can offer is from my old, old cookbook Mrs. Beeton’s Cookery – my copy is about 78 years old. Having made it, you can then put it into a pastry shell (puff pastry is Mrs. Beeton’s recommendation) and bake. I must confess I have never tried to make this myself and if I do want to do anything with mincemeat, I buy a good brand. The original mincemeat did, in fact, have meat in it I understand. When I was a kid, I hated mince tarts or anything with mincemeat. I guess my taste buds grew up. However, as I said, I buy the tarts from the Crossroads restaurant and they are delicious. It being a Mennonite restaurant, I am guessing the mincemeat is homemade. For suet in the States, I am afraid you will have to go to a butcher and request some which you will then have to prepare yourself. A gill,  by the way, is 5 fl. oz.

Mincemeat

1 lb finely chopped suet
1 lb. of currents
1 lbs raisins
1 lb chopped apples
1 lb sugar (it says castor but that is similar to sugar in North America)
1/2 lb sultanas
1/4 lb of shredded mixed candied peel
A lemon
1/2 gill brandy (see above)

small amounts of nutmeg, mace and cinnamon (she actually says half a salt spoon but although I have these, I have never seen anyone on this side of the pond who also has them) probably a quarter teaspoon.
Pare the lemons thinly, simmer the rinds in a little water until perfectly tender, then pound them or rub them through a fine sieve. Mix all the ingredients well together, press into a jar, cover closely and keep in a cool dry place for at least 1 month before using. Makes 4 to 5 lbs. mincemeat.

Have a great day