[Update: Thanks to Chris for alerting me to the fact that I left the mincemeat out of my copy of the mincemeat gingerbread recipe. The copy is now correct showing 2/3 cup mincemeat. The odd thing is that I worked off my copy to make the gingerbread in real time, and I didn't notice that the mincemeat was missing. Knowing that it had to have mincemeat, I apparently read the molasses as mincemeat and added a full cup instead of 2/3 cup. It didn't hurt it a bit! It's a nice moist gingerbread, well-baked in 30 minutes at 350. Even Mike, who might be a bit tired of the gingerbread experiments, said it was a good cake.]
Another
dull December day. December brings challenges to this part of the world, especially
if you’re sensitive to the dark days. Ina was beginning to feel the “Christmas
crunch” well up within her. An attitude adjustment was in order. “We’re just
going to have some fun,” she said to Shirley. If we think of something we need
to get or to do, we’ll make lists.” So, she put paper and pencil on the table,
and then she and Shirley relaxed. “No one wants me to be stressed,” Ina
reminded herself. “Everyone wants me to stand it all just fine.”
 |
| The recipe from Ina's recipe box |
“I’ve been wanting to try this mincemeat gingerbread recipe,” said Ina, “and today is the day.” It was easy to make – first the liquids, then the dry ingredients, then the beaten egg and mincemeat. The batter was thin, and Ina wondered if it would bake all right. The recipe didn’t say the size of pan or the bake time, so she just guessed – a 9x13 pan for 30 minutes. It came out wonderfully – the best gingerbread she had baked yet. I hasten to add that it’s not the fault of the recipes. Ina just tends to overbake.
After the noon meal, Ina cut generous pieces of the mincemeat gingerbread for herself, Jack, and Shirley, which she served with fresh butter. So tasty! So satisfying.
[Perhaps you noticed that Ina does not have good penmanship, so I have recopied the recipe for you in better form and hopefully, more legibly.]
2 comments:
So did you make this yourself and if you did, did you use part of a jar of None Such mincemeat? It sounds interesting and definitely something Dad would have liked.
Yes, I made the mincemeat gingerbread, and I used from a jar of mincemeat I bought on clearance at Albertsons after Christmas last year -- Crosse and Blackwell Rum and Brandy Mincemeat Filling and Topping. (Maybe that "rum and brandy" gives it an extra spark!) I had never seen this brand on the shelf. I found it on the clearance rack -- half off the regular price of $10.00 per 29 oz. jar. Nonesuch would still be my first choice, but this was fine. We like the cake.
Mike and I like mincemeat, but the family doesn't, so I save mincemeat for the two of us. I stretch the mincemeat with a lot of apple. My favorite mincemeat pie recipe calls for a cream cheese topping. Another tops with pears.
I wonder if Ina used mincemeat made with meat. I think that would have been common in her day, but I wonder how that would work in a cake.
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