I made mincemeat!

Here's approximately what I used:

1 apple, cored, quartered, diced. I didn't peel it. Think it was a Mac, though a Granny Smith or Cortland might have been better.[*]
1 1/2 cups of mixed dried fruit. I used
- 1/2 cup currants
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup flame raisins (I think)
- 1/4 cup dried cherries
- 1/4 cup chopped candied lemon peel
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup of apple cider
2 tablespoons dark molasses
1 tablespoon brown sugar
juice and zest of one lemon
3 or 4 tablespoons of booze - I used 1 tablespoon of goldschlager and 2 tablespoons of port
1 tablespoon of butter (I used ghee; you can probably use some other oil or omit altogether.)

at least 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, allspice, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg

Think that was everything.

Here's what I did:

Throw it all in a pan and let it simmer for an hour or so - you want the apples to break down, the dried fruit to absorb the liquids, and the whole thing to cook down to an almost jammy consistency. This should give you about a cup and a half, which is enough to put a tablespoon in each of about 20 3" tart shells.

The end result has a nice bite from the citrus, a nice deep flavour and colour from the molasses, and just enough sweetness from the fruit and sugar to balance the bitter notes in the molasses.

I'd suggest going easy on the lemon juice to start with, otherwise you may need to add more sugar to balance it out. (We actually added too much sugar, and had to add more lemon juice.) Also, you may not like it as tart as we do. ("More lemon, more better" is an oft-heard refrain in our kitchen.)

[*] A Bramley would have been ideal, but sadly I don't think anyone in Ontario grows those. (H'm. Dad has 30 unused acres up by Georgian Bay.)

I've had a hankering to shoot on film again, so I bought batteries for my 30 year old Minolta XG-9 SLR, which I recently discovered has a complete unexposed roll of film in it. No idea how long the film's been there and if it's still any good, but I'll shoot it and find out.

I shot a few practice frames today, around the house. It's a bit strange having to manually focus, set the exposure, and wind the film on. Fortunately, the camera doesn't cock the shutter until you wind on, otherwise I'd have a lot of double exposures.

Canadian MP Scott Brison sent out a Christmas card with a photo of himself and his (male) spouse.

Predictably, a handful of bigots have overreacted.

Personally, I think homophobes can just get bent.

The clink of china teacups was a strange song in my living room.

My daughter Abby fluttered from here to there in a sea of pink tulle and ruffles, charming even stodgiest of the neighborhood wives with her gap-toothed smile and infectious giggle. Some of the ladies even chuckled along.

“Polly, she is so charming,” Mrs. Reinert gushed. I smiled my thanks.

“Lovely to find such a gifted child in your household,” she continued. “With you and Richard having only attended state schools, you know.”

My jaw tightened, but I pursed my lips into an awkward smile. “We certainly are fortunate.”

“Certainly!” she agreed. “I very much hope that you will be sending Abigail to a proper school. I find that creative minds left unlearned and undisciplined tend to produce social degenerates.”

My face was impassive. “We plan to send Abby to Rincon Valley Elementary. It has a wonderful academic reputation, and many of her friends are also going to attend.”

“A public school?” Mrs. Reinert gaped. “But Polly, it just isn’t suitable. The students she would be mingling with – what an awful thought.” She laid a hand on my arm and fixed me with a motherly stare. “Polly, you simply mustn’t.”

The room gradually quieted. A little hand tugged mine, and I broke eye contact with Mrs. Reinert to lift my daughter into my lap. The sleeves of her party dress scratched my arms and I frowned, wondering how she had so patiently worn this frilly mess.

“Which students are you concerned about, Mrs. Reinert?” I finally asked.

“Why, the poor ones! They have no sense of propriety. You can’t allow them to influence Abigail. They will ruin your daughter, Polly.”

Before I could react, I felt Abby stir in my arms. I looked down just in time to watch her pull apart her little tuna and horseradish sandwich – and plant both halves, tuna side down, on Mrs. Reinert’s cleavage.

Even amid her shrieks, I’m sure Mrs. Reinert heard Abby whisper, “You aren’t a very nice lady. I think you should go now.”

Mrs. Reinert was on her feet, a flurry of cackling hens at her elbows, nervously patting her décolletage with cocktail napkins and shooting me indignant glances.

“Why! You! You reprobate!”

She spun to glare at me. “I’ve never endured such treatment in this neighborhood! I demand you censure this repugnant little ingrate!”

Mirth sparkled in my eyes as I hugged my little ingrate closer.

“I think she’s got you pegged, Mrs. Reinert. How about you get the fuck out of my house?”

therealljidol topic 8: reprobate

From now until the end of the year, there is FREE SHIPPING on all instock pads within the US and Canada! Other international orders will get a discounted shipping rate! Happy Holidays! :)


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I added lots of new pads too!


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