The combination of mincemeat with pancakes and orange sauce is typically enjoyed as a festive twist on traditional breakfast fare during the Christmas holidays. The orange flavor is a natural fit, as many modern mincemeat recipes incorporate orange as a key flavor.
Mincemeat originated in medieval England and the Middle East as a method for preserving meat using a mixture of minced meat, suet, fruits, and expensive spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. The spices helped to show off wealth and disguise the flavor of older meat. Over centuries, the meat content in mincemeat gradually decreased, replaced by more fruit and suet. By the end of the 19th century, meat was a rare inclusion, and the dish fully transitioned from a savory main course to the sweet Christmas dessert we know today.
You might wonder what mincemeat is good for besides mince pies (or just eating with a spoon). You can stir it into a cobbler; add a cup to a muffin recipe; heat it up and spread it on your weekend pancakes or waffles; or use it in place of dates in a date square recipe. You could even serve it on a cheese plate as a very seasonal chutney.
I realize mincemeat isn’t for everyone but if you do care for it, these pancakes with orange butter sauce are well worth a try.
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Mincemeat Pancakes w/ Orange Butter Sauce
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Rating: 5
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Orange Butter Sauce
Place the sugar, water & orange zest in a pan & bring to the boil, let it bubble & froth for 1 minute on a medium heat, then turn down the heat to low & stir in the butter until melted. Leave on a very low heat until ready to serve.
Pancakes
Place the milk and mincemeat in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Add flour, baking powder, sugar, egg, vanilla extract & salt. Use a whisk to mix until combined.
Pour ¼ tbsp. oil in a large skillet, then wipe around with a kitchen towel to cover the pan. Heat the pan on a medium heat until hot. Pour in enough mixture to make three pancakes (approx. ¼ cup of mix per pancake). Turn the pancakes over when bubbles form on top & then burst, & the edges start to look firm (about 1-2 minutes). Cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes. Repeat with the rest of the mixture - oiling the pan each time - until all the pancakes are cooked (keep the pancakes warm in a very low oven while you’re making each batch).
Assembly
Stack 3 pancakes on each plate. Top each stack with orange segments, butter sauce & whipped cream.
There are so many great things to make with tortillas. You can load up burritos for breakfast, stuff some quesadillas with shrimp or make tortilla chips and cover them with cheese, guacamole and spicy salsa.
A tortilla quiche combines a classic breakfast quiche and a tortilla tart without having the traditional pastry crust.
Breakfast for supper is always good with Brion & I. Making this meal a day ahead of serving it allows the flavors to become exceptional.
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Mexicali Quiche w/ Avocado & Roasted Tomatoes
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Rating: 5
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Ingredients
- 250 gm lean, ground pork
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 125 gm mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup canned, corn niblets, drained
- 540 ml black beans, rinsed
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk OR 1/2 & 1/2 cream
- 2 Tbsp green chili peppers, seeded & chopped. optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 150 gm Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 2 large corn or flour tortillas
- 18-24 cherry tomatoes/olive oil
- 2 avocados, mashed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
Ingredients
- 250 gm lean, ground pork
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 125 gm mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup canned, corn niblets, drained
- 540 ml black beans, rinsed
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk OR 1/2 & 1/2 cream
- 2 Tbsp green chili peppers, seeded & chopped. optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 150 gm Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 2 large corn or flour tortillas
- 18-24 cherry tomatoes/olive oil
- 2 avocados, mashed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
In a skillet, cook ground pork, onion, mushrooms & garlic. Cook until meat is brown & crumbly & moisture has mostly evaporated from the mushrooms. Stir in corn, beans, chili powder & cumin. Remove from heat.
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In a bowl combine eggs, milk, green chili peppers (if using), salt & pepper. Grate cheese.
Lightly butter bottom of an 8-inch baking dish. Place one of the tortillas on the bottom of dish; sprinkle with a bit of grated cheese & top with half of the pork mixture. Tear other tortilla into pieces & place on top then sprinkle with a bit more cheese & remaining pork mixture.
Carefully pour milk mixture over quiche then top with remaining cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes or until set.
While the quiche is baking, place cherry tomatoes in a foil lined baking pan, drizzle with olive oil & roast until skins pop.
On a plate, mash avocados; add salt, garlic & lime juice. When quiche is ready, top with avocado mixture & roasted tomatoes. Serve.
Shrimp makes for a unique and elegant twist on a stuffed baked potato. For most part, a baked potato with a pat of butter and a little salt is just great on its own. But stuff them, with an assortment of savory ingredients such as shrimp, oysters or ground meat and it easily constitutes a whole meal.
I think my first encounter with this idea came when the Wendy’s restaurant chain introduced the Stuffed Baked Potato to their menu in 1983. Their original goal was to give the customer another choice or alternative to the same old ‘fries’. I think it retailed for 99 cents at the time. The one I remember having a couple of times was with the cheese sauce and fresh broccoli. It tasted great to me, not being a fried food lover. Of course, since then the whole concept has been ratcheted up in both flavor and eye appeal.
For Canadians, barbecue season lasts until the first snow falls (sometimes even a bit after). This is a meal that can easily be cooked on the BBQ as well as in the oven and it is soooo– good!
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Stuffed Baked Potatoes with Garlic Shrimp
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Rating: 5
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Ingredients
Gourmet Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
Gourmet Stuffed Baked Potatoes
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Votes: 5
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Stuffed Baked Potatoes
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Preheat oven to 400 F. Rub potatoes with oil & place on a baking sheet. Bake about an hour or until soft to the touch. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Cut a slice off the top of each potato lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, leaving a thin shell. Place pulp in a large bowl & mash.
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In a small skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Drain on a paper towel & crumble. Saute green onions in 1/4 cup butter until tender. In a small dish, stir Ranch dressing powder (mix) into sour cream & add to potato pulp along with milk, salt & pepper. Fold in half of the cheese. Divide mixture between potato shells & drizzle with remaining butter. Place baking pan on BBQ where the heat is lower & warm potatoes through while shrimp is cooking.
Garlic Shrimp
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In a foil BBQ pan, Gently combine shrimp, olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil, parmigiana-reggiano, salt & pepper. Roast until pink, firm & cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
To Serve
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On each serving plate, place a stuffed potato, top with shrimp & garnish with crumbled bacon & remaining cheese.
Are you aware that today, May 20th, the USA celebrates ‘National Quiche Lorraine Day’. It is one of their many ‘fun food holidays’. Who makes up these holidays is not clear but it gives a great excuse to enjoy this classic quiche.
In a strict sense, there are no national holidays in the United States. Each of the 50 states has jurisdiction over its own holidays. The federal government proclaimed ten holidays that most states observe on the same dates. These are called ‘legal’ or ‘public’ holidays.
Fun food holidays usually originate from and are promoted by industry groups, clubs, health organizations and occasionally individuals.
Over 50 years ago, Julia Child introduced us to French cuisine with her cooking series, The French Chef, on PBS television. Among the many dishes she introduced was the original or classic Quiche Lorraine.
Quiche Lorraine (named for the Lorraine region of France) was originally an open pie with a filling of custard and smoked bacon. It was only later that cheese was added to this quiche. Today we have many variants to the original that include a wide variety of ingredients. Myself, I could eat quiche anytime, for any meal. This fun food holiday sure seems like a great idea. To our quiche Lorraine I am adding some mushrooms for a little extra flavor since we both enjoy them.
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Mushroom Quiche Lorraine
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Rating: 5
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
In a skillet, fry bacon. Remove from skillet & lay on paper towel. In bacon drippings, saute mushrooms, onions & garlic until moisture evaporates. Crumble bacon. Grate cheese.
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper & thyme. In the bottom of quiche shell place half of the grated cheese. Top with bacon, mushrooms, green onion & garlic. Carefully pour egg mixture over all. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until quiche tests done in center. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
- If your using milk it will take a bit longer to bake but does cut down those calories.
