Leftover mincemeat? Make mouthwatering mincemeat muffins!
What can you do with a cup or two of leftover mincemeat? Make the most delicious muffins in the world!
A few weeks before Christmas in 2015, I found a recipe for a very tasty apple dish that used a small amount of mincemeat for the filling. I was left with quite a bit of Robertson’s Classic Mincemeat as a result.
And even though I love mincemeat pie, I’m horrible at making pie crusts so I researched other ways to create a new dish with my mincemeat leftovers.
Here’s the recipe I found for leftover mincemeat: Mouthwatering Mincemeat Muffins. They’re wonderful with a little butter fresh and hot from the oven… plus they’re hearty enough to serve for a quick breakfast with a cup of coffee in the morning. When you make the recipe, feel free to add more or less mincemeat, depending on how much you have left over from other baking. You could also replace the apple with chopped pear. A dash of ginger could be fun, too.
These muffins freeze well, so why not make a double recipe while you’re at it. You won’t be disappointed. They are so scrumptious, you’ll go weak at the knees at your first bite. No kidding.
If you’re looking for a good recipe for holiday food gifts
Servings: 12 muffins
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Dry Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour. I used King Arthur
1/3 cup sugar. My preference is Organic Florida Crystals
1 level tbsp. baking powder
1 level tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt (or less)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (or pecans) (Optional)
Wet Ingredients
3/4 cup milk (I used whole milk)
1/3 cup canola oil or other light-tasting vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 cup mincemeat. Robertson’s Classic is all fruit
1 small tart apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
Instructions
Filled muffin cups before baking
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Insert paper liners into 12 muffin cups
In a large bowl, blend the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt)
In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, vegetable oil and egg, making sure the oil is incorporated
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients
Add the mincemeat
Stir to combine, but not completely
Add chopped apple and nuts
Continue stirring until everything is blended, but do not use a mixer or blend too long (lumps are okay)
Fill muffin cups to top
Bake for 25 minutes (or until tops of muffins are golden)
Test with a toothpick (it’s a heavy batter… make sure it’s cooked through)
Serve warm
Recipe Notes
Robertson’s Classic Mincemeat: All Fruit, NO High Fructose Corn Syrup
This is the mincemeat I used for the muffin recipe. It’s all fruit (no meat like in the old days) and really delicious. My grocery store only had mincemeat with high fructose corn syrup, so I was happy to find Robertson’s Mincemeat at Fresh Market. I was pleased to see that Amazon carries it also, now that I’ve moved miles away from Fresh Market.
Dental and medical problems often require a soft foods diet. And for vegetarians, this can require a bit of extra research and creativity.
Has your doctor or dentist ever told you to eat a “soft foods diet” for a specific dental or health problem? And did you find out, like I did, that most soft food menu lists are not vegetarian-friendly, since they contain a lot of ground meat and fish suggestions?
For vegans, a soft food routine would be quite tricky, because so many of the recommended soft foods contain dairy or egg products. I mean, how many smoothies can one person drink in a day, never mind for a week or two… or 5 weeks, in our case? The first time. We had two more dental situations after that requiring soft foods.
In August my dentist sent me to have root canal surgery and my son’s orthodontist installed a TMJ dental appliance with the instruction to “eat soft foods – almost liquid” for a month.
This page represents my research, quick fixes and make-do efforts to satisfy the hunger pangs of a 6 foot 1 inch male with food that isn’t boring, that IS sufficiently filling and that is nutritious enough to keep us ticking.
Did I say it was for a whole month? And me with no juicer. Guess how I spent the first weekend? Shopping for a blender, Googling smoothie recipes and researching protein powders.
On top of this, we’re becoming more vegetarian in our diet, so food such as ground beef was out… and menu creativity was most definitely called for. This page is a research record of how we handled our soft food lifestyle for four weeks in a row (it ended up being 5 weeks). Here’s what we came up with.
UPDATE 1: The permanently-affixed appliance was removed after 5-1/2 weeks of eating soft foods (that’s a LONG time to completely overhaul a family’s eating plans). My son now has a TMJ dental appliance that can be removed for eating. Whoopee!
UPDATE 2: I just had oral surgery myself and created my soft foods grocery list from… my own web page. Sure did make it easier this time around.
Smoothies Were Top of the List for Soft Foods
First things first… we had to run out and buy a blender right away.
My basic recipe was 1 cup orange juice, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 fresh banana, sugar or stevia to taste. No need to add ice cubes when using frozen fruit.
UPDATE 2: Tried a home made “Orange Julius” and it wasn’t bad. I didn’t have most of the ingredients that the recipe websites suggested. I live in Florida… why would I buy frozen juice concentrate? So I combined some real orange juice with vanilla ice cream and it tasted just like an Orange Julius drink. Next time I’ll try adding whey powder for some added protein. I’ve seen them add it at Orange Julius restaurants; I think that’s what makes the drink frothy.
Soft Foods for Breakfast – Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat
If you’ve ever had to prepare a soft foods diet for yourself or a family member, you’ll know what we’re going through. If you’re in this boat right now, I hope my research helps you in your own menu planning. And maybe my ah-ha’s will spur you on to even better ideas. I don’t think we can survive on ice cream and soup for a month.
I’m not much of a cook, so you won’t find too many recipes… at least until later in the month, when I’ve had a little more practice preparing mush three meals a day. And, while my tooth is currently covered by a temporary crown, I’m not eating anything chewy either. Mealtimes have become a bit of a challenge for sure.
The one meal that’s really easy, of course, is breakfast. Bless you, instant oatmeal! Thank goodness I already had some in the house.
Amy’s Organic Soups for Lunch
We had half a dozen cans lined up ready to use. Not only are we heading in a vegetarian direction, we’re now eating organic as much as we can manage… and afford. So the same trip to the health food store revealed a bonanza of wonderful Amy’s Organic Soups, which are lined up on the kitchen counter, ready to heat and serve… as you can see in the picture here.
So far, we’ve been very happy with Butternut Squash, Curried Lentil and Minestrone. Amy’s Vegetable Lentil Soup is a tried and true favorite and Field Day Spicy Chili was a big hit. Now that I’m planning our menus ahead, I can order by the case from Amazon, where the prices are 50 to 80 cents a can cheaper than at my health food store. Obviously, I could make soup from scratch and, depending on how long we’re going to need a soft foods menu, I may have to Google a few bean soup recipes… or buy a soup cookbook.
Here’s what we had for supper Sunday night – Mashed potatoes, soft mac ‘n cheese and peas
Saturday evening, my son’s 30th birthday – the day we should have been celebrating in higher style – we ended up at Panera Bakery. The Broccoli and Cheese Soup was a big hit and sufficiently nutritious to get us through that day. And because this is a temporary diet and my 6’1″ son is not overweight, he can handle the calories in the soup.
On Sunday, I made mashed potatoes with carrots in them (hence the orange specks), peas and leftover Panera macaroni and cheese. I wish I liked cooking more. I have no idea yet how we’re going to get through 4 weeks of this. Stay tuned, if you’re desperate for ideas. I’ll keep looking.
[NOTE] If you have a cholesterol issue, I’d steer away from Panera’s Mac & Cheese, however. It’s delicious – but with loads of cheese, according to one of their young cooks.
[UPDATE ON PANERA MAC & CHEESE] We recently found Panera’s Mac & Cheese for sale in Target – in a single serving size – and, on reading the list of ingredients, noticed the inclusion of chicken stock. Not quite vegetarian, in other words.
Birthday Cake was on the menu!
I asked… and the dentist said “okay”. Because our soft foods diet started the weekend of my son’s 30th birthday, we had to forego parties and chewy food. But the orthodontist said that birthday cake was considered “soft food.” Yahoo!
Here’s a picture of the birthday cake we got from Publix.
Here’s the soft food list that my research has come up with so far:
Soft cereals (oatmeal, grits, cream of wheat)
Ice cream
Pudding
Applesauce
Mashed potatoes
Mashed carrots
Macaroni
Bananas
Soft (pureed) fruits
Mashed pumpkin or squash
Baked beans
Pancakes (see my Swedish pancakes review below)
Scrambled eggs (we usually serve with grits)
Ground beef (not for “almost liquid” or vegetarian menus)
Yogurt and cottage cheese
Milkshakes
Soups (without crunchy bits)
Custard
Birthday cake!
Ramen noodles in broth
Ensure (recommended by the orthodontist… not gonna happen!)
Panera Macaroni and Cheese (better than my recipe, says my son)
Scalloped potatoes (soft, requires a bit of chewing)
Soft vegetarian chili worked well
Monday night was another Panera Bakery meal. My son’s a sucker for their Broccoli Cheese soup and mac ‘n cheese. Tuesday, I made scrambled eggs and grits. Then on Wednesday, we tried the chili we bought over the weekend at the health food store: Field Day Organic Spicy Vegetarian Chili.
We just added a little grated sharp cheddar and chopped sweet onions on the top and dug in. The texture worked well for my son’s dental situation and we’ll definitely get it again to make Cincinnati Chili when he’s allowed to chew spaghetti noodles.
If you’ve never had Cincinnati Chili, here’s how I make it. Basically, I boil spaghetti noodles, cook up some chili to put on top of the spaghetti, fresh-grate some sharp cheddar cheese and finely chop some sweet onion. You can get fancier, but this seems like enough steps for a chili-spaghetti dish. A little garlic bread and supper’s done.
Another winner: Swedish Pancakes – soft and yummy
I used Lund’s Swedish Pancake Mix the first couple of times and then made pancakes from scratch another. Though, I must admit… I like to have a box of Lund’s available for quick meals.
Great American Cookies – A Vintage Cookbook That’s Worth Republishing
Lorraine Bodger’s Great American Cookies Cookbook
My favorite recipe books are now considered “vintage.”
I cannot imagine why Lorraine Bodger’s Great American Cookies hasn’t been reprinted, but the only versions I’ve found are dated 1985 (the one I have) and 1987 (with the same title but different graphics on the dust jacket).
This is the very best cookie recipe book I’ve ever seen and deserves a wider audience.
The recipes in this book are so tasty, it’s worth adding to your collection… even used.
Great American Cookies contains some of the best recipes for a variety of cookie types: drop cookies, bars and squares, chocolate and nut yummies, holiday treats, party delicacies including meringues and ladyfingers… plus there’s a fun chapter on cookie-cutter bears, gingerbread friends, funny faces and more that children will enjoy decorating.
My sticky notes permanently mark page 43 in the “bar cookies” section for the most delicious and easy-to-make Pecan Pie Squares, which I usually bake at Christmas time and page 63, with the easiest and tastiest Pecan Shortbread I’ve ever found. Here in Florida, I can buy fresh pecans pretty inexpensively, so that’s why the pecan cookies are front and center.
Oh well… at least I have my own copy. But I wish you could, too.
Fun cookies for kids
Lorraine Bodger wrote, designed and illustrated Great American Cookies. Here’s an example of the very clear diagrams she created for the children’s cookies section. I didn’t include the recipe, but I wanted to show how clear and instructive the illustrations are.
The example I chose (below) is for Mittens and Gloves cookies, but there are equally terrific graphics for Brown Sugar Bears, Jam Pinwheels, Funny Faces, Snowfolks and Greeting Card cookies.
Bodger’s illustrations make the recipes easy to follow
My favorite cookie cookbook – now a collectible
Here’s why I like this book so much:
The recipe wording is very easy to follow
The ingredients are mostly items I have in my pantry
The black-and-white graphics clearly demonstrate some of the more complicated steps, such as twisting the chocolate and vanilla ropes in a cool-looking twist.
There’s a Refrigerator Cookie recipe on page 79 that I want to try, too, so I can compare it to the recipe my mom marked “Excellent” in her copy of The American Woman’s Cookbook.
As a fairly new vegetarian, I’m always on the lookout for cookbooks that don’t make me feel like a culinary idiot, but that also reflect my cooking style and talents: simple and basic.
My favorite cookbook so far is Moosewood Restaurant’s Simple Suppers. Subtitled “Fresh Ideas for the Weeknight Table,” this recipe book makes me look like a far better cook than I really am. I have so many pages sticky-noted and still haven’t tested the frittatas yet… even though I bought a cast iron frying pan for the purpose.
Simple Suppers isn’t exactly a vegetarian cookbook, though. There are recipes for seafood dishes and eggs, for example… but it’s primarily vegetarian and the recipes are easy to follow and use ingredients I generally have on hand or can easily find in my grocery store. I recognize the words, at any rate.
My two favorite recipes are the Nachos Grandes and the Broccolini Cheddar Melt, both of which I’ve adapted to suit my family’s tastes.
Broccoli Cheddar Melt
I’ve also made Fettuccine with Fresh Herbs (simple, but really tasty), Baked Stuffed Tomatoes (best side dish, ever), Roasted Ratatouille (not as tricky as it looks), and a whole bunch more. I ignore the tofu chapter because of allergy and texture issues and haven’t tried to tackle the risottos yet.
Now that I’ve moved into a house with a bigger kitchen, I can start building my “well-stocked pantry” using the suggestions on page 282. There’s quite a useful guide to the ingredients and tools used in the various recipes as well. That’s where I learned about Pecorino Romano cheese… one of my new favorites.
Many of the recipes include color photos which, for me, is very helpful, being new to vegetarian cookery. (Now I know what broccolini looks like, though I substitute easier-to-find broccoli for the cheddar melts.)
If you click on the Simple Suppers photo above, you’ll land on the page at Amazon where you can “read a sample.” You’ll find almost the entire “Pasta” chapter there, including the Fettuccine with Fresh Herbs recipe I mentioned earlier.
As an Amazon associate and Clarke Courses affiliate, I earn a fee from qualifying purchases. My Senior Side Hustle is designing for a print on demand site called Zazzle. I receive a royalty on my designs when you click a link to purchase on Zazzle.com. Thanks for visiting… I hope you found the info on my website helpful. –Barbara
if you’re looking to build your collection. I have “