Enjoying the discussion about mincemeat and learning far more than I thought possible.
Re: mace. Just try finding some in your local supermarket. I hit 3 this afternoon looking for some and came up empty. 73 kinds of chicken rubs and no mace.
Re: oatmeal. One of my favorite things to do with oatmeal (and farina, too) is to chop up a couple strips of candied orange peel and maybe some raisins and throw that in. Makes a world of difference, turning a good breakfast into a great one. I candy my own orange peels, so nothing from the fruit goes to waste.
I do something similar with yams for Thanksgiving dinner. Start off making caramel from white sugar in the saucepan, then add the canned yams and their syrup, then add some chopped candied orange peel, raisins and slices of orange.
But for the real stick to the ribs winter breakfast, there are plum dumplings. Make them around Labor Day when the prune plums come in, then freeze them. Come winter, microwave one or two and add a little cream. Stay warm from the inside out, all day.
