Mincemeat Pie Day
Mincemeat pie’s reputation suffers due to its misnomer. While early recipes for mincemeat pies contained meat or beef suet, the recipe for the fall pastry has evolved. Meat is no longer required when making a mincemeat pie although some recipes still call for suet (fat).
“Mince” refers to how the ingredients are prepared, or minced according to Foodtimeline. The main ingredients are chopped fruit, spices and brandy. The first recipes for mincemeat pies called for currants, cloves, orange peels, fresh ox-tongue boiled, russet apples, raisins and sherry. Try making your own version of the pie, starting with a homemade pie crust and filing it with minced fruit plus pears.
Diwali
Diwali, the Indian “festival of lights,” begins on Oct. 26 and celebrates the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after his 14-year exile. People also worship Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth during the five-day festival. Oil lamps called diyas are lit and used to decorate courtyards and gardens.
* Exchange sweets to celebrate Diwali.
* Clean house, indoors and out and decorate your exterior sidewalk with colorful designs in chalk to welcome Lakshmi.
* Send an online Diwali greeting card.
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral 130th Anniversary
It was a 30-second gun battle between Doc Holliday and the Clanton and McLaury brothers, with some official intervention by Marshal Virgil Earp and his Deputy Marshals Morgan and Wyatt Earp. The fight took place on Oct. 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Ariz. In the end Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers, Thomas and Frank, were dead. Holliday and the Earp brothers were put on trial for murder but the judge determined they were acting in self defense.
* Read the original newspaper report.
* Compare the testimonies of the gun fighters.
* Watch two different actors take on the role of Holliday: Val Kilmer as Holliday in “Tombstone” (1993) or Kirk Douglas in “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” (1957).
Howl at the Moon Night
On Oct. 26 the moon enters the new moon phase. Because the sun illuminates the side of the moon facing it, the moon will not be visible from Earth. Maybe all that howling is to lament the “invisible” moon.
* Host a werewolf movie marathon and watch “An American Werewolf in London,” “Teen Wolf” (you know you want to) or your favorite movies from “The Twilight Saga.”
* Clear your throat and practice your best werewolf impression to celebrate Howl at the Moon Night.