We are talking turkey today people and if you’ve never brined your bird you may want to listen up. This has been my secret to moist delicious turkey bliss for years now. Trust Me. It’s simple to do and makes all the difference in the world. So why not impress your guests this year and have them talking turkey-succulent, melt-in-your-mouth turkey that is.

This is an EASY process so don’t let this lengthy post fool you. I am including some tips so there will be no surprises for you, as I do not have a turkey hotline available on Thanksgiving day, though I would love to hear your progress. Twitter??

First, you will you need the appropriate equipment. Also known as-”how to get your kitchen-shy man involved”.  If your guy doesn’t like to help in the kitchen we’ve got the perfect task for him. Have him run over to Home Depot to pick up a brand new 5 gallon bucket with lid. Some dudes are always looking for an excuse to go there anyway so you’ll score some major brownie points by insisting that he has to go there ASAP.  Of course if you are cooking up some gigantic pterodactyl size turkey you will need to find a larger vessel.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c kosher salt
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 8 cups (64 oz) vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 T black peppercorns
• 1 T allspice berries
• 1 gallon of COLD water
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 onion cut into quarters
• fresh or ground sage

Combine the salt, sugar, broth, peppercorns and allspice in a stockpot over medium -high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Remove from heat and cool completely. Add the cooled brine and the cold water to the bucket. Immerse turkey  letting the cavity fill with liquid. Make sure you have removed the neck and the bag with gizzard and organ meat first.  Add the bay leaves, onion and sage. Feel free to add a small amount of other spices or herbs as well. Don’t go too crazy, but in the past I have added a sliced carrot, celery, and one year I was making fennel gratin and added a few fennel tops. You get the picture.

Tip: You must keep the turkey cold. No salmonella as a side dish thank you very much. Obviously you won’t be storing the bathing turkey and it’s tub in the fridge. I use a frozen turkey that is not quite defrosted by Wednesday.  I add some ice to the water when I add the turkey. I check water temp and add ice if needed before bedtime and check again 1st thing in the morning. Keeping the turkey cold has never been difficult, even when I lived in the desert. Try a cool garage, basement, fire escape, patio, etc. for the salt bath slumber and if it’s sleeping outside place a brick or heavy object over the lid so no varmints knock it over or heaven forbid-try to eat it.

When you are ready to stuff and roast simply remove the turkey and give it a good rinse inside and out. It’s easiest to dump the brine down the toilet and wash the bucket outside.

Tip: You must remember that the salty brine keeps the moisture in. Translation-you must adjust your gravy method.  You will hardly get any drippings. Fear not!  Don’t worry about basting your bird either. Honestly, I’m a lazy baster and my birds have all come out beautifully browned and crispy. Of course you can always use butter (or butter melted into chicken broth) to baste with. And dare I say that I  know some folks that use bacon grease. But back to the gravy- I purchase turkey legs and/or wings  and brown them in a pot, adding the neck, gizzard and organ meat. I then add water and slowly simmer to create a broth. I will also add a large bunch of fresh herbs, onion, celery. All this will get strained out later. I later make a roux to thicken the gravy. Hello delicious smelling kitchen.

One final tip to juicy deliciousness -please don’t overcook your turkey. If you overcook the bird there is no method on earth that will help you maintain moistness.  A meat thermometer will come in handy for this.

photos via Martha Stewart Living

“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine

It may surprise some that gin, not vodka, is the traditional alcohol in the martini. Martini connoisseurs are also very particular in how to prepare the libation properly.  According to so-called experts, to create the best martini all liquids should be room temperature. This will allow the ice to melt slightly and the cold water to dilute the alcohol and actually enhance the flavor.  Begin by filling a martini glass with ice. Mix 2 1/2 oz of gin over ice in a cocktail shaker. Now, if you are James Bond you of course will prefer it shaken, but there is actually a debate between shaken vs. stirred. Ultimately what you want is to mix the gin over ice, melting it, adding water and “bruising” the alcohol. So you will want to shake or stir briefly. Remove the ice from the chilled martini glass and add a splash of dry vermouth to the glass, swirling it around for several second then quickly pouring it out. Strain the gin into the glass and garnish with a few olives.

Looking to create your own gin joint? If you like to entertain you will want to be a proper host and be sure to have a properly stocked bar.  With co-ed showers being so popular these days perhaps you’d prefer a “stock the bar party”. Gather all the guys and gals together to help the cause.  This theme is also a great idea for a housewarming party. Start off with these fun invites from Etsy’s The One Stop Design Shop. They are so very clever. You can serve beer, wine and/or  a signature drink along with appetizers, pizza or your favorite food. You can add some extra fun with games-Pictionary, Battle of the Sexes, Beer Pong, “Drunk Jenga”. (If you haven’t heard of Drunk Jenga, contact us and we’ll tell you all about it).  Take a look here for more great ideas from Always a Blogsmaid.

Items that you will need for your home bar may include:

• Gin
• Vodka
• Tequila
• Vermouth (Sweet and Dry)
• Rum
• Whiskey
• Wine
• Cocktail shaker
• Martini olives
• Margarita or Kosher salt
• Red wine glasses
• White wine glasses
• High ball glasses
• Old fashioned/rocks glasses
• Ice bucket
• Tonic water/Seltzer
• Bar towels
• Bottle opener

Pink and delicious? I’ll drink to that! Whether you are looking  for a pink signature drink to serve at your reception or for a party, we wanted to provide you with a few options to set the scene.

Pomtini

• 1 oz pomegranate juice
• 1 1/2 oz vodka
• 1 1/2 oz grapefruit juice
• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup

Directions: Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with an orange peel

Pink Flirtini

• 1 oz raspberry vodka
• 1/2 oz Cointreau
• 1/2 oz pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz cranberry juice
• splash of lime juice
• champagne

Directions: Combine vodka, Cointreau, pineapple juice, cranberry juice and lime juice in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass. Top off with champagne.

Cosmopolitan

• 2 oz vodka (or lemon vodka)
• 1 oz Triple Sec
• 1 oz cranberry juice
• 1 tsp fresh lime juice
• twist of lemon or lime zest for garnish

Directions: Combine all liquids in a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a citrus twist.

Kir Royale

• 1 part creme de cassis
• 5 parts champagne

Directions: Pour creme de cassis into a champagne flute and slowly add champagne.

Shirley Temple

• 4oz Ginger Ale (or lemon/lime soda)
• 1/2 oz Grenadine
• lime (or lemon) wedge
• cherry

Directions: Mix all liquids in cocktail shaker, pour over ice, garnish with citrus wedge and cherry

Be sure to check out these other deliciously pink drinks from the Hostess with the Mostess blog

Cheers!

photo: via Martha Stewart Living

Baklava of course!  In keeping with our theme week we wanted to include a Greek recipe to add to your files.  The Greeks seem to like layers, Phyllo dough and sweet desserts.  If you’re like me you probably use recipes as guidelines; adding a little bit of this and a dash more of that. Of course you need to be more careful when baking, since the results are much more favorable when measurements are exact. I of course critique my final outcome and jot down notes on how I would change it next time to better suit my taste (more salt, more lemon, etc,etc). You’ll see some notes at the end of the recipe.

Preface: Phyllo dough is not the easiest to work with, but don’t let that deter you.  I prepared this recipe with a friend and it was not so intimidating. It took much less time than we had anticipated. We had fun doing something together, we caught up on the latest happenings in our lives and we had a delicious dessert to share!  So, gather up a girlfriend and get started!

Baklava

Syrup:

• 1 c honey
• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 1 c water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 pinches ground clove or allspice
• 1 pinch ground cardamom
• pinch of salt

Filling

• 1/2 lb walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/2 lb almonds, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground allspice or cardamom
• 1/4 c sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 box of phyllo dough (found in freezer section)
• 1 lb (4 sticks) butter-clarified

In medium bowl mix walnuts, almonds, 1/2 c sugar, and the filling spices. Set aside

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Unroll 1/2 of  the phyllo dough on a flat surface. Keep it covered with parchment paper and a damp cloth.  Brush the bottom of an 11″x15″ pan with the clarified butter. Layer on the first sheet of phyllo dough and brush with butter, be sure to get the edges. Repeat for 8 layers.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top.  Layer 6 more sheets of phyllo in the same manner with the butter, 1/3 nut mixture and repeat.  For the top layer you will want eight pieces of phyllo. Brush the top with butter. (You may have butter left over)

Place baklava in the oven for 30 minutes and make the syrup.  Combine the honey, sugar, water, lemon juice, lemon peel, salt and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil in a saucepan and then reduce to a low simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and remove the cinnamon stick. Stir in the spices and let cool.

After the 30 minutes, remove the baklava from the oven and carefully cut the baklava into lengthwise strips and then on an angle to form the traditional diamond/trapezoid shape. Return back to oven for 30 more minutes.

Allow baklava to cool for 20 minutes and then re-cut. Pour the syrup over the baklava making sure it covers the top evenly and soaks down between the cuts.  Allow to rest several hours before serving.  Enjoy!

Notes:

• You will want to chop your nuts fine, but not too fine or powdery so be careful if using a food processor to do this
• We found that there was a little too much syrup. Baklava is supposed to be full of honey-sticky goodness, but I think next time we will either make a little less syrup or not use all of it
• Taste everything.  We preferred to add a bit more spices
• When I refer to salt I mean sea salt or kosher salt *NOT iodized table salt
• Don’t worry if the phyllo sheets rip in half. Just piece them together to form one layer.
• Did I mention that it is much more fun and much easier to bake this with a friend