I know, I know, I don't post anything for weeks then here I am, BAM, with two posts in one day. However as it happened, I had this one all ready to go when I decided that I simply must do a post on brining -- including ratios if your turkey isn't the size of a small child -- before sharing the recipe for the turkey that was brined. Of course, as all things do these days, it took a bit longer than planned. And so we return to our regularly scheduled programming, joining the story a few … [Read more...]
How to Brine a Turkey – plus Brine Recipe Ratios for any size bird
If you've never brined a turkey before roasting now is the time to start. No, no, not next year, now -- or at the very least the next time you cook anything remotely turkey related. Because once you do you'll never go back, seriously. Ok, ok, how can I be so sure? Well only a few weeks ago I was you, well not really you, that would be impossible and a little awkward, but the non-brine-er part of you who is questioning my blatant confidence. You see for years I'd intended to try this … [Read more...]
Lemon, Macadamia & Coconut Raw Truffles
Round about 5 years ago, give or take a few days, 84th & 3rd was born. It happened -- without buildup, without fanfare, without a repository of content, without thousands of Instagram followers, but with a single post that told a short story about my life at that very moment. To say the blogging landscape has changed exponentially in the past 5 years (much less the past 10 or 15) is an understatement. New blogs are launched these days with events to rival book releases, with build up … [Read more...]
Creamy Spiced Apple-Nog (aka Vegan Egg-Nog)
Huh, well it seems that between a Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake last week and a twist on Egg-Nog this week I've unintentionally set the scene for Christmas in July. How terribly festive of me (or more appropriately what a terribly appropriate response to my perpetual complaining about how cold I am...). Maybe I should have convinced RJ to let me leave the tree up for another month. So how did I come to make a concoction named Apple-Nog (or Not-Egg-Nog as I've been affectionately calling it) … [Read more...]
Maple Orange Spice Macadamia Nuts
There is only one word to describe these spice-coated macadamia nuts -- addictive. Addictive as in keep tasting them just to make sure they're ok, and make twice what you need, and you better stop now lest you have none to give away addictive. They are crunchy and fragrant and stunningly easy to make -- as a matter of fact the hardest part of the whole recipe is waiting for them to cool before eating. These orange spiced macadamias are the second gift I included in my foodie … [Read more...]
Holiday Mixed Spice
WARNING: this spice blend is like Christmas fairy-dust in a jar. Seriously. Well, it is if warm spices make you think of gingerbread and mulled wine and tree decorating all other sorts of holiday festivities... On the other hand, if warm spices make you think of drinking a cocktail while sitting on a tropical island then please revise aforementioned warning to apply to your own happy spice memory. Either way, everybody wins. Working on the assumption that everyone has a happy … [Read more...]
Macadamia & Coconut Choc-Cherry Truffle Bites
Truffle bite? What's a truffle bite? Things are truffles or bites, right? And truffles are rarely more than a bite anyway so calling something a truffle bite is like calling a cat a kitty cat or saying something is an end result or even better (worse?) declaring that you're going to an ATM machine. I'll wait while you google what ATM stands for, swear to never again use the phrase "mix together", and re-evaluate the sheer scale of redundancies in everyday life... Ok, so maybe a truffle … [Read more...]
