Dry Brine for the Best Turkey Ever

I debated whether to take the extra step to brine my Thanksgiving turkey. I’d encountered several disasters in previous years, yet the process yielded deliciously succulent meat. The first time I brined, I did not have a brining bag, and the only way I could get the turkey covered and refrigerated was to use one of the vegetable bins. I didn’t have a bucket or container that would fit in my refrigerator. Well, all I can say is much sloshing ensued, producing a messy, watery cleanup.

The following year,  I tried brining in a large plastic bag, but the bag leaked, and again my refrigerator was a mess. 

My Dry Brined Thanksgiving Turkey
My Dry Brined Thanksgiving Turkey
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A Thanksgiving Cocktail: Cranberry Pisco Sour

If you know me, you know I love a Pisco Sour!  I found this recipe flipping through a magazine, and I just had to try it.  Glad I did because it will now become my annual Thanksgiving cocktail. (My Christmas cocktail is the Pomegranate Martini – recipe found on this link.)

The Cranberry Pisco Sour ready to serve.
The Cranberry Pisco Sour, a Thanksgiving Cocktail

I first encountered the frothy pisco sour on a trip to Peru. The tangy, not-too-sweet flavor tasted yummy, but the egg white topping was my favorite part. I only recently learned how mixologists create that forth. Find out how to make a frothy cocktail in my recipe below.

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First Timer’s Guide to St. Augustine

History claims Ponce de Leon and his landing party first came ashore in La Florida on April 3, 1513. Nearby St. Augustine, in Northeast Florida, was founded in September 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain. The town celebrated its 450th anniversary of its founding in 2015, making it  the longest continually inhabited European-founded city in the United States.

My 2015 article was republished by Where Traveler Magazine. You can read it here: https://www.wheretraveler.com/st-augustine/st-augustine-guide-first-time-visitors.

I offer tips on what to see and do depending on your interest.

Flagler College, formerly the Ponce De Leon Hotel.
The St. Augustine Lighthouse as seen from a biplane.