Front Porch Conviviality Episode 3 notes and recipes

Good morning! Thanks so much for tuning into our youtube series, Front Porch Conviviality. If you’ve landed here without seeing the episodes (you’re missing out on top shelf entertainment, let me tell you!), here’s the link.

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If you’re here because you made it through the episode, THANK YOU! Also, bless you.

As promised I am going to share the recipes from episode 3 with you now. I’ll attempt to go in order, so begin with the cocktails and move onto fried turkey, turkey breast brined and then the noodle dish I referenced at the end for a busy weeknight meal. It’ll be a lot but they’re all super easy! Here we go:

Aliceson’s pear martini:

2 ounces fresh pear juice
2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce St. Germaine
splash lime juice
Fresh Rosemary sprig
Shake with ice and strain. Serve with fresh rosemary in a martini glass.

Barry’s spiced pear and bourbon cocktail:

juice from 1 pear
3 ounces bourbon
1 ounce maple syrup (or simple syrup would work)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
splash lemon juice
vanilla bean
Mix everything except vanilla bean in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a lowball glass with ice and garnish with a vanilla bean.

Barry’s fried wild turkey fingers:

Wild turkey breast, cut in strips
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Hot Peanut oil
Cut the turkey breast into strips. Add the flour and seasonings to a ziploc bag and shake to mix. Add the turkey strips and shake to combine. Fry in hot oil (375 degrees) for 5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Serve with your favorite sauce (NOT KETCHUP!!). I make a white barbecue sauce that’s pretty amazing and there are a ton of copycat Zaxby’s sauces on the internet which always make kids happy.

Aliceson’s spicy brine for oven roasted turkey breast:

1/2 cup salt
3 garlic cloves, halved
2 fresh jalapenos, sliced
6 cups water
Add the above ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil and then stir until the salt is dissolved. Let the salty brine cool and add the turkey breast to sit in the refrigerator 4-6 hours. Remove from brine and rinse. Place in a roasting pan and roast in a 350 degree oven until done (160 degrees internally). Depending on your size of turkey breast (we use a boneless breast in this recipe because we always have wild turkey) it should take 30-45 minutes. Don’t overcook! And for a little added yumminess, wrap the breast in bacon strips. . . .

Ramen noodle bowls for busy weeknight meals:

ramen noodle bricks (NOT the packets used by college kids but the Chinese noodle packs you find in grocery stores – I use 1/2 to 1 brick per person)
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
2 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup spinach leaves, torn
1/4 cup cabbage, shredded or sliced thinly
1/2 cup cooked and shelled edamame (optional)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1/2 – 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1/4 teaspoon ginger (more if you love ginger)
In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil on medium heat. Add onion, garlic, red bell pepper and carrot and sauté for 3-5 minutes. While those are sautéing, bring water to boil in a Dutch oven. Once boiling, add Ramen noodle bricks and boil for 3 minutes, then remove and drain from water and rinse with cold water.

Now, add the rest of your veggies and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add the dressing ingredients (soy sauce through ginger) and shake to combine. Pour over the veggies and then add the noodles to coat. Once everything is heated, divide into bowls and enjoy. (Note – I keep all the veggies in pretty big pieces because we use chop sticks. Also, feel free to add any leftover meat you have handy. We use pork belly and chicken in this recipe a lot. Whether you enjoy it as a vegetarian option or carnivorous I think you’ll see it’s a great one bowl dinner that’s ready in 15 minutes TOPS and gives you easy cleanup. Plus, again, getting kids to eat their veggies can sometimes be a struggle.)

So I believe that covers all the recipes for Episode 3. I will add here a note about wild turkey versus domestic animals. If you’ve never fixed wild turkey before or never experienced it, I am so sorry. Truly truly it is, in my opinion, the best wild game. And it’s a different species from the lazy, fat domesticated turkeys you’re familiar with from the grocery store. Two huge differences: one – the taste! There’s no comparison between the grocery store turkey and a wild turkey. It’s like the difference between a steak at Golden Corral and a filet at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. And two – wild turkey breasts are more “natural” in shape (ahem. In other words they’re flat not round and full of antibiotics and growth hormones. Possibly like the difference between some of us and Pamela Anderson if you catch my drift.)

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call or text anytime. Alternatively you may email us at balesfarmstn@gmail.com or hit us up on social media.

Have a great week! See you next weekend!

Aliceson