Cous cous with blood orange, kale and toasted cashews

I'm not quite sure what's happened to me. Suddenly I'm craving, making and enjoying salads. (I'm not pregnant again). I've always liked them, but they were never in quite the same league as a steak for me. I'm not a converted health food freak quite yet, as I realised while bewilderingly watching some friends salivate over granola, but, I certainly have a different outlook. Maybe pregnancy did change me, as it did my feet, now 1 size bigger, all my beautiful heels squeezed on like Cinderella's ugly sisters trying on her slipper. I suspect, though, that the recent rediscovery of the joy of toasting nuts has prompted this change and the fact that throwing them onto just about anything makes it instantly better.

A new spicy brine for turkey

As well as being a little late, the blogosphere is also simply too saturated with yet more Christmas offerings - really, how many different ways can you actually cook a turkey? Deep fried maybe? (Definitely something  I have to try one day). The actual cooking techniques may be limited, but the preparation offers endless possibilities, especially if you brine your bird. This one was too good to resign to the Christmas only folder, it needs to be shared as it would work equally well on chicken, duck or maybe even pork. Dark, aromatic and slightly spicy, it shines with glossy soy sauce, mandarin and blood orange juice, garners a little warmth from cinnamon and star anise and some boozy complexity from both cider and white wine. Add to that some agave nectar and maple syrup and you have a sweet, sour, spicy and slightly bitter brine which acts threefold in adding flavour, succulence and a dark, glossy colour to the crispy skin.