How to Brine a Turkey : The Simple Way

It's that time of year for that great Thanksgiving feast! And if you're like me you're going to want your turkey to be delicious and moist (no one wants to eat a dry turkey). So the best way to ensure the moistest turkey is to brine.

Keep in mind this is my way of brining and there are many different ways to do it and many different ingredients you can add to your brining solution.

Turkey Brine

 1 Thawing the Turkey: 24 hours for every 5 pounds of Turkey.

 2 Allow 24-48 hours for brining before roasting.

Ingredients

 1 1 turkey, any size

 2 1 gallon of cold water (16 cups)

 3       3/4 cup of salt

 4 fresh thyme (optional)

 5 fresh rosemary (optional)

 6       fresh sage (optional)

Directions

 1 Prepare the Brining Ingredients -  In a large pot add the water and salt then stir until salt is  dissolved. With kitchen scissors cut the desired amount of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage) into the pot.

 2 Cleaning the Turkey - Take the turkey out of the fridge. Remove any packaging and the bag of giblets (check in the body cavity and in the neck cavity). Place Turkey in a cleaned sink and thoroughly wash with cold running water. Be sure to rub the cold water around the entire turkey inside and out, lifting legs and wings to get underneath. Once the water going through the turkey is clear place into brining pot submerging turkey into water. Add more cold water if needed.

 3 Finishing the Brine - Place the pot in the fridge uncovered 24-48 hours before roasting. The day of roasting wash brine off turkey and discard brine. Prepare turkey as desired.

Mama's Favorite Grape Salad

This is an AMAZING side dish. Every time I have made it someone has said they loved it! So I thought I'd spread the joy. Enjoy=)

Mama’s Favorite Grape Salad

 1 Prep: 20 mins.

Ingredients

 1 2 pounds green seedless grapes

 2 2 pounds red seedless grapes

 3 8 ounces sour cream

 4 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

 5 1/2 cup granulated sugar

 6 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, to taste

Topping 

 1 1 cup brown sugar, packed, to taste

 2 1 cup crushed pecans, to taste

Directions

 1 Wash and stem grapes.

 2       Cut grapes in half and set aside.

 3       Mix sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla. 

 4       Stir grapes into mixture, and pour in large serving bowl.

 5 In a separate bowl combine brown sugar and pecans and mix.

 6 Sprinkle topping over top of grapes to cover completely.

 7 Chill in fridge overnight.

Creamy Hot Cocoa

Creamy Hot Cocoa 

 1 Prep: 5-10 mins. 

Ingredients

 1 3 cups powdered milk

 2 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

 3 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (powder sugar)

 4 2/3 cup powdered non-dairy creamer

 5 1 pinch of cayenne pepper, or more to taste

 6       1/2 teaspoon salt

 7 1 (5 ounce) package instant chocolate fudge pudding.

Directions

 1 In a large mixing bowl, combine powdered milk, cocoa powder, sugar, powdered creamer, salt, cayenne pepper, and instant pudding. Stir till thoroughly combined. Store in an airtight container.

 2 Add 1/3 cup cocoa mixture to an 8 ounce mug of hot milk. 

 3     Top it off with whipped cream or mini marshmallows, if desired. 

And if you're really feeling adventurous try stirring your delicious hot cocoa with a candy cane! Yum! 

For directions on how to make your very own personalized hot cocoa gift basket for under $10 check out my DIY blog: 2-DIY-4.

Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a family favorite passed down from my grandma. I haven't found a recipe like it!

It's got a great kick that makes it perfect for cold season and it makes so much that you can freeze and heat up later.

Grandma’s Chicken Noodle Soup

 1 Prep: 20-30 mins. Cook: 2 hours 20 minutes.

Ingredients

 1          1 whole chicken

 2 3-5 large carrots, chopped

 3 2-3 celery stalks, chopped

 4          1 small yellow onion, chopped in large pieces

 5 2 bay leaves

 6 2 cups of wide egg noodles

 7 2 tablespoons of salt or to taste 

 8 2 tablespoons of pepper or to taste

 9          2 tablespoons of garlic or salt to taste

 10 2 tablespoons of chili powder or to taste

 11 2 tablespoons of celery salt or to taste
 12       2 tablespoons of mrs dash or to taste

Directions

 1         Fill a large and deep pot with water and place on stove on high heat.

 2 Thoroughly clean whole chicken with cold running water and place into pot fully emerging the chicken in water.

 3 Add salt and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Once vigorously boiling reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 90 mins.

 4        Remove chicken from pot and place on cutting board or plate. Skim off excess fat floating on top of water but be sure to leave some in the pot. 

 5 Allow chicken to cool for a few minutes. Pick off chicken meat onto separate plate.

 6        Add onion, celery, carrots and chicken pieces into the pot and bring to a  boil. Then simmer on low for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft. 

 7 Add egg noodles and bring water to a boil. Simmer on low for another 15-20 minutes and season to taste with celery salt, chili powder, garlic salt, pepper and salt.

 8 Add parmesan cheese a few minutes before serving.