With the Thanksgiving Holidays around the corner, I though I would share  my recipe for brining the turkey!

Brining  (recipe courtesy of Alton Brown Food TV)

For the Brine:

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallo vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorn
• 1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
• 1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
• 1 gallon iced water

For the aromatics:

• 1 red apple sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 sprigs of rosemary
• 6 sage leaves
• canola oil

Combine all brine ingredients, except iced water, in a stockpot and bring to boil. Stir till dissolve, then remove from heat, cool, and place in refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Once brine is cold, place  thawed turkey, breast side down and set in cool place for 6 hours (I use a clean 5 gallon paint bucket from Home Depot to put the brine and turkey in). Turn turkey over once, half way through brining. Turkey does not have to be refrigerated because the salt in the water acts like a preservative,  just place the bucket in the coolest place in your house (garage? basement?). You can do this the night before or morning of. Remove turkey form brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine. Add aromatics to cavity and coat with canola oil.

I guarantee this will be the tenderest turkey you will ever have. I don’t like to stuff the bird (health reason) instead I stuff it with the aromatics. Enjoy!!

When selling your home, curb appeal matters. Does your home have great curb appeal? Do potential buyers keep driving past your home? What kind of impression is your home saying?

The color of your home has a great impact, but painting your entire home may not be in your budget. There are still many ways to change the look without breaking the bank. How about repainting the shutters, trim, garage door, railings, front door?  You can update your house numbers, mail box and light fixture. Buyers spent a long time at your front entrance waiting for you to open the door, so the front entrance should be meticulous. Change out the old mat for a new one. When selling your home curb appeal is crucial. It’s the most important step right after posting your photos on the internet. If they like your photos buyers will do a drive by, if they like what they see, then and only then, will they make an appointment to see your house.

Consider resealing your driveway, power washing your house, reseeding your lawn. In fact if you can hire a landscaper until the house is sold that would be ideal. Plant flowers or use flower pots to add a splash of color.

By now you can see there are many ways to inexpensively spruce up your curb appeal. Remember curb appeal matters when selling your home, so don’t over look this very important step when putting your home on the market.

Immaculate Landscaping