Turkey Brining Solution:

Turkey:

Brining Solution:

Brown sugar, dark, packed, 2 cups

Iodized salt, or sea salt, finely-ground, 2 cups

1 bottle Louis Jadot, unoaked chardonnay
(Whisk this in last, after brining solution has cooled)

Meyer lemon juice, from 4 lemons

Chopped, fresh sage, rosemary herbs, 10 to 12 fresh bunches

Two large elephant garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup black pepper, freshly-ground

1 cup garlic powder, unsalted

3 cups of Herbes de Provence

2 cups organic lavender buds

2 gallons water

1 cup bromelain powder, organic, food-grade

1 cup papain powder, organic, food-grade

Bring brining solution to a boil, with enough room to add in the turkey, without a brining bag. After it comes to a high boil for one minute, turn burner off, stir, and allow the solution to cool for an hour.

Next, remove giblets from the turkey, then seal it in a brining bag, with the solution, or seal it in the pot, with an air-tight cover. Refrigerate it for at least two days in the brining solution.

Afterwards, drain all the brining solution and place turkey into turkey roasting bag. Stuff the inside with fresh thyme, Meyer lemon wedges, quartered fennel bulbs, peeled, whole garlic cloves, and peeled, whole, red shallots. Rub whipped, butter substitute under the skin, and arrange fresh, sage leaves underneath the skin.

Next, place the turkey into a roasting bag. Pour four cups of melted, butter substitute over the turkey. Then, tie the bag with cooking twine, and puncture four slits, an inch wide in the bag. Place it on a large roasting pan. Bake it as recommended.

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/howtocook/primers/turkey_stuffingandroasting

Remember to check the turkey, after it's cooked with a meat thermometer. The turkey should be cooked (for 22 lbs) at 325°F, for five hours, until it's 170°F, internal temperature, with a meat thermometer. Basting the turkey can be skipped with a turkey roasting bag. It's actually more realistic to just buy the turkey pre-cooked, and just reheat it, with children in the household.

Safeway has pre-cooked turkey, holiday dinner kits for $55, approximately. This reduces stress on the cook, and children, so the holidays can be spent finger-painting, hugging, playing board games, building gingerbread houses, decorating cookies, and entertaining them with playdate parties.

Children will get restless, if they're not taken to the recreational centers every other day, on winter break, for three hours. It's important for them to be running around with their friends, rock-climbing, bicycling, skiing, swimming indoors, ice skating, kept physically and socially active during the winters.

At night, with the cold weather, make sure to have electric blankets, and also, warm their comforter up in a dryer, prior to tucking them in with a bedtime story. As you leave their room, turn on an audio book/story for them also. "Frog and Toad," or "Ralph and the Motorcycle" are both excellent for first graders. "Harold and the Purple Crayon" is another classic for Kindergartners to enjoy.

***I added wine to the brining solution to help kill bacteria in the turkey. It's safest to buy the organic, heritage turkeys. Vitamin Cottage carries that also. Always cook the stuffing on the stovetop, at the final ten minutes of baking, not inside of the turkey. Just use the five minute stuffing kits, and pre-made, turkey gravy.***