Turkey Parts - Getting Ready

[JasonFrishman]

So tomorrow night, like many people I know, will begin to prep their turkey for the brine. Either that or the turkey prep goes on Thursday sometime between managing guests and prepping 36 other things. 

Last year, when I started to get the turkey ready, I was faced with a question: What to do with the neck and organs that are included in the cavity of the turkey?  last year, I was harried, slightly stressed and trying to keep Shana from being grossed out about the dead fowl on our counter.  So what did I do last year? Wrapped them well, put them in the freezer, and planned to cook them up sometime as a special treat for my pup, Ben.  (Ben never got the treat and these special thanksgiving leftovers are still in my freezer.)

What should I do this year? I wrapped them well, could I use last year's as well?  That would mean that I have 2x the neck and organs and could potentially make up some dish for humans and Ben would just sort of miss out. (He still gets fed quite well around this time of year - don't worry.) 

So any ideas?

[Morganna]

I usually use the neck for making broth for my stuffing.  The liver and gizzard and heart I fry up immediately in just a bit of butter with salt and pepper and nosh on them while I'm cooking other things the night before.  None of my friends like giblets in the gravy or stuffing, so we just eat it up like that.

Tonight I'll be doing a pumpkin (maybe two) and a mince pie and cranberry-pineapple relish.  I'll be putting the turkey in the brine the minute I get home tonight.  The brine got made yesterday.  I don't like it to brine for more than 24 hours, so I'm shooting for more than 12 hours.  We like to have lunch by 1PM, so I have to have the turkey in the oven by around 10 am.