Lpink, this is the first time I've ever heard of an herb having the power to ruin a grown woman's holidays for life. LOL

Why not cut the turkey into pieces? Freeze the wings for soup later. Stuff the breast cavity with a traditional bread stuffing without sage as CC suggested and roast it and the legs.

Make this for you and BF with the boned thighs. I made it last month and it has a flavor profile I'm sure you'd like.

ALGERIAN TURKEY

1 3/4 - 2 lbs. boneless, skinless turkey thigh, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup raisins
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cups cooked couscous or orzo

Place turkey, onions, apricots and raisins in crock pot bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients except couscous and pour over turkey. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 5 hours.

Stir and serve over cooked couscous.

Makes 4 servings @ 482 calories each

I love sage. I even simmer fresh sage leaves in my turkey/chicken gravy.

Do you like savory or thyme? Use one or both of these herbs in place of sage.

Ann

I hate sage. I also grew up with a stuffing (filling?) like CCs. I love it.

Use the turkey later. Reason it this way. If you would've bought __________, then the turkey can replace ___________ since the turkey gives you a free meal. Let's say a turkey would've cost $22, then just spend $15 on a fantastic salmon instead.

Just have boyfriend use it in different ways, e.g. grill a leg quarter, roast a breast and make sandwiches/soup that he would've made with chicken. Just in case you wanted an out, I'm giving you permission. I'm so generous aren't I?

:)

Fingers crossed that you get a natural bird. I have a feeling it will be Butterball. :( I'm with you on the injected turkeys. They are soggy and just awful.

If your guests are expecting a traditional Thanksgiving flavor profile, they will be disappointed by a complete switcheroo to something Southwest or BBQ. Sage will not be missed. Just leave it out.

I make stuffing with artisan breads in a combo of sourdough and whole wheat. They have more structure and flavor. I buy the bread and slice it, dry it, and then melba toast it and break it up by hand. Dried apricots, onions, celery, toasted walnuts, breakfast sausage, butter, broth, and whatever poultry herb you DO like should offer plenty of traditional flavor.

I just kinda dislike the whole Thanksgiving flavor profile--sage, thyme, savory, poultry, gravy, starches. When we make turkey burgers we season them Mediterranean style. Also do spicy italian turkey sausage. Would that we could cut up the turkey and grill it. BF and his son are just very traditional, albeit not liking sage. I'm thinking a Moroccan style rub like Ruthanna described.

I dunno what to say folks, I just don't like the taste of meat, even turkey and chicken. When I do eat such things I want to spice them up. When I do chicken I do it Moroccan style, Cacciatore, Greek style, shish ka bab, or southwest stye barbecue. I want to spicce up Thanksgiving!

This recipe from Cindy's Dad is very good and may help you get around the stuffing, potato, gravy thing. It's sorta potatoes and stuffing in one and a very good side with Turkey.

Sorry I can't help you with the turkey thing except to maybe suggest you BBQ it. To help make up for the turkey maybe you could do 4 or 5 great veggies as sides. Grilled onions, beets, peppers some baked beans maybe. Baked beans are great with both the following recipe and turkey. I even have a recipe somewhere for grilled whole onions stuffed with baked beans....maybe if you did a total BBQ theme.....

Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Filling-Cindy�s Dad

5 Lb Idaho potatoes
1 Cup diced celery
1 -1/2 cup diced onion
3/4 Cup fresh parsley (or dried
-parsley flakes)
4 eggs
2 (1 cup) butter or margarine
3 Cup cubed bread
1 -2 cups milk, or enough to
-moisten bread cubes
Salt, pepper and celery salt

Cook potatoes with salt until tender. Saut celery and onions with
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in 2 tablespoons oil until
tender and slightly browned. Push to one side of the pan; add 1/2 stick
of the butter and soak parsley in butter, then mix with celery and
onions.
Drain potatoes; put in large enough container to hold all ingredients.
Add the remaining 1-1/2 sticks butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon
pepper and 1-1/4 teaspoons celery salt. Mix with electric beater. Add
eggs and mix thoroughly. Add celery and onion mixture and mix. In the
same pan used for the celery and onion mixture, soak bread cubes in
enough milk to moisten thoroughly and heat. Add to potatoes and mix. If
mixture is too thick, add milk. Add dry bread cubes if too thin. Also
use more or less of seasoning to taste.
Put in greased baking dish (or dishes), dot top with butter, and bake
at 400 for 1 hour until golden brown.

Here in PA there are strong preferences about potato filling versus bread filling, LOL.
Why not ask what the expectations and wishes are? And remember that the traditional Thanksgiving flavors absolutely do not have to involve sage or thyme. When I was growing up there was no herb in our kitchen but parsley, and Thanksgiving was delicious.
You could also ask the guys to do the turkey, and you make some side dishes. The only really cumbersome part is wrangling the turkey to wash it inside and out. I always turn that job over to DH.

I you like spicy Italian sausage, try Michael Chiarello's fennel spice rub. I haven't made it myself, but the ingredients look good. Grilling it Southwestern style would be good too, and for that I use my Cajun seasoning. While I do love Algerian chicken, I have found that the seasonings are not as compatible with turkey, although my recipe is quite different from Ruthanna's and is based on sumac as the primary spice.

Like Ann, I love sage, however!

Lars

"BF and his son are just very traditional, albeit not liking sage."

LPink, don't ruin Thanksgiving for them. Find out how they would like the stuffing, as CC suggests. I'd also find out what they would like for sides. You can always make something extra for yourself. You can do it.

I say this because I had a SIL that ruined a few T-Days for the rest of the family. She wanted to do the dinner but would make weird stuff. Not because she didn't like what we did but I suspect, she was afraid of the comparison. She finally learned and there were many good T-Days.

Don't forget the pies!!!

Nancy

Lpink, I'm inclined to agree with Nancy on this one. Thanksgiving, especially when cooking for a group, is one of those times where people have general expectations surrounding the food.

I love all the traditional T-Day sides but strongly dislike turkey. Dislike it enough that I can't stand to have it in the 'frige as leftovers. I would have so much rather just roasted a chicken. But, turkey is expected on T-Day so I cooked turkey every year until we became empty nesters. Now, we do the whole gig but with chicken. :)

I think you should make a traditional meal since you say that both BF & his son are traditionalists but omit the sage & thyme. To many, the flavor profile you're considering are not connected to T-Day.

Best to just ask their preferences without giving away your feelings in how you phrase your questions. Just ask, "So, what defines Thanksgiving dinner for you?" You can always do what I did...give all the leftovers away to your guests to take home. I always sent everything smelling like turkey (including the gravy) home with the kids.

You can always include a few dishes you'd like as sides & still meet everybody else's expectations.

Good luck!

/tricia

Another suggestion is to stop over at your library's periodicals section and check the November magazine issues for Thanksgiving ideas.

I saw (but don't have here at home) the latest issue of the Food Network magazine and they had an entire section on different ways to cook turkeys, a variety of stuffings and also gravies or sauces.

I want to make turkey and stuffing, I just don't want to make it with the traditional seasonings. Nobody in our gang likes them much. But since I don't care for turkey in general, I don't know what the other options might be good. Like Lars says, maybe Moroccan isn't good with turkey. BF doesn't want pie, he wants pumpkin cheesecake. We limit desserts all the time so this won't feel like a sacrafice not to have pie. I found a recipe by Bobby Flay for turkey basted with pomegranite molasses glaze and a wild rice stuffing (with bread too). And I can just reduce the pan juices instead of serving gravy. I've had turkey done on a spit, but I don't know if BF's grill at his house has that capacity. If it does, it might actually be a fun thing for us to do. It's just the three of us so no need to please a lot of people. I think that will do me, thanks!

I'll have to try that potato stuffing sometime, BF loves potatoes. We'd have it with our usual boneless, skinless chicken breasts though!