Before Thanksgiving, my friends and I celebrate Friendsgiving. It is a not so quiet gathering of 30 friends that involves two turkeys, over a dozen side dishes, and plenty of beer, wine, and whiskey. I always bring mashed potatoes, which are a crowd pleaser and a Thanksgiving must. My friends Andrea and John prepare the roasted turkey, and my friend Lawrie brings his fryer and deep fries a turkey. At first I was skeptical about the deep fried turkey, but it was so tender and full of flavor. Frying a second turkey is a great way to feed lots of people when you only have one oven.
The funny thing about Friendsgiving is that they are so many side dishes, that you can really only try a couple tablespoons of each. Here is a rundown of the options: salad, green bean casserole, corn casserole, mixed veggie casserole, mashed cauliflower, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, macaroni and cheese, rutabaga, roasted brussels sprouts, butternut squash ravioli, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and two turkeys. There were also several appetizers and desserts.
I like to think that I have mastered assembling the perfect Friendsgiving plate. I fit 10 different things onto my plate, and went back for seconds. I made about 12 pounds of mashed potatoes, and with so many side dishes at the party, there were a few pounds leftover at the end of the night. I spent my day today using the leftover potatoes to make potato soup and shepherd's pie.
A gigantic Thank You goes out to my friends Andrea and Mike for hosting such a fun party!
