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!
Meg
Wednesday 27th of November 2013
Absolutely love the idea of Friendsgiving -- must do this next year! Everything looks fantastic.
oneawkwardyear
Tuesday 26th of November 2013
WOW looks delish. Those little pilgrim hats are too cute!
Monica
Monday 25th of November 2013
Hi Kit,
I came across your blog and was excited to discover that you are from Maine. One of my best friends and I are taking an East Coast road trip next Memorial Day weekend. On our very first road trip we discovered that each of us wanted to go to Maine and we are each the only other people we know who are interested in visiting the state! Clearly our friendship was meant to be! Anyhow, I was hoping that being from there, you could suggest a few attractions not to miss. Do you think Portland or Augusta is better to see? I don't think either of us has anything particular in mind aside from going whale watching and eating lobster, so we are pretty open! Also, I am from Chicago and her birthday is coming up. Would it be possible to meet and purchase a signed copy of your grilled cheese book for my grilled cheese aficionado?
Thanks for any help!
thekittchen
Monday 25th of November 2013
Hi Monica! I am happy to help. I will email you directly.