Friendsgiving has been one of my favorite college traditions since moving off-campus. Getting together with my roommates and friends and cooking delicious food is an enjoyable sendoff pre-holiday season. This year especially, with classes going online after Thanksgiving and not resuming in-person until mid-January, most of us will have a longer time until we get to see our roommates again, making celebrations like this even more special!
I know my Friendsgiving celebration will look a little different this year compared to years past, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be skimping out on any part of the celebration! One of the best things about Friendsgiving is you can make it as complicated or as easy as you want. Does your family have a special recipe you want to try your hand at cooking? Or do you prefer making boxed mac and cheese as a delectable side dish? Either option is totally fine!
Below I’ve included a (non-exhaustive) checklist of what to include for your Friendsgiving meal as well as some tips to make your celebration successful, safe and healthy!
Friendsgiving Checklist:
- A main dish
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- Test your cooking skills and try to cook a turkey, or if that seems too daunting, any other meat dish would be a fine substitute
- If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, but your family still serves meat at your regular Thanksgiving, like me, this would be the perfect opportunity to experiment with a plant-based alternative!
- Side Dish #1 – Mac and Cheese
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- Like I mentioned above, whether it’s boxed or homemade, mac and cheese is a MUST
- Side Dish #2 – All the potatoes
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- Mashed potatoes? Sweet potatoes? Why not both?
- Side Dish #3 –Stuffing
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- My personal favorite!
- Side Dish #4 – Vegetable of choice
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- Brussel sprouts are usually my go–to, but a green bean casserole is also a great option
- Dessert
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- Friendsgiving wouldn’t be complete without dessert! Make you favorite type of pie or keep it simple with a store bought one
Tips:
- Plan ahead! If you’re anything like me, you probably rarely cook this many dishes at once. Make sure you know the oven temperature and cook time of all your dishes, so everything gets done at relatively the same time. Ask your guests about any allergies they have so you know what dishes need to remain separate.
- Prep your workspace. Cooking this many dishes requires a lot of space, so make sure your counter space is clean and organized.
- Split up the tasks. Have each of your roommates pick a dish and make it.
- Decorate your house! The smells coming from the kitchen are not the only thing that needs to be festive.
- Make it a potluck! But still make sure you are following physical distancing guidelines and not having a gathering of more than 10 people. If you would like to include more than 10 friends, assign each household different recipes and deliver portions of it to each other’s houses.
- Save your leftovers! Here at reduce, reuse, recipe we still believe in minimizing food waste – even for holidays!
- The celebration doesn’t have to end when you stop eating! Watch your favorite holiday movie or play a board game with your friends over zoom.