Friendsgiving 2019: A Guide for Beginners
Happy Thanksgiving, friends!
I hosted my first ever friendsgiving this year and it went supremely well, in my humble opinion.
We did a potluck and, I will say, everyone brought their A-game. I wanted to share with you our spread and the recipes (some homemade, some found online, and some packaging-provided) so you could recreate the whole meal or a few select dishes.
Or maybe just to serve up some food inspo. There are no rules when it comes to eating good food.
Main
Ham
I'm still a thanksgiving beginner and the thought of making a turkey for the first time was incredibly daunting. We decided to opt for ham, instead (which is still on my list of things I have never cooked before). We picked up a pre-cooked ham from Aldi which came with it's own glaze (saving me the $10+ I would have spent on ingredients to make my own.)
I was super impressed. This was incredibly easy, delicious, and affordable (under $25!). I would recommend this to any beginner and I am officially converted from turkey to ham. Team ham for Thanksgiving!
For guidance on cooking pre-cooked, spiralized ham, go here.
For guidance on how to cut a ham (even a pre sliced one is a little tricky), go here.
Starches
Mashed Potatoes
This will either be incredibly surprising to you or you've already discovered this for yourself, but:
2 Chainz is the best celebrity mashed potato recipe.
Hands. Down.
It's classic, creamy, a little garlicky, and, honestly, so, so great. This has been in my rotation for years, now. A few notes:
2 Chainz is not known for his clarity in this recipe. So, when he calls for minced garlic, actually mince fresh garlic. Don't use the jarred stuff (I'm a fan of the jar in some recipes, but, in this one, the flavor is just too much)
In the same vein, he calls to use the butter twice, but doesn't specify how much of it to use. So, I double it.
Make sure you cook the potatoes long enough - this is solid advice for any mashed potato recipe (one I’ve had to learn many times over due to my own impatience). You’ll know it is ready when the potatoes essentially fall apart once you pierce them with your fork
Yes, you must actually put on “Feds Watching” when you mash.
Recipe here.
Sausage Bread (not pictured)
So, I had no idea what sausage bread was before my friend, Alex Isdell, decided to make it. We ate it as an appetizer while we finished up cooking the other dishes and, honestly, it didn’t last long enough for me to snap a pic. Savory and delicious, Alex was nice enough to type out her grandmother’s recipe for us.
Recipe here.
Handmade Noodles
This was also a mystery to me when my friend, Anne Rozler, said she wanted to contribute these to our meal, but apparently it is a common midwest thing to have noodles on Thanksgiving. WHO KNEW?! I honestly cannot be mad about more noodles in my life and these were super, super good. Soft, a nice chew, and oh so comforting. I might try to recreate this at my family’s thanksgiving. Recipe below (adapted from a VERY old copy of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook):
Ingredients:
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
chicken broth
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine egg, milk, and salt. Stir in enouh of the flour to make a stiff dough. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
On a floured surface, roll dough into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Let stand 20 minutes
Roll up loosely; cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Unroll; cut into desired lengths
Spread out and let dry on a rock 2 hours. Store in an airtight container till ready to use
Combine 3 parts chicken broth & 1 part water (should total about 2-3 cups)
Measure out broth/water mixture into pot to be just enough to cover the noodles, bring to boil (will not be all of it, you will slowly add in the rest later)
Add noodles and desired amount of pepper (1/4-1/2 tsp), boil for 25-35 min
Add more of the broth/water combo as the rest get soaked up - ideally you want all of the liquid absorbed
DO NOT STRAIN
Serve immediately or place in a crock pot to keep warm.
Rolls
Just make these; they’re the best for a reason.
Vegetables
Green Bean Casserole
Before this, I was always a cheesy green bean casserole kind of gal. But this super simple, crispy onion & green bean casserole was fantastic and may have converted me over. Created by my friend, Kate Patterson, this recipe is another one of those family classics that isn't written down anywhere. But, Kate kindly wrote it down for me:
Ingredients:
4 cans green beans, drained (she used 2 french cut & 2 regular)
1.5 cans cream of mushroom soup
*ahem*a "SHIT ton" of friend onions
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix the green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and as many crispy fried onions as you desire in a bowl (save some for the topping)*
Pour mixture in 9 x 13 casserole dish and bake for 35-45 minutes (covered)
In last 10 minutes, add top layer of crispy onions and bake uncovered
* if the thought of having no measurements for the fried onions absolutely mortifies you, Kate uses the whole tub for the mixture and then buys a second tub to use for the topping (she does not use the second whole tub for the topping)
Honey-Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges
If I had been in charge of this dish, I probably would have opted for the Crispy-Coated, Oven-Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges from Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings: Hungry for More, however, Kate brought this and I didn’t want to be THAT friend.
However, this dish, from Nutrition in the Kitch was excellent and definitely on the healthier side - which was refreshing.
Recipe here.
Garlic Parmesan Bacon Brussels Sprouts
I'm a huge fan of Tasty recipes in general, and this is a phenomenal dish. I tend to like brussels sprouts on their own, personally, but none of these toppings are too overpowering. If you are worried, maybe halve the bacon.
Recipe here.
Desserts
Cinnamon Ice Cream (not pictured)
This was absolutely fantastic. There may or may not have been some passive aggressive discussions on who got to take home the leftovers. Anne uses House of Nash Eats’ recipe, “Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream”, as her base, but does not add the blackberries. She added a "bunch of cinnamon." So feel free to experiment. When pressed, Anne estimates that her "bunch of cinnamon" is around 1-2 tsp.
Pumpkin Pecan Gingersnap Ice Cream (Not Pictured)
This ice cream is very festive and it’s a thicc bitch, so it needs tempo. All jokes aside, props to Saveur for this one.
Recipe here.
Apple Pie
This buttery apple pie was crumbly, warm, and pretty much perfect. I'm not a sweets person and I complimented Anne on it no less than 10 times. This is directly from the cookbook, Salt Acid Fat Heat, by Sarmin Nosrat. Which has been on my list to buy FOREVER and, now that Anne has made this pie, I may make the plunge.
Recipe here if you’re not interested in buying but still want to make this delicious pie.
The Plate.
Happy eating, my friends!
What do YOU think?
Would you have made something else? Have a better recipe we should try? Should we eat thanksgiving food YEAR ROUND? Leave your thoughts in the comments! Currently taking suggestions for next year!
Though this post concludes #pnpfriendsgiving2019 - it does not mean our thanksgiving adventures are over! Tell us about your experiences through social media. Make sure you tag us @perkandprovision on Instagram and Twitter and throw up the hashtag #pnpfriendsgiving2019