This Saturday is our annual Friendsgiving party!
We have a group of about 20 of our closest friends driving in town to celebrate Thanksgiving and enjoy some indulgent and delicious food!
I have the best time prepping for Friendsgiving and am beginning to brainstorm menu items for this year’s feast. We have some dishes that have become staples thanks to rave reviews from our guests, but I always love searching for some fun new recipes to try.
Our staples include:
- My Mom’s Stuffing Recipe <—Without a doubt my favorite dish!
- Bubbee’s Glazed Carrots
- Cooking Light’s Sweet Potato Casserole
- Ryan’s Mom’s Pineapple Soufflé <— I still need to share this one with you guys!
I am still on the lookout for the perfect mashed potatoes recipe and would love your recommendations for great vegetable sides or a perfect pumpkin pie recipe. Please comment below and share any links you may have for “must try” Thanksgiving recipes!
Here are some recipes that caught my eye for this year’s feast:
- Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Garlic and Shallots
- Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Balsamic Glazed Green Beans
- Quinoa Salad with Pecans and Cranberries
- Chai Pumpkin Pie
Lunch
I am not working until later this afternoon (late night tonight!), so lunch was enjoyed at home.
A salad topped with pulled chicken, carrots and light ranch dressing did the trick.
I also had an apple and a couple of handfuls of almonds on the side.
And now it’s time to change and head off to work for the evening!
Question of the Afternoon
- What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
Please feel free to link to any any “must try” Thanksgiving recipes! I’m on the lookout for some new winners to try this weekend!
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shaved brussel sprout salad! Yummm. I use the recipe from chow. http://www.chow.com/recipes/30125-shaved-brussels-sprouts-salad
We already had Canadian Thanksgiving in October, but reading all of these comments is making me want to have another go at a big turkey dinner! Perhaps I will 🙂
I highly recommend http://www.annieseats.com for any and all recipes Thanksgiving/ Holiday related. Her breads are fabulous and she has quite a few delicious sides and desserts. It’s my ‘go to’ site for fool proof, fail proof, recipes! 🙂
I am hosting my very first Friendsgiving this Saturday…totally inspired by you of course. =)
Friendsgiving sounds like such a fun and cute idea, you should definitely go with the chai pumpkin pie! Pumpkin pie is my favorite 🙂
Healthy green bean casserole made from scratch is delicious and so healthy! I saw another version of this (similar to other recipes I have seen) on 100 Days of Real Food. Another fun idea is mini pumpkin pies. You can buy the little pie shells, make the pumpkin pie mix and pour into perfect little portion-controlled pies! I hope you have a great night!
A couple years ago, I made a pumpkin pie for my family’s Thanksgiving celebration. My uncle, who is an excellent cook, took one bite of it and said it was one of the best he’s had. It instantly transported him back to his childhood, which is DEFINITELY a compliment coming from my uncle! My secret ingredient? Heavy whipping cream. That’s all I’ll say! 🙂
I plan on trying out one of these brussels sprouts recipes for Thanksgiving! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/09/brussels-sprouts-recipe_n_1082587.html If I ate meat, I’d be trying this one: http://www.aspicyperspective.com/2012/01/brussels-sprouts-with-bacon.html
I think my mom’s stuffing would have to be my favorite! I don’t have a link but the recipes in this month’s Shape look pretty good!
Jenna’s Caramelized Brussels Sprouts were a hit with my family, even those that thought they didn’t like Brussels sprouts. This dish is pretty simple and SO GOOD!
http://www.eatliverun.com/caramelized-brussels-sprouts/
Yum! Looks amazing!
Pioneer Woman’s mashed potatoes are hands down the BEST mashed potatoes. They aren’t healthy per se, but so worth it!! I made them for my family a few years ago for the first time and they have been a “must have” at every big holiday meal since then.
Jessica- I agree! Pioneer Woman’s mashed potatoes are my go to dish for holidays! I made a double batch last week and will make another batch next week! So yummy!!
Absolutely, I always struggled with making good mashed potatoes but ever since find Pioneer Woman’s recipe…it’s all good. I agree, not healthy but they taste fabulous and if you are just having them for a special day, it is a very worthwhile indulgence!!!! Give them a try, Julie…you won’t regret it!!!
I always make a fresh cranberry sauce. (I loath the canned jelly stuff !) And this is a huge hit for healthy conscience and not!
12 oz fresh whole cranberries, Ocean Spray is great.
1/2 cup sugar (more to taste)
whole peeled cubed orange
1/4 – 1/2 pecans
Process all in food processor (just pulse with the pecans to chop or they become pasty)
It all kind of melds together as it ages (great days left over!!)
What fun! Can’t go wrong with sweet potato casserole!
Best mashed potatoes recipe I have EVER tried used cream cheese in place of sour cream or Greek yogurt. They were just…I have never had mashed potatoes this good, and I am QUITE the potato snob. I think the recipe was from the Pioneer Woman, but I bet you could figure out how to lighten it up if you wanted to! I didn’t use the 200 sticks of butter that the recipe called for, and it still came out amazing!
hey! do you make your own ranch dressing or do you buy it? t.y. 🙂
Buy it! It’s Bolthouse Farms. 🙂
My favorite part of thanksgiving is butternut squash!
Recipe/ Directions:
Preheat Oven to 350
Cut butternut squash in half longitudinally
Scrape seeds out
Put face down in pan and fill with water covering only 1/4 of squash
Cover top of pan with foil
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a fork goes through the squash without force
Let it cool down
Add 1/2 tbsp- 1 tbsp of butter
Add cinnamon and brown sugar (start with a little of each and decide how much you want based on your personal preference)
Another family tradition is making jello and putting colorful marshmallows on top of it, easy and fun dessert!
Sounds fabulous! Thanks so much for taking the time to type this out and share!
Pioneer womans garlic mashed potatoes are to die for.
I love broccoli & cheese casserole topped with Cheese-its. It’s a Thanksgiving staple in our house.
You should check out Paula Dean’s mashed potato casserole. It is loaded with cheese, sour cream, cream cheese & other delicious things. Not healthy at all, but good for Thanksgiving!
My favorite Thanksgiving dishes are always the veggies. My fiance makes the BEST bacon balsamic brussel sprouts! That chai pumpkin pie sounds really tasty too 🙂
Hands down, I love the sweet potatoes, mushrooms, corn, spinach and cranberry and am willing to try any veggie dish. I’m not a big fan of turkey (omg I know, shocking!) and the stuffing that I’ve tasted aren’t the best. But still am open for new foods!
My husband makes Peanut Butter Pie. It is sooo yummy!
I love reading about your “Friendsgiving!” Can’t wait to hear about the menu!
I love some roasted sweet potatoes and butternut squash!!
check out Paula Deen’s loaded mashed potatoes and her bacon wrapped green bean bundles! yummy
Lauren Conrad posted this recipe a couple weeks ago and it looks amazing!
http://littleferrarokitchen.com/2013/09/roasted-delicata-squash-sage-ameretti-cookies/
I must say The Pioneer Woman’s recipe for mashed potatoes are out of this world! Big crowd pleaser!
Make stuffed mushrooms!!! Instead of italian breadcrumbs, I use panko… they come out delicious!! I made these for my friendsgiving last week and they were a hit! Will be making these for Thanksgiving as well!!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/stuffed-mushrooms-recipe/index.html
Emily’s Brussels sprout recipe is the best!! Everyone loves them even if they thought they didn’t like Brussels sprouts. It’s my go to on Thanksgiving! http://www.dailygarnish.com/2010/12/asian-sesame-glazed-brussels-sprouts.html
You need to try Pioneer Woman’s mashed potatoes! I don’t do the extra step at the end of adding the extra butter and baking it though.. They are amazing!
I’m hosting our annual Friendsgiving dinner on Saturday, too! Any chance you’ll share the pineapple souffle recipe? That sounds awesome – I might need to include a last-minute addition 🙂
I got rave reviews with Tyler Florence’s cranberry sauce at my friendsgiving last weekend! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/cranberry-orange-sauce-recipe3/index.html
Try Ree Drummond from The Pioneer Woman for mashed potatoes. They are not good for you but totally delicious. Her smashed potatoes are also amazing!
If you’re looking for another dessert recipe, I highly recommend my pumpkin whoopie pies – they are amazing! http://thenotquiteitgirls.com/2013/11/11/pumpkin-whoopie-pies/
Have fun!!
I made Anne’s quinoa salad with cranberries and pecans for lunch this week. I can’t wait to have some in just a little bit!
Our friends just hosted their “Friendsgiving” dinner and I baked Pumpkin Poppers. (so easy/quick and perfect for a light dessert, sweet app, or for the morning after with your coffee). I just posted the recipe up on my blog.
Also, this recipe intrigued me on The Chew’s Thanksgiving special yesterday: Sauteed caramelized onions with robiolina cheese and shaved white truffles. http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Sauteed-Cipolline-Onions-Mario-Batali
Enjoy your dinner!!!
My favorite is Shrimp Remoulade – chilled shrimp over shredded lettuce drizzled with the BEST Remoulade dressing.
I have made this recipe twice a year (Thanksgiving and Christmas) for a number of years. It is SO yummy and I’ve always loved the name … Screaming Heads!! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-cookworks/screaming-heads-brussels-sprouts-gratin-recipe/index.html#!